Utah State Football Preview 2025: How Quickly Can Bronco Mendenhall Rebuild the Aggies?
Has Bronco Mendenhall found a home?Utah State has had a rough run, and it needs Mendenhall to work his magic as soon as humanly possible.The program won ten or more games four times in the last 13 seasons - the only double-digit campaigns in Utah State history - and going to bowl games has become the norm. But three straight losing seasons, and the firing of head coach Blake Anderson just before last year started, made 2024 impossible to turn things back around.
But Mendenhall is used to this. He was great right away at BYU for 12 seasons before running off for the Virginia job. In Year Four, he took the Cavaliers to the Orange Bowl. After taking three years off, he resurfaced in New Mexico, taking over and winning five games with one of the best offenses in the nation.Utah State might need a little bit. Mendenhall knows what he's doing, but close to 30 players transferred out, the portal didn't fill in enough gaps, and this whole thing will be put together with duct tape and a few prayers.But there's enough in place to potentially match the four wins of last season. And because it's Mendenhall, it should be fun regardless of the first year record.
Utah State Aggies Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- Bronco Mendenhall isn't quite bringing over the New Mexico offense that finished fourth in the nation, but he'll give it a shot. Coordinator Kevin McGiven spent the last several years making the San Jose State offense go. Offense wasn't a problem for Utah State, finishing sixth in the nation, averaging 468 yards and 32 points per game, but …- Leading passer Spencer Petras is done, but Bryson Barnes threw 12 touchdown passes and got in enough work last year and at Utah to be ready for the gig. His 348 rushing yards over the last two games might be a glimpse of what's to come in the Mendenhall attack. However, Arizona transfer Anthony Garcia will get every shot in fall camp.
- Jalen Royals was a special receiver who'll be a big deal for the Kansas City Chiefs. The transfer portal needs to pick up the slack with Corey Thompson (UNLV), Brady Boyd (Texas Tech), and Demick Starling (WKU) all relatively untested options who'll get every shot.- The line isn't totally starting over, but all five starters will be replaced. Jake Eichorn (BYU) will come in through the transfer portal, and there's a little experience to play around with. The job will be to crank up the running game, and it won't just be Barnes. Miles Davis (BYU) and Javen Jacobs (New Mexico) are quick backs who should each average over five yards per carry.
Utah State Aggies Preview 2025: Defense
- The defense couldn't do much of anything, even with all the help coming from the strong Aggie offense. The D had a nice pass rush, but it allowed 470 yards and 38 points per game. Defensive coordinator Nick Howell is still around, and …- The Aggies might have the best safety in the Mountain West. Ike Larsen is back after making 217 tackles, nine picks, and 17 broken up passes over the last three years. Omari Okeke and transfer Bobby Arnold (New Mexico) will step in at the other slots. The corners might be even better, with Bryson Taylor and Noah Avinger two big-play parts of last year's New Mexico secondary.
- Top pass rusher Cian Slone is gone to NC State, but Bronson Olevao Jr. is back at one linebacker spot - he was second on the team with 3.5 sacks and 23 tackles - and John Miller should be a bigger tackler in the middle coming off a 52-tackle season.- The line doesn't have a ton of experience with Slone gone on one end, but Gabriel Iniguez is a decent run stopper inside, Bo Maile can play inside or as a 3-4 end, and the transfer portal will help with tackle Tyree Morris (Lafayette) an instant starter.
Utah State Aggies Key to the Season
Be way, way better against the run.The Aggies allowed 5.4 yards per carry and got hammered over 200 yards in seven games. It's way, way too tough to hold up when the team is getting crushed in the time of possession battle, and in this way, the offense has to control the clock a bit better. But it's been years since the program has consistently stopped the run.
Utah State Aggies Key Player
Tyree Morris, DT Jr.Again, the run defense must be more than just a speed bump. The 6-6, 273-pound Morris might not be huge, but he's active. He made 65 tackles, two sacks, and five tackles for loss last year for the Leopards, and now he has to be a disruptive force.
Utah State Aggies Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Noah Avinger, CB Sr.If it's not Morris, and if it's not fellow former Lobo defensive back Bryson Taylor, it's Avinger, a strong-tackling option for any defensive back spot.He started out at San Diego State, missed the 2023 season, and then stepped in at corner for New Mexico and stopped everything the porous defensive front didn't, coming up with 91 tackles and five broken up passes.Top Transfer Out: Rahsul Faison, RB Sr.The Aggies have other options at running back and should be okay, but the 5-11, 200-pound Faison would've rolled in this new offense. He wasn't bad in the old one, running for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons. Now he's at South Carolina.
Utah State Aggies Key Game
at New Mexico, Oct. 25No one's expecting a College Football Playoff national title out of the Aggies, but there are games you can lose, and games you can't. Bronco Mendenhall losing to the Lobos after his one-and-done era in Albuquerque is one of those the Aggies shouldn't drop.- 2025 Utah State Schedule Breakdown
Utah State Aggies Top 10 Players
1. Ike Larsen, S Sr.2. Noah Avinger, CB Sr.3. Bryson Barnes, QB Sr.4. Bryson Taylor, CB Sr.5. John Miller, LB Sr.6. Bronson Olevao Jr., LB Jr.7. Tyree Morris, DT Jr.8. Miles Davis, RB Sr.9. Gabriel Iniguez, DT Sr.10. Omari Okeke, S Sr.
Utah State Aggies 2024 Fun Stats
- 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 186, Utah State 89- Field Goals: Opponents 20-of-22, Utah State 10-of-16- Time of Possession: Opponents 32:41, Utah State 27:19
Utah State Aggies 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
It's Bronco Mendenhall, and while that will only go so far on a team that returns four starters and lost just about everyone of note through the transfer portal, he should have the team ready and good enough to at least push for the four wins of last season.It's not an awful deal to miss Colorado State, San Diego State, and Wyoming, but it would've been nice to miss Boise State, or UNLV, or Fresno State. Making things worse, there's a trip to Hawaii kicking off a run of four road games in six dates.
The Aggies will beat McNeese and slip by UTEP in the opener. It'll pull off at least one other Mountain West game - at New Mexico and home against Nevada are most likely - but this is a true rebuilding campaign.Set The Utah State Aggies Win Total At … 3.5Likely Wins: McNeese50/50 Games: Air Force, at Hawaii, Nevada, at New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEPLikely Losses: Boise State, at Fresno State, at Texas A&M, at UNLV, at Vanderbilt
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