LOGAN -- If ever there was a player destined to be an Aggie, it's quarterback Jeff Crosbie.
Not only did he attend Utah State games at Romney Stadium from the time he was a toddler and later throw touchdown passes down the road at Mountain Crest High School, he's the only guy to be recruited out of high school by each of the last three Aggie coaches.That's right, each of the most recent USU coaches recruited Crosbie after an all-state career at Mountain Crest, even if they didn't all want him to go to Utah State.
Crosbie was originally recruited by Charlie Weatherbie after passing for 25 touchdowns and 2,500 yards in leading his team to the 4A semifinals in 1994. He was also heavily recruited by then-Idaho coach John L. Smith, who wanted him to come to Moscow and then-Weber State coach Dave Arslanian, who also coveted the lanky signal-caller.
Little did Crosbie know that Smith and Arslanian would be the next two Aggie coaches.
The 6-5, 192-pound Crosbie is a key player for the 1999 Aggies, who open their season Sept. 4 at Georgia. Crosbie is being counted on to revive an Aggie offense that was nothing short of abysmal last year in a disappointing 3-8 season.
"I grew up as an Aggie, and it's always been my dream to play here," said Crosbie. "Ever since I was a little kid."
Crosbie never did play for Smith, leaving on an LDS mission to Brazil in December of 1995, Smith's first season, without enrolling in school. When he returned two years later, Smith had already left for Louisville and been replaced by his good friend Arslanian.
Arslanian was excited to find Crosbie in the program when he took over and planned to redshirt him for a season. But circumstances last year forced him to throw Crosbie into the fire sooner than expected and now Crosbie comes into the 1999 season as the Aggies' starting quarterback.
Crosbie hadn't played in a real game in four years when he unexpectedly was called into action during the homecoming game against Idaho. Starter Riley Jensen had been injured a week earlier in a loss to Washington and backup Logan Galli got the starting nod against Idaho. Crosbie had participated in spring drills and had been redshirting in the fall with plans to play four years starting this year.
However, with the USU offense going nowhere (six total yards in 28 minutes) Crosbie was summoned late in the second quarter.
"I didn't have much warning," said Crosbie. "Coach just turned around and said, 'Start warming up.' It was probably better that way because there wasn't much time for me to think about what was going on. One minute you're warming up and then you're in."
Crosbie completed a couple of passes in the first half and ended up throwing for two second-half touchdowns and 178 yards in a little more than a half. Just like that, the Aggies had a new quarterback, who could be starting until 2001.
Arslanian recalls the change in the Aggie offense when Crosbie entered the game.
"When he ran on the field, it was just different. Everybody perked up. He gave us a spark."
Over the last four games, Crosbie averaged 19 completions a game, passed for more than 200 yards in every game and threw six touchdown passes. He capped off his season by leading the Ags on a drive to the winning field goal against North Texas that started from their one-yard line.
Crosbie has "no regrets" about giving up his redshirt year and feels last year's experience will be invaluable to him this year.
"It helped a lot because now I can look back and say I've played in a Division I football game," he said. "I'm much more confident now."
Arslanian points out that Crosbie has "all the tools" to be a good quarterback -- a strong arm, a good release, quick feet and overall athletic ability. But his leadership may be his best quality of all.
"He has a very self-assured way about him," says Arslanian. "And it's not cockiness at all. He's very humble and sincere. He has a confident presence."
Crosbie feels he has the respect of his teammates, and several of them have commented on their confidence in his ability to lead them.
This summer Crosbie and most of his receivers stayed in Logan and worked out together three or four nights a week, getting their timing down and becoming more comfortable with each other. The extra work has been evident during fall drills as the receiving corps looks much improved since the spring.
Crosbie will be going back to his old stomping grounds, sort of, when the Aggies play their opener against Georgia in Athens, Sept. 4. After being born in Logan, Crosbie's family moved to Florida when he was 5 because his father worked for NASA. They moved back to Providence, just south of Logan, when Jeff was 12, and except for his mission, he's been in Cache Valley ever since.
"I'm excited to open with Georgia," he said. "We have the opportunity to go out and prove ourselves. I look upon it as a great challenge."