Utah State football’s early signing class totaled 23 players, but one signee was particularly notable.
The very first one the Aggies announced that they’d signed, in fact.
Early Wednesday morning, Utah State announced it had signed former University of Utah defensive back Malone Mataele.
Mataele entered the transfer portal on Nov. 21, after four years with the Utes, but will now play his final season of college football in Logan, donning Aggie blue.
Utah State head coach Blake Anderson addressed the addition of Mataele on Wednesday afternoon, after USU made its signees for the day official.
And simply put, Anderson and company were extremely high on him.
“Considering what we graduated out of the safety room and the experience Mo has on the field — playing at a high level — we felt like he really rounded out our class,” Anderson said.
The Aggies wasted little time contacting Mataele after he entered his name into the transfer portal, although Anderson was unsure whether USU reached out first or if Mataele did.
Either way it was a good thing, as Cal and a few other programs desired Mataele’s services too.
“He was being courted by several schools. Cal was the first to offer,” Anderson said.
That is the nature of the transfer portal, though.
“The portal process is happening very quick,” Anderson said. “There are more kids in the portal than there are spots and kids know they can’t wait. They can’t be lazy about the process. They have to be proactive.”
Anderson noted that Mataele has a family, a child and his mother who live in Utah, and the Aggies’ coach believes that worked in USU’s favor. That and the program’s approach to defense, which generally asks a lot of defensive backs.
“Staying close and playing in our style of defense were two big keys there,” Anderson said.
So what kind of player do the Aggies believe they are getting in Mataele?
In short, a difference maker.
“He has a bunch of versatility, can play several different spots,” Anderson said. “He is a one-year guy, but with the experience he has on the field and really his versatility, (we needed him).
“He can play field, boundary, nickel and honestly play corner if he needs to. He is very very versatile and a guy we would be crazy not to take. He is a plug and play player and should be a four-team, special team impact player. A lot of value in him.”