Last Nov. 21, before the Utah Utes football team had finished its regular season, defensive back Malone Mataele announced that he had entered the transfer portal to play his final season of eligibility elsewhere.
Exactly a month later on Dec. 21, the Utah State Aggies announced that they had signed the Placentia, California, native.
Now, just over four months after that, Mataele announced on Twitter Wednesday that he is entering the portal again.
Entering the Transfer Portal !
— Malone Mataele (@thetonganterror) April 26, 2023
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Mataele appeared in 35 games during his time at Utah and tallied 43 tackles (30 solo, 13 assisted) and one interception.
After Utah State signed him, Aggies head coach Blake Anderson indicated that Mataele had family in Utah.
Mataele’s announcement comes as the Utah State roster has been rather decimated by transfers this offseason, and particularly over the past few weeks.
In all, more than 30 players on the Aggie roster have entered the portal during this offseason.
“This is the new world of college football. This is what legislatures have created,” Anderson said earlier this month. “It is going to happen all across (the country) and it is. This is not a Logan problem. This is a NCAA football problem. It is not going to go back.”