Jason Shelley is no longer the starting quarterback of the Utah State Aggies.
In fact, he is no longer on the USU football team at all.
Utah State announced Sunday evening that Shelley has been removed from the team after a violation of team rules following Utah State’s 35-16 loss to Fresno State on Saturday.
There was no additional information included in the announcement, and interim head coach Frank Maile will not comment further.
In four games played this season, all as Utah State’s starting quarterback, Shelley completed 51 of 99 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns. Shelley’s passing yards and touchdowns are No. 109 most in the country, among FBS quarterbacks, while his quarterback rating — 24.8 — is 121st.
In the Aggies’ most recent loss, Shelley completed only 9 of 24 passes for 144 yards, and was visibly frustrated on the sidelines throughout the game, particularly late as Utah State fell to 0-4 to start the year.
Shelley joined the Utah State program in June, transferring from the University of Utah. The Frisco, Texas, native spent three seasons with the Utes, including a redshirt season in 2017, and played in 19 total games, including five starts, in 2018 and 2019.
He was named the Aggies’ starting quarterback on Oct. 19 ahead of the team’s season opener against Boise State.
A junior, Shelley will be eligible to play two more seasons, thanks to the NCAA’s recent ruling to award all Division I student-athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew Peasley was Shelley’s backup through the first three games of the season, but did not suit up against Fresno State. Redshirt freshman Cooper Legas filled the role of back-up against the Bulldogs and if Peasley is unavailable again, Legas is likely to start and play in his first game as an Aggie when Utah State takes on rival Wyoming Thursday night at 7 p.m.
A three-star recruit out of Orem High, Legas helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back state championships and was also a state champion wrestler.