It isn’t a surprise that numerous Utah State football players have entered the transfer portal this offseason.
It isn’t a surprise that a large collection of starters from the 2024 team are included in that group.
And it isn’t a surprise that the Aggies are on track to look quite a bit different in their first year under Bronco Mendenhall than they did last season during the Nate Dreiling era, which was itself a continuation in many ways of the Blake Anderson era.
It might be something of a surprise exactly how different the Aggies are going to look next season, though.
Through Dec. 19, more than 25 players who were on USU’s team this past season have entered the transfer portal, a number that shows no sign of slowing down, and the transfer portal window remains open until Dec. 28.
A few of those players were backups who saw limited playing time or junior college transfers who were brought on for depth purposes.
But many of the players USU has lost this offseason — whether of their own volition or with encouragement from Utah State’s new coaching staff — were major contributors.
How much offensive production has Utah State lost?
So far, the Aggies have lost three running backs to the portal this winter — Rahsul Faison, Robert Briggs and Herschel Turner.
Faison initially declared for the NFL draft, but after a recent court ruling gave Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an additional year of eligibility — in effect the ruling determined that his time at the junior college level didn’t count — Faison has entered his name into the transfer portal instead.
Briggs was hurt for the majority of the 2024 season, after suffering a serious leg injury in the opener against Robert Morris. That injury required a rod to be inserted in Briggs’ leg in order for his leg to heal properly.
And Turner was a true freshman thrust into a bigger role after Briggs went down.
Faison and Turner were the workhorse running backs for USU in 2024.
As a team, Utah State rushed for 2,569 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season. Faison and Turner combined for 1,573 of those yards and 12 of those touchdowns.
Throw in Briggs, who rushed for 88 yards before being injured, and the three backs who’ve entered the portal with the intent to leave Utah State combined for 65% of the Aggies’ rushing yards this season and 44% of the rushing touchdowns.
Include players who’ve exhausted their eligibility as well — quarterback Spencer Petras and slot receiver Kyrese White — and more than half of the touchdowns the Aggies scored on the ground are gone.
The passing game has been hurt in a similar fashion, more by exhausted eligibility than the transfer portal.
With Petras and White gone, star wide receiver Jalen Royals off to the NFL, tight ends Broc Lane and Josh Sterzer with no more eligibility, and wide receiver Grant Page and tight end Will Monney off to the portal, Utah State has lost 2,454 of the 3,229 yards produced last season.
The Aggies are currently in line to return only 11 of 28 touchdown catches.
Put simply, 76% of the receiving production from 2024 is gone.
Petras had his detractors, but the graduate senior managed to throw for 2,315 yards and 17 touchdowns, while completing 65% of his pass attempts.
Bryson Barnes, who for now remains an Aggie, was an elite backup but has never surpassed those marks in his college career, his best season as a passer coming at the University of Utah in 2023 when he threw for 1,572 yards and 12 touchdowns, completing 59% of his pass attempts.
As the roster currently stands, USU isn’t devoid of offensive talent.
Barnes was a major producer in the run game and solid in the passing game. Wide receivers Otto Tia and Jack Hestera both played large roles for the Aggies too.
But of the nearly 6,000 yards of offense that Utah State produced in 2024, the Aggies are on track to have to replace 71% of it.
How much defensive production has Utah State lost?
For as hard hit as the Utah State offense has been, the defense has been hit even harder.
So far, 18 defensive players have entered the portal, many of whom were starters at some point in the season along the defensive line, at linebacker or in the secondary.
And then you have to add players who exhausted their eligibility, like safety Jordan Vincent or linebackers John Ross Maye and Clyde Washington.
In 2024, USU recorded 896 tackles, 72 of which went for a loss. The Aggies also had 28 sacks, 13 interceptions, 29 pass breakups, 33 quarterback hurries, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Utah State has lost — for sure — eight of its top 10 tacklers from 2024.
The Aggies have lost six of the eight players who intercepted a pass, returning two of those 13 for INTs. The Aggies’ top sack artist — Cian Slone — may have more eligibility left after spending two years at the junior college level but that remains to be determined.
Limit things to just outgoing transfers — more than a few of the Aggies’ most productive defenders, such as Vincent, Maye and Slone have, for now, exhausted their eligibility — and Utah State has lost 261 tackles, or in other words almost 30% of the defensive production from 2024.
Hardest hit has probably been the Aggies secondary, with five interceptions out the door into the portal and 13 pass breakups. Those numbers were generated by starters (either this season or last season) in Avante Dickerson, Simeon Harris, Jadon Pearson, JD Drew, Jaiden Francois and DJ Graham.
You can argue, successfully, that the production lost on defense doesn’t especially matter given how poorly the Aggies rated defensively in 2024.
Utah State finished the season ranked No. 127 in scoring defense and No. 129 in total defense.
Boiled down to the most concerning statistic — opponents averaged nearly 38 points per game against Utah State. Basically, when playing the Aggies, offenses operated at a top-six level when it came to scoring the football.
But New Mexico was actually worse on defense in Mendenhall’s first year, in nearly every way.
Meaning Mendenhall and company have a huge overhaul to make, in terms of bodies added to the defense and actual on-field production beyond that.
How much special teams production has Utah State lost?
It isn’t just offense or defense that have been hit hard by the transfer portal.
Utah State has lost its starting kicker (Tanner Cragun), one of two punters who saw significant playing time (Ryan Marks), plus its top two kick returners in Royals and White.
Cragun took over early in the year for Elliott Nimrod (who has exhausted his eligibility) and made seven of nine field goal tries, including the game-winner at Wyoming.
Marks split duties with Stephen Kotsanlee and was primarily the placement punter, with Kotsanlee the distance punter.
All told, Marks punted seven times, pinning five of those inside the 20-yard line.
Royals and White, meanwhile, combined for 78% of USU’s kick return yardage in 2024 and neither will be back in 2025.
How does Bronco Mendenhall want to build Utah State football?
In his introductory press conference, Mendenhall alluded to the changes that were coming for Aggie football. He said his staff (with him incoming after his introduction) were scouring tape to determine which players at Utah State fit the vision that Mendenhall has. The unsaid part being that there would be players who didn’t fit.
Many of the players who’ve transferred from Utah State this winter fell in that latter group, with Pearson telling Fox News in Fresno (where he has since transferred) that Mendenhall and his staff, “came in and said that they don’t think I am a fit for exactly what they need.”
Mendenhall has added some talent, namely a junior college signee, two high school signees, plus three transfers from New Mexico.
But make no mistake about it, Utah State has a ton of production to replace and the Aggies will hardly be recognizable when they kick off the 2025 season at home on Aug. 30 against the UTEP Miners.