A new era is dawning for Utah State athletics.
Next summer, the Aggies will join a rebuilt and reconfigured Pac-12 Conference.
With the passing of the House settlement earlier this month, revenue sharing between schools and student-athletes is a real thing and Utah State is expected to opt into the settlement, alongside all other Pac-12 schools.
There is a new head football coach in Logan — Bronco Mendenhall — who is being paid better than $2 million per season, the highest compensation an Aggie coach has ever received.
A lot is changing rapidly in college athletics, and for the Aggies in particular. And change can be expensive.
To that point, Utah State athletics announced Tuesday that it is raising ticket prices — for single games or season ticket packages — for all “ticketed sports,” with a goal of “helping Utah State, its coaches and student-athletes succeed in the new era of intercollegiate athletics.”
Per USU, the price hikes will be in line with what its peers in college athletics have done.
“(It) is essential for funding Utah State in the new era of intercollegiate athletics,” the statement by USU athletics reads. “To attract top talent to Logan and ensure the sustainability of its athletics department, USU will continue to modernize its programs and explore opportunities for revenue generation.”
It is more than just price hikes, though.
- New ticket prices will vary depending on seat locations.
- Utah State will implement a recruitment and retention fee, “allowing USU to remain competitive with its peer institutions in the Mountain West, Pac-12 and fellow NCAA Division I programs.”
- PlayFly Aspire will be the “one-stop contact” for ticket sales and service (including Big Blue Club donations).
- Season tickets for the 2025 USU football season will start at $168 (the Aggies will host UTEP, Air Force, McNeese, San Jose State, Nevada and Boise State.
- Utah State will begin offering courtside seating for men’s and women’s basketball games during the 2025-26 season.
- USU faculty and staff will continue to receive a 15% discount on season tickets, and recent USU graduates (within the last five years) will receive a 20% discount.
Utah State is far from the only university to raise ticket prices in recent years, or to add a fee specifically designed to raise money to retain student-athletes. Throw in revenue sharing and schools across the country are in need of finding ways to collect more funds than ever before.
When Utah State officially announced that it was leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12 last fall, athletic director Diana Sabau told the Deseret News, “I talk a lot about future-proofing and guaranteeing the future (for USU athletics). My job as athletic director is to weigh future years against the present to ensure the future. Being a member of the Pac-12 produces great value for our athletic teams, not only for our coaches in recruiting, but playing in a very competitive league that is going to give us multiple bids for tournaments and championships.
“And that is what it comes down to, the postseason and giving your student-athletes the biggest stage to shine bright on.”
The ambitions for Utah State have simply never been higher. But so is the cost of doing business in college athletics.