More than eight months in, does Utah State’s new coaching staff believe in Bronco Mendenhall’s vision for the Aggies? Specifically, his intention to build a program that is centered — first and foremost — on home-grown talent from the state of Utah?
That was one of the major contentions Mendenhall made last December in his introductory press conference in Logan; under his direction, Utah State would prioritize in-state talent when building its program.
“There are amazing young people here and they are tough and gritty,” Mendenhall said. “Gosh, strong character, well schooled and well taught. ... They are in our state and would align really well here.
“It makes complete sense for me for that to be the primary place we start. Not the only place, but the primary place we start for our program. I believe that those kids playing in front of family, for communities to watch kids from their own community and own state, that connection is deeper. It is more meaningful and there is a stronger tie. I believe in that, I like that and that is the direction we intend to go.”
Now that they’ve been in and around the state, recruiting locals with Utah State logos on their gear, do the rest of the Aggies coaches agree?
“For me, I say without a doubt,“ defensive coordinator Nick Howell said. ”I actually think that the changes in conferences and what some of those other (in-state) schools can maybe get now that they weren’t getting before. Are they (BYU and Utah) going to get the best kids in state? Yeah. Are there enough kids in-state that they’re not taking all of them? For sure."
Howell, a Utah product himself, added: “I think probably one of the strengths of this state is probably mindset, the way kids play. I think there’s going to be plenty of kids that have the right mindset that we like, to be able to play here.
“So that (making Utah products) the core of Utah State football would be our goal. Will it be the same every year? No, there’s going to be some years that are better than others,” he continued. “But for sure, you can recruit the state and have a core of your team be from the state.”
Unlike Howell, defensive line coach Donte Wilkins isn’t from Utah, so there is no bias, known or otherwise, about high school football in Utah. But he agrees, wholeheartedly.
“For sure, for sure,” Wilkins said. “And you know, the funny thing is, so many people think it just has to be like the no-brainer, five stars or the really good four-star. And that doesn’t have to be the case at all.”
Wilkins singled out Cole Keele as proof of that.
Keele, a former Morgan High standout, was a walk-on along the offensive line the last two seasons. Unrated coming out of high school, Keele appeared in just one game in two years in Logan.
With the decrease in roster size to 105 total players after the approval of the House Settlement, Keele seemed like a prime candidate to leave Logan.
Yet he will be on the Aggies’ roster to start the 2025 season, now playing as a defensive tackle. He won’t start, but there is a solid chance Keele plays this year and makes an impact in a game or two.
So what happened?
Well, first and foremost, Mendenhall wanted to give Keele a shot to make the Aggies roster, after having coached both his uncle and dad at BYU. So Keele was moved to defense and has quickly developed from a long shot to make the team into someone who Wilkins believe will help USU come away with a win this season.
“He’s a kid who was overlooked, walked on and that kid actually could help us get out of the game,“ Wilkins said. “That’s what it’s all about. We can find who we need (in Utah). There’s enough. There is completely enough people.”
Wilkins specifically cited prospects capable of playing along either the offensive or defensive as being plentiful in Utah.
“I got on the road recruiting my first week here in January and I saw that there’s no problem finding big people here,“ he said. ”We can find big people."
Many of those players won’t be ready to play for the Aggies right away. Plug and play in-state prospects will either go to BYU or Utah or to out-of-state powers.
But Wilkins noted that the Aggies can and will find developmental prospects who they can turn into FBS-caliber football players.
“There has to be a vision, there has to be development,” Wilkins said. “Because we’re a developmental program.”
He added that Utahns have an edge to them when it comes to football. A love for the sport that rivals what he saw growing up in Virginia (the DMV area is consistently rated one of the best for football prospects in America).
“They love football here,” Wilkins said. “I wasn’t surprised because I’ve known these guys when I played for them at Virginia and they were always talking about Utah. I always gave them crap, that it (Utah) ain’t Virginia football, but when you finally get here, they were 100% (right). There’s enough talent here.“
Mendenhall and his coaches have conceded since arriving in Logan that the entirety of the Utah State football program cannot be Utah products, and that is bearing out in USU’s 2026 recruiting class. Of 12 high school prospects currently committed to the Aggies, only four are from Utah.
Utah State is never going to exclusively recruit in Utah. There is too much available talent outside the state and even the Mountain West region for that to happen. But the Aggies definitely believe that Mendenhall’s vision of a Utah-based core for Utah State football can and will be a reality, and soon.
