Before the season even begins, Utah State is being tested in its first year under Bronco Mendenhall.
On Friday, the school announced the suspension of senior safety Ike Larsen.
“Ike Larsen has been placed on a short-term suspension from the USU football team for a violation of team rules, effective today, Aug. 15, 2025,” a statement from a university spokesman said.
Brian Phillips of Big Blue USU Aggie News reported the suspension will run six weeks, meaning Larsen could miss games against UTEP, Texas A&M, Air Force, McNeese State and maybe even Vanderbilt. Which means Larsen could miss nearly half of the 2025 season in what should be his last season of college football.
Larsen may not have played to his capabilities last season, or close to it, but he did stand as one of the closest things to a sure thing that Utah State had. He was an experienced and proven playmaker on defense, which every team wants and the Aggies need.
So where does USU go from here?
There is reason to believe that the Aggies will handle Larsen’s absence well.
In July, at Mountain West Conference media days, Mendenhall singled out the Utah State secondary and noted, “It’ll be a strong suit of our organization.”
Sans Larsen, Utah State still has proven players on the back end of its defense — at cornerback and nickel back especially with New Mexico transfers Noah Avinger, Bryson Taylor and Bobby Arnold all likely to see considerable playing time. At safety, things are more in question.
At least one spot should be filled by Utah Tech transfer Brevin Hamblin, a 6-foot-5 behemoth who leads a group of promising players, including Titan Saxton and BYU transfer Chika Ebunoha, at the boundary safety position. None are proven contributors at the FBS level, though.
The field safety position is a much bigger question, now that Larsen is suspended. There are players in the wings who can replace him, though none are proven yet. Not even close.
Chief among them and arguably the most likely to be Larsen’s replacement is Nebraska transfer D’Andre Barnes. A three-star prospect coming out of high school in 2023 and again when he was in the transfer portal this offseason, Barnes has all the tools necessary to be elite at the position.
A dual-sport athlete in high school in Colorado, Barnes won gold in the 5A 200-meter finals in 2021 as a high school sophomore, per 247 Sports. That speed enables him to cover the field and quickly, making him ideal at the position.
The issue is Barnes hardly played at Nebraska, appearing in just one game over the course of two years spent in Lincoln.
Other than Barnes, the Aggies have Breaker Mendenhall and Lava Vailahi, who could potentially try to fill the void left by Larsen’s suspension. There is also Saxton, whose versatility as an athlete could warrant him changing safety positions if needed.
No matter who steps in, the loss of Larsen is a notable one. A star in multiple seasons for USU, Larsen has been one of the faces of the program for years now, especially amid all the turmoil that has surrounded the program the last couple of years.
For a time at least, the Aggies will have to live without Larsen playing a key role for the first time since 2021.
