Bryson Barnes is getting noticed.
The starting quarterback for Utah State has gotten off to a notable start to the 2025 season, with numbers that put him on pace for nearly 3,000 yards passing, 300 yards rushing and 36 total touchdowns this season.
Barnes’ play against Air Force — he accounted for more than 300 yards of offense and five touchdowns in the Aggies’ win and set a new career high in rushing touchdowns — earned him Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors, and he was one of the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 in Week 3, too.
“(Barnes) is a good football player already, but his poise, his confidence, his countenance is really growing. I’m watching it happen right before my eyes.”
— BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall on Bryson Barnes
Thanks to his impressive start, people have begun noticing Barnes — a sixth-year player who is a full-time starting QB for the first time in his career.
On Tuesday, 247 Sports’ Nathan Carroll ranked the top quarterbacks in the MWC through three weeks and Barnes was near the top of the list.
Slotted in at No. 3 out of 12 quarterbacks, Barnes was behind only Boise State’s Maddux Madsen and UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea.
Wrote Carroll: “Barnes has been excellent to start the season for the Aggies. He’s avoided turnovers while managing to push the ball down the field, while placing the ball well and adding capable scrambling as well. The biggest issue with Barnes right now is he’s taking too many sacks. (Fourteen) sacks through three games is the most in the conference by a comfortable margin, and second in the nation. The Aggies are off to a 2-1 start though, and Barnes is a big reason why.”
Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray, meanwhile, made explicit mention of Barnes in his latest conference power rankings, citing Barnes’ performance against Air Force as he moved the Aggies up to No. 6 overall in the MWC behind UNLV, Fresno State, Boise State, New Mexico and Hawaii.
Opposing coaches have been the most consistent in recognizing Barnes. Matt Viator, head coach at McNeese State, Utah State’s opponent Saturday, is the latest to chime in, and he was not shy about giving praise to Barnes during his weekly press conference.
Said Viator: “Their quarterback (Barnes) is really good. He’s a transfer from Utah and he’s got some moxie about him. Pretty much everything they do in the run game is RPO. He’ll pull it in and he’s one of the long riders and then pulls it out and throws it at the last second. This guy has a good arm and he gets it out of his hand quick.”
Of course, the most notable praise for Barnes has come from within Utah State’s program. The Aggies might be off to a better start than most anticipated — with a win Saturday USU would be 3-1 — but it will take some time before Utah State is recognized more regionally and nationally.
Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall has only had positives to say about Barnes since taking over as the Aggies coach, even more so after the win over Air Force.
“(Barnes) is a good football player already, but his poise, his confidence, his countenance is really growing,” Mendenhall said after the win against the Falcons. “I’m watching it happen right before my eyes.”
On Monday, Mendenhall went further, noting “Bryson reflects stability for the team that was coming back, but also for the new players coming in. He’s been a very strong voice as to what kind of program he would like to have, what it’s like to be here in Logan.
“He’s not afraid to speak his mind. He’s a very strong leader. He’s no nonsense. He’s completely committed,” Mendenhall continued. “He’s tough, and he aligns just perfectly with everything I’d like to have in a quarterback.
“And so he’s really been an anchor of stability in the transition, not only between coaches, but new players coming in, and then the way he’s leading and the way he’s playing is really helping our team.”
It isn’t just Mendenhall, though.
Wide receiver Braden Pegan, who is in the midst of his own breakout season, has benefitted greatly from Barnes’ play.
“He’s a great leader,” Pegan said. “He commands the offense very well. He’s a very well spoken so it’s easy for us to understand where he’s coming from. He’s been doing good and I think he’s just going to keep on getting better.”
Barnes and the Aggies will have an opportunity next week to make themselves better known on the national stage with a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to play No. 20 Vanderbilt. Before that though is a home game against McNeese State this Saturday.
Does another career outing for Barnes await?
With the way he’s been playing to start the season, things are trending in that direction.
