Utah State Football Preview 2026: Can the Aggies Survive the Pac-12?

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Utah State Football Preview 2026: Can the Aggies Survive the Pac-12?

Pete Fiutak · College Football News

Sat, Jun 6, 2026 ·

8 min read

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Utah State is making the journey over to the Pac-12, and the goal is to be a player right away in the second season under Bronco Mendenhall.

The first year was good enough to get the team to a bowl game, but late in the season, it lost heartbreakers to UNLV and Boise State that would've made it a special campaign.

Utah State has a whole lot of problems and issues - many will be hammered into the ground here - with a defense that didn't stop anyone, an offense that couldn't do much in the clutch, and with a whole team worth of transfers coming in.

But there's a positive in all of this. First, Mendenhall's teams are a blast, and second, for all the negativity, his teams usually do find a way to win enough games to be at least decent.

Can Utah State's Offense Be Enough to Win in the Pac-12?

Sep 6, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Utah State Aggies running back Javen Jacobs (8) runs the ball to score a two-point conversion during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field.

© Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Utah State Quick Hits

Head Coach:Bronco Mendenhall (2nd year, 6-7; 19th year overall, 146-95)
Best Case / Worst Case:A winning season/A fifth straight losing season
Key Player:McCae Hillstad, QB Jr.
2025 Record:6-7
Biggest Question:Will the defense be improved enough to give the team a chance?

- 2026 Utah State Schedule Analysis

Utah State Key 2025 Stats

Sacks: Opponents 42 for 236 yards, Utah State 29 for 191 yards
Total Offense: Opponents 5,721 yards, Utah State 5,323 yards
Penalties: Utah State 99 for 782 yards, Opponents 80 for 735 yards

Offense

The offense wasn't bad.

It finished third in the Mountain West, cranked up the downfield passes, and kept the mistakes to a minimum.

Robert Anae takes over the offensive coordinator duties, and he has an interesting mix of pieces to work with.

What's Working

The turnovers were scarce.For a team that throws it deep and likes to push the tempo a bit, not making mistakes isn't a given. The Aggies gave it away 22 times in 2024, and last year they were tied for ninth with just 11 turnovers.

The receiving corps got options through the portal.Leading receiver Braden Pegan might be gone, but Javon Robinson is a lightning-quick option from Georgia State , LJ Johnson is a good prospect from Texas State , and Eli Wood is a physical get from Virginia .

They should all fit in right away with a good combination of veterans returning.

Good things happen when the deep ball is working.Top quarterback Bryson Barnes might be gone, but the offense will still keep stretching the field.

Barnes led the Mountain West, averaging 13.3 yards per completion, and likely starter McCae Hillstead can give it a shot. Utah State went 5-0 when averaging more than 7.5 yards per attempt.

What Needs Work

Coming through late.The Aggies didn't get enough big scores in the clutch. It's not that anything wore down; they just didn't get the job done when needed.

They scored 110 points in the second quarter, 98 in the third, and 87 in the fourth. They also scored just three points in the overtime loss to UNLV, but three missed field goals were costly in that.

The offensive line should be better,but it has to be far, far better at slowing someone down from getting into the backfield. Three starters are back on the inside, and the transfer portal brings in the tackles, and now it needs to be a force.

Be better when the running game works.It was one of the oddest parts of the Utah State season - the team lost when it ran well, going 2-4 when tearing off close to five yards or more.

Time of possession doesn't matter in this attack. When the ground game is rolling, the Aggies need to stick with it.

Player to Watch

Javen Jacobs, RB Sr..A quick 190-pounder, he was the third man in the rushing mix last year. But he was great when he got his chances, running for 6.6 yards per carry with 429 yards. This year, he'll double his workload, and he has to hold up.

Defense

Utah State struggled last year - to be nice about it.

Bad against the run, worse against the pass, it was a rough season overall for the defense. There's hope, though, with a loaded group of options from the portal to help a decent base of holdovers.

What's Working

The staff is throwing prospects at the problem, Part 1.It's among the team's biggest strengths in the portal, bringing in nine new players to add instant depth to go around veteran end Carson Tejague and tackle Tyree Morris. And if that wasn't enough ...

The staff is throwing prospects at the problem, Part 2.The secondary wasn't horrible, even if the stats might say otherwise. It had playmakers, and a few good ones are back in corner D'Angelo Mayes and safety Brevin Hamblin.

Around those two, and corner/nickel Bryson Taylor are seven defensive backs from the portal, starting with safety David Kabongo from Oklahoma State and corner Markie Grant.

The staff is throwing prospects at the problem, Part 3.Leading tackler John Miller is gone from the linebacking corps, but 90-tackle, four-sack senior Bronson Olevao is back on the inside.

6-2, 235-pound Jeremiah Holmes is a hybrid from The Citadel who made 55 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Harrison Taggart made 38 tackles at Cal last year and is destined for the inside, along with Asher Cunningham from Elon.

What Needs Work

Bronco Mendenhall defenses haven't done much over his last few runs.Last year's Utah State defense finished dead last in the Mountain West, and it wasn't close, giving up 440.1 yards per game, 14 yards per game more than Colorado State .

His 2024 New Mexico team was also last in the Mountain West, giving up 492 yards per game. It was 22 yards per game more than ... Utah State.

Before that, his previous coaching job was 2021 Virginia - his defense was 13th in a 14-team ACC.

Quit getting gashed through the air.The run defense was a struggle, but to be fair, it couldn't hold down Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Air Force, and a killer New Mexico ground attack.

The Aggies were feast-or-famine with the pass defense, allowing 275 yards or more seven times - going 1-6. They allowed 190 yards in the other six games and went 5-1.

Force more fumbles.The defense could hit, and it was great at coming up with picks, but it couldn't find a way to generate fumbles. It only forced seven and recovered four. Only four teams generated fewer fumbles.

Player to Watch

Brevin Hamblin, S Sr.One of the last lines of defense when the front seven struggled against the run, the 6-5, 200-pound All-Conference hybrid safety made 114 tackles with 1.5 sacks, with eight broken up passes.

Keys to the Season

Get the same pop and explosion out of the passing game
Score every time there's a chance late in games
Find something on defense that works

Player Who Needs To Shine

McCae Hillstead, QB Jr.
He's not all that big, but the 5-10, 190-pounder can sling it.

A high-octane high school quarterback from Utah, he came to Utah State in 2023, left for BYU , didn't play in 2024, and saw limited action in 2025.

Now he's back in Logan as a far more experienced veteran than the one who threw for just over 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight picks as an Aggie.

Biggest Concern

Seriously, the defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for the gajillionth time in this ... the defense needs to be better.

But the Aggies aren't asking for much. Last year, giving up 407 yards would give you the 105th-best defense in America.

Utah State gave up that many yards or more nine times, and went 2-7 in those games. It was 4-0 when allowing fewer.

Biggest Game

Washington State , October 9
Utah State will be in for a rough start to the season, and it'll most likely be 0-1 in the Pac-12 after starting out at Boise State.

After dealing with Washington State, there's a week off before making the long trip to North Texas.

Last year, the Aggies lost to the Cougars in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and this time around, it might be a make-or-break moment in the middle of the season.

Transfer Portal

As mentioned before, it's about bulk prospects coming in. A whole bunch of new guys are coming in to be a part of the new Pac-12 world, and overall, Mendenhall and his staff did a nice job.

Best Signing

Javon Robinson, WR (Georgia State)He's only 5-7 and 155 pounds, but he'll play a big instant role as a slot receiver. He caught 58 passes for 595 yards and four scores last year for Georgia State, and he'll catch at least that many passes for the Aggies.

Biggest Loss

Will Holmes, EDGE ( Illinois )
The last thing the Aggies could afford was to lose top defensive playmakers, but Holmes is gone to Illinois after making 45 tackles with two sacks. He should thrive with the Illini.

Other Names to Know

John Randle Jr., OT ( Purdue )
Kasen Long, DT (Texas Tech)
Eli Wood, WR (Virginia)

CFN Season Prediction

It will take a while to get all the prospects up to speed, but it all has to come together in mid-October to make a run in the Pac-12, but there are way too many tough games.

The offense will once again be good enough to hang around with just about everyone, but can the defense be merely average?

If so, there's a shot to be in the mix for a winning season, and if not, it'll be a rough first run in the Pac-12.

CFN Prediction: 5-7

The Aggies will beat Weber State. And then ...

At Washington, at Utah, at Boise State, with a dangerous home date against Troy thrown in there.

There's the date down in San Marcos, Texas, to deal with Texas State, and there are still road games against San Diego State and Oregon State, and a second game against Boise State.

It's too much.

Utah State will be tough and competitive, but it'll come down to that regular-season finale against Boise State. That's not a positive.

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