Utah St Aggies 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 24, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 6-7
ATS – 10-3
Year one of the Bronco Mendenhall experience went pretty well, all things considered. The Aggies were coming off a 4-8 season in 2024 and looked like a ship without a rudder. Utah St made a bowl game and picked up six victories along the way, and don’t forget that they only lost to Boise St by a single point in the regular season finale.
The Aggies are one of several former Mountain West squads making the move to the Pac-12. Let’s check in with the program and see how they stack up.
Utah St Aggies 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Mountain West):
- Scoring: 30.9 PPG (#2 Mountain West)
- Total Offense: 409.5 YPG (#3 Mountain West)
- Rushing: 162.5 YPG (#6 Mountain West)
- Passing: 247.0 YPG (#4 Mountain West)
- Sacks Allowed: 42 (#12 Mountain West, dead last)
It’s sad to see ALL-MEGALOCKS Underrated Team member QB Bryson Barnes finally exhaust his eligibility. He was great last season for the Aggies (18-5 TD to INT, 740 rush yards, 10 TDs). He was a combination of Dan Marino and Carl Lewis — but faster than King Carl.
We don’t love the situation in the QB room heading into the 2026 season, as they’ll likely turn to former Utah St (!) specimen McCae Hillstead, who’s back with the program. That said, we shouldn’t rule out Virginia transfer Grady Brosterhous getting a shot at the starting job. Whoever ends up under center is going to miss the Aggies’ 1-2 WR tandem of Braden Pegan and Brady Boyd, who combined for over 1,600 receiving yards and 13 TDs last year. However, the cupboard isn’t bare given the return of WR3 Anthony Garcia (348 yards, 17.4 avg, 2 TD), as well as some talented transfer portal additions. Javon Robinson was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards with Georgia St last year (595 yards, 4 TD), and don’t sleep on Virginia transfer Eli Wood (6-2, 210), who provides a big target.
The best news comes at RB, where the Aggies will feature dual-threat back Javen Jacobs, who did fine work on the ground last year (429 yards, 5 TD) whilst also dominating out of the backfield in the THROW GAME (43 catches, 379 yards, 3 TD). There’s decent depth behind him, and we’re happy about that.
Up front, the Aggies have to clean up the pass protection, as they were brutal in that regard last season (42 sacks allowed, #129 FBS). There’s beef on the interior of the line, and we like that center Jimmy Liston is back to lead the group. Time will tell if the tackles can hold up against the premier pass rushers in the league.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Mountain West):
- Scoring: 28.7 PPG (#9 Mountain West)
- Total Defense: 440.1 YPG (#12 Mountain West, dead last)
- Rushing Defense: 181.2 YPG (#11 Mountain West)
- Passing Defense: 258.8 YPG (#11 Mountain West)
- Sacks: 29 (#5 Mountain West)
The defense was awful last season as they had trouble stopping the run and the pass. That’s not good. At least they found a way to get to the QB. You could argue it’s not great to have a lot of experience returning from last season, but we think it’s a positive that the Aggies have a lot of returning production compared to other teams in the Pac-12.
Two starters are back up front, and the starting three could average 289 pounds, which should help them hold up better against the run. DT Tyree Morris was tied for second on the team in sacks last year, and it’s possible he gets switched outside to DE.
It’s a swift one right in the JACOBS to lose star LB John Miller, who filled up the stats sheet in 2025 (#1 in tackles, 8 sacks), but they’ve still got Bronson Olevao kicking around (#3 in tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT), as well as some other talented bodies. Yeah, they’ll be fine in the middle. As far as the secondary is concerned, they added a lot of transfers, including several from Power 4 schools. They still have one of the best playmaking safeties in the Pac-12 in senior Brevin Hamblin, who finished second on the team with 114 tackles and 8 PBUs.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The kicking situation looks promising with the retention of punter Landon Rehkow, and the additon of PK Kian Afrookhteh who did a fine job with Coastal Carolina last year (15/19 FG, 4/5 from 40+). However, they need to make YUUUGE strides in the return game (#122 PR, #85 KR LY).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – It’s a wee bit on the difficult side. The non‑conference slate features a pair of games that should land safely in the win column, but they’re going to get drilled at Washington and Utah. Their FLEX game in Pac‑12 action is a date with Boise St, which is a rough draw, but at least that matchup comes at home where the Aggies tend to punch above their weight. They also have tough conference road trips to Boise St and San Diego St, so there won’t be many breathers on the docket.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Oregon St (Nov 21)
This is the second of back-to-back road games, and a late-season matchup in Corvallis promises to be a tough hurdle to clear.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 24
Over 5.5 +145
Under 5.5 -190
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Under
They’ll probably go 2–3 out of conference, and it’s going to be a serious grind to stack four Pac‑12 wins given the travel, the physicality, and the overall depth of the league.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Utah State’s most famous tradition is “The Scotsman,” a 1918 chant where fans lock arms and sway like they’re in a Highland MOSH PIT. It’s one of the oldest — and weirdest — traditions in college football. Utah State football: century-old Scottish chants, mountain backdrops, and just enough chaos to make the Wasatch Range nervous. Bring on the bagpipes, bay-bee.
The Aggies are an eye-popping 24-8-1 ATS (75%) as a home favorite over the L10Y.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
Utah St is one of the more intriguing outfits in the recrafted Pac-12. There’s a YUUUGE question mark at QB, but the supporting weaponry looks solid, the defense should take a step forward, and you know Bronco Mendenhall is going to coach ‘em up until the whistle stops echoing.
However — did we mention the potential black hole at quarterback? And the schedule won’t do them any favors, especially with the travel load and the physicality of their new league.
We think they’ll fall just short of a bowl bid, but there’s definitely more upside than downside with Utah St this season.
Fight on, you Aggies!