As of July 11, Utah State is well on its way to building its first true recruiting class of the Bronco Mendenhall era.
The Aggies currently hold commitments from 10 high school prospects for the 2026 class, with 146 days remaining until the start of the early signing period.
Here’s the list of players currently committed to USU:
Jackson Regan, running back
Curtis Bell, defensive tackle
Brady Goodman, quarterback
Preston McDaniel, tight end
Brody Flores, linebacker
Cade McCall, wide receiver
Easton Hammond, offensive lineman
Lucas Neidig, offensive lineman
Luke Baker, offensive lineman
O’Shea Webb, cornerback
That group includes five three-star recruits, per 247 Sports. The rest — as of now — are unrated.
Three are from Utah, seven are from the West (in this case, Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah), and all but one are from west of the Mississippi River.
It is an offense-heavy group, but balanced at the same time. There are linemen, skill position players, defenders at every level of the defense and the ever-important quarterback.
Let’s dive further, though. What do USU’s current commits tell us about how Mendenhall wants to build his program?
What type of recruit are the Aggies after?
Green Canyon High School plays Park City High School in the 4A football state semifinal game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023.| Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Right now, it appears that USU is trying to get bigger.
Of the 10 players committed, only one is listed at under 6-feet tall and that is Regan, a 5-foot-10 running back.
McCall is listed at 6-feet, not particularly tall for a receiver, but with his speed he could work well in the slot (or on the outside, where he primarily plays at Katy High).
Webb, a defensive back, is 6-foot-1, similar in size to those DBs brought in over the winter, including Noah Avinger (a transfer from New Mexico) and Abe Jager (a Lehi High product).
Bell is 6-foot-3, which would make him the third tallest defensive tackle on the team as it is currently built. And at 300 pounds, he’d be the heaviest, too.
The interest in size is most readily apparent with the offensive line commits, though.
Hammond, Nedig and Baker — all of whom are products of the state of Utah — are all 6-foot-3 or bigger. Nedig and Baker are listed at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8, respectively. All three will need to get heavier, right now Baker is the heaviest at 275 pounds, but USU is targeting linemen with impressive frames.
So far, USU’s new coaching staff appears determined to getting bigger across the board.
It isn’t a bad strategy. For years USU coaches have mentioned a lack of size/strength being one of the major reasons the team hasn’t been able to compete with Boise State, specifically, but at other times, against the top of the Mountain West Conference as a whole.
What type of recruit does Bronco Mendenhall want?
At his introductory press conference, Mendenhall spoke about the type of recruits he hoped to bring to Utah State and the type of traits they would possess.
And he noted that many of those players, in his estimation, could be found at home in Utah.
“There are amazing young people here and they are tough and gritty,” he 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.”
So far, Mendenhall has held true to his word, with the aforementioned three commits from Utah, plus another from Idaho. The only prospects not from the Intermountain West are from California (Clovis specifically, which has a prominent Latter-day Saint population), Texas and Virginia. Talent rich states all.
How good is Utah State football’s 2026 class right now?
The Aggies’ 2026 class isn’t rated particularly high by 247 Sports. USU is No. 116 overall and No. 11 in the MWC, ahead of only Wyoming.
There is context to that rating, though. The recruiting site doesn’t include every current USU commit, giving the Aggies just seven in total. Not coincidentally, that is the second-fewest commits by a MW team, ahead of only Wyoming.
USU’s average recruit rating is excellent, though. With a rating of 85.18, the Aggies’ 2026 class — based on average recruit rating — is the best in the MWC and the best in the reformed Pac-12 too, with Utah State just ahead of Washington State.
According to 247 Sports’ metrics, USU football has never recruited this many quality recruits before. At least not in the modern era of college football.
First-year Utah State football coach Bronco Mendenhall talks to his players during spring football practice at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.
First-year Utah State football coach Bronco Mendenhall talks to his players during spring football practice at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.| Utah State Athletics