Amidst the ongoing chaos in the college athletics landscape with the finalization of the House Settlement and what appears to be the final stages of the Pac-12 securing a media rights deal, Utah State football continues its offseason preparations for what it hopes will be a rebound season.
Roughly 65 percent of the Aggies’ roster comprises of newcomers, with only 31 percent of the team’s 2024 production returning for 2025 (and a significant portion of that returning production is accounted for by two players, Ike Larsen and Bryson Barnes). There are a lot of new faces to learn and stars yet to emerge. It can be difficult to predict, but here’s a list of players to keep an eye on as the offseason progresses and when the season actually begins.
We’ll separate this analysis into players who were on the roster last year and should have bigger roles and/or higher production this year, and then the newcomers that could step in and be key players right away in their position group.
Returning Player Breakouts
John Miller | Sr. | LB
It’s a little tricky to call John Miller a true breakout player considering he finished fourth on the team in tackles last year, but his potential to be a breakout athlete for the Aggies comes from his potential to do so much more. Miller didn’t top 30 defensive snaps played in a single game until mid-October when he made his second start of the year against New Mexico. Over the final six games of the year (including against UNM), Miller started in all six outings, recorded 35 of his 52 tackles on the year along with 4.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks (one of those TFLs being at the expense of then-New Mexico running back Javen Jacobs, who is now Miller’s teammate)
Kahanu Davis | Sr. | WR
Utah State’s wide receiver room took quite the hit this offseason. Kyrese White graduated and star receiver Jalen Royals left early to begin his NFL career. And basically all of the players expected to fill the hole left by the departure of those two, such as Grant Page, Otto Tia or Jack Hestera all left via the transfer portal.
In perhaps the biggest vote of confidence Davis will get this offseason, Phil Steele named him First Team All-Mountain West as a punt returner. Last year, Davis split return snaps with Robert Freeman IV, who has since transferred. Davis’ biggest moment as a returner occurred in USU’s game against Hawaii late last year. His performance on that day featured a 44-yard return to set up a USU touchdown, among other impressive returns that day.
George Maile | Jr. | OG
By the end of last year, George Maile had quietly established himself as a staple of the Utah State O-line, playing 210 snaps over the final three games of the season against Hawaii, San Diego State and Colorado State. He officially only logged one start, though he played in all 12 games with varying amounts of snaps. The transfer from Baylor is very likely to find a starting role at either left or right guard.
Enoka Migao | Sr. | EDGE
Last year should have been Migao’s breakout season. On opening week, Migao started at defensive end and played 67 snaps against Robert Morris and USC. He had a few QB pressures against RMU but was injured during the USC game and missed the rest of the season. Migao is one of the longest-tenured Aggies on the defensive side of the ball and should have the size and experience to be one of the key contributors in the pass rush this year.
Transfer Star Candidates
Javen Jacobs | Jr. | RB | transfer from New Mexico
Javen Jacobs was the fourth man in line for rush attempts on the Lobos last year behind a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Eli Sanders and Devon Dampier, and the backup running back NaQuari Rogers. In this small role, Jacobs managed to thrive in his own way, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt, totaling 277 yards and three touchdowns on 40 attempts. His best outing was a nine carry,
As much as Jacobs showcased his ability to run, it’s his receiving ability that could draw a significant amount of interest. Jacobs is a converted receiver, having started out as a WR in high school and his first collegiate season at Arizona State. And despite being the third-string running back, Jacobs led his position group in receptions, reeling in 17 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown (which he got against Utah State).
The running back room is a bit cluttered, with several players likely to make bids at being the starter, such as fellow transfer Miles Davis and returning back Derrick Jameson, but Jacobs looks like a pretty good candidate to be a weapon in the Aggies’ offense.
Noah Avinger | Sr. | CB | transfer from New Mexico
Last year’s New Mexico defense didn’t have a lot of strong points, but Avinger was about as close of one as the Lobos were going to get. Pro Football Focus graded Avinger as the second-best coverage man and third-best defender overall. He’ll be one of the more experienced players on the team as a whole, let alone the defense. He should find a starting spot somewhere in the defensive backfield, be it as a corner or safety.
Brevin Hamblin | Jr. | S | transfer from Utah Tech
Brevin Hamblin is an interesting player. Most players in the 6-foot-5 range are playing on the O-line or D-line, tight end or wide receiver. It’s hard to be that tall and be as versatile as defenders are required to be. And yet, Hamblin has managed perfectly fine. He recorded 96 tackles last year at Utah Tech, with PFF grading him as the best run defender on the team. While Hamblin is listed as a safety on the roster, much as he was at Utah Tech, he could end up playing at the hybrid safety/linebacker position, which has been labeled as the “striker” or as the “nickel” or “nickel linebacker.” With so many new defensive backs, especially safeties, brought in during the offseason, the nickel position could be a great place for a hard-hitting safety to fit in.
Dylan Tucker | Sr. | CB | transfer from Elon
As already noted previously in the spring portal additions report, only one player on Utah State’s roster has played more Division I snaps than Tucker; that being Ike Larsen. Tucker brings a wealth of experience (even if it was at the FCS level) that should translate well into a large role as a leader and on-field producer.
Corey Thompson | Jr. | WR | transfer from UNLV
Last year the preseason expectation for Corey Thompson was to find his way into the wide receiver rotation and become a contributor. The speedy WR had all the tools and had paid his dues in terms of waiting for his turn. However, pretty much the entire Rebels pass attack went through Ricky White and Jacob De Jesus. With UNLV ranking 129th in pass attempts per game thanks to its run-heavy quarterbacks, the target volume simply wasn’t there. Thompson played 295 snaps on offense but only got 21 targets all year. Utah State may lean run-heavy this year with Bryson Barnes at QB, but Thompson should be one of the top options and could put up great numbers.
Brady Boyd | Sr. | WR | transfer from Texas Tech
It’d be a bit tricky to find a way for both Thompson and Brady Boyd to both end the year with the status of star wide receiver, but it’s also not easy to pinpoint which one is more likely to be able to achieve that. So they both get on this list. Boyd is entering his fifth year of collegiate football but has gone a bit backward in terms of his playing time. In 2022, he caught 13 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, but appeared in just three games in 2023 as the coaching staff opted to redshirt Boyd. Then, in 2024, he played only 30 snaps on offense in 11 appearances. Boyd should find a much bigger role at USU and a runway to finally be a top-level wide receiver.
