Here is the final release of the Top 25 Aggies of 2026, as revealed on the Full Court Press last week. These are the players ranked 5th through first, the projected best of the best for the 2026 Utah State football season.
These rankings were based on ballots from staff at Cache Valley Daily, 106.9 The FAN, and KVNU, the home of KVNU Aggie Game Day.
5. Tyree Morris (DT)
Tyree Morris transferred to Utah State last offseason from Lafayette and became the full-time starter on the interior defensive line. He started all 13 games he appeared in, playing 661 total snaps. Morris recorded 48 total tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Morris’ size and versatility on the defensive line allow the Aggies to use him in multiple ways, including lining up across from guards and tackles, forcing offenses to react to varied attacks and blitzes that defensive coordinator Nick Howell dials up for the unit.
4. Brevin Hamblin (S)
Brevin Hamblin is entering his second season with the Aggies. Last year he recorded 114 tackles, the second-most on the team. He also tallied eight passes defended, one interception – which he returned for a touchdown – two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Hamblin is receiving national preseason hype, being named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list and the Bronko Nagurski Award watch list. His presence on the defense will be a significant boon as the Aggies look to take a big step forward in 2026.
3. McCae Hillstead (QB)
McCae Hillstead transferred to Utah State from BYU this offseason, but it’s not his first time in an Aggie uniform. The 5-foot-10 QB spent his freshman season in Logan back in 2023. He appeared in eight games, throwing for 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns. His most notable outing was when he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns against James Madison, both of those marks being Utah State freshman records. Hillstead was named the team’s starting quarterback at the end of spring practice and will lead the Aggies’ offense in 2026.
2. Javen Jacobs (RB)
Javen Jacobs was one of many players who followed Bronco Mendenhall from New Mexico last offseason. And he found a consistent role with the Aggies’ offense in 2025. He gained 808 total scrimmage yards, the third-most on the team. Jacobs, who switched positions early in his career from wide receiver to running back, brings great pass-catching to the backfield. His 43 receptions last year made him just the fourth USU running back ever to catch at least 40 passes in a single season, and the first since Kerwynn Williams in 2012.
1. Bronson Olevao Jr. (LB)
Bronson Olevao is entering his fifth and final season of college football, having spent his entire career at Utah State. He is part of a small group of players in the modern era of college sports to spend their entire career with one school. Throughout that career, Olevao has developed into a force on the field. Last year, he finished third on the team in tackles with 90. And he was second on the team in tackles for loss, tallying 7.5, including four sacks. He is set to take another step forward this year by filling the role left by John Miller, the former All-Mountain West linebacker who graduated this past spring.
