LOGAN, Utah – Defending Mountain West Football Champion Utah State held its initial spring practice Monday afternoon as second-year head coach Blake Anderson had 98 players suit up for the two-hour workout on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. Of the 98 players that were donning helmets, practice jerseys and shorts, 26 are seniors, 30 are juniors, 13 are sophomores and 29 are freshmen. “It’s good to get back out here. I thought the energy level and competitive nature was really good and it will be fun to watch some of these new guys get acclimated and see what they can do,” said Anderson. “We have obviously paid attention in the meeting rooms with our install and you could see that on both sides of the ball today. Guys were lining up quickly and communicating, and that is a big key.” This spring, Utah State returns 13 starters (O-8, D-5) as part of 36 letterwinners (O-17, D-15, S-4) from last year’s team that had its best season in program history as it tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3, 6-2 MW), won its first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a

Utah State head coach Blake Anderson, left, tabs quarterback Logan Bonner (1) on the head after he threw a touchdown pass against San Jose State during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, San Jose, Calif. Utah State won 48-17. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) LOGAN, Utah – Under the direction of second-year head coach Blake Anderson, who is in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach, Utah State football will begin spring practice on Monday, March 21, at 4 p.m. All practices will be held on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium or at the Stan Laub Indoor Football Complex. All practices held in Maverik Stadium will be open to the public, while practices in the Laub Complex will be closed. During the five-week period, the Aggies will participate in 15 spring practice sessions, including their annual Blue vs. White Spring Game on Saturday, April 23, at 1 p.m. Media interviews will be available upon request following all practices. This spring, Utah State returns 13 starters (O-8, D-5) as part of 36 letterwinners (O-17, D-15, S-4) from last year’s team that had its best season in program history as it tied the school record

An artist’s rendering of proposed stadium improvements at Utah State University’s football stadium. LOGAN – Plans for some additional east side seats and other renovations at Utah State University’s Maverik Stadium were received last week at the Radio Ranch from offices in the central administration. The proposed renovations and seating expansion appeared in the Fiscal Year 2023 Non-State Funded Capital Development Requests to the Utah Legislature. USU wants to expand its football stadium (https://t.co/17Ft81fWHB). Much of it has to do with ADA compliance issues with the existing arena, but also calls for more seats. — Eric Frandsen (@efrandsen) February 24, 2022 Appearing on the Full Court Press program last week on 106.9 The Fan, Director of Athletics John Hartwell said no one in athletics was aware those plans had been released. He added they are outdated. “We need to fill what we’ve got,” Hartwell declared. “Yes, I absolutely think that from a perception standpoint we need a facility that’s over 30,000 seats, from a national perception standpoint. But we’ve got to do a better job filling up what we’ve got. An artist’s rendering of proposed stadium improvements at Utah State University’s football stadium. “And a lot of that is back

Utah State running back Calvin Tyler Jr. (4) runs to the end zone for a touchdown during the first half of the LA Bowl NCAA college football game against Oregon State in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) LOGAN, Utah – Utah State’s 2022 Mountain West football schedule was announced Wednesday by the conference office as the Aggies look to defend their league title from last year. Utah State, which is entering its 10th season in the MW, will play eight conference games over a 10-week period from Sept. 24 through Nov. 26. Wednesday’s release represents the first phase in the 2022 football schedule process. Mountain West national television partners CBS Sports and Fox Sports will now initiate a selection procedure, which will include the shifting of particular games to non-Saturday dates. That will be followed by the identification of network outlets and kick times. Utah State’s 2022 Mountain West schedule will include home games against UNLV (9/24), Air Force (10/8), New Mexico (11/5) and San José State (11/19), and road games against Colorado State (10/15), Wyoming (10/22), Hawai’i (11/12) and Boise State (11/26). USU will also have two byes during the season, the first on the third

LOGAN, Utah – LaMarcus Hicks has been named Utah State’s cornerbacks coach, it was announced Wednesday by Aggie head football coach Blake Anderson. Hicks owns 10 years of coaching experience in the college ranks following a two-year stint as a defensive back for the Detroit Lions, appearing in 12 games from 2007-08. Hicks comes to Utah State after spending the past two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at Eastern Michigan, including serving as the team’s defensive recruiting coordinator this past year. During the 2021 season, Hicks helped the Eagles to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Lending Tree Bowl. EMU finished the season ranking third in the Mid-American Conference and 32nd in the nation with nine fumble recoveries, and was fifth in the MAC with eight interceptions. Hicks also mentored Alvinoski LaFleur, who played in the Tropical Bowl All-Star game. In 2020, Hicks was an integral part of the defensive staff that orchestrated one of the best red zone approaches in all of college football. EMU’s opponents left the red zone scoreless eight times in 28 attempts, making EMU the best red zone defense in the MAC and rank seventh nationally. The EMU defense was successful at forcing turnovers