Being an Aggie is a ‘family thing’ for Chandler Dolphin

Before his senior year of high school football started in 2016, Chandler Dolphin took a walk with his father around the campus of Utah State University. As a solid offensive line prospect, it was starting to set in that if he performed well enough during his senior season, he could play football for USU just like his uncle Kevin Rice did in the ‘90s. 

After finishing the season with 55 pancake blocks and being named first team all-state, Dolphin got the offer to Utah State. 

“I think the reason I chose Utah State — it was just such a family thing,” Dolphin said. “My parents (Traci and Robert Dolphin) were Aggies. My uncle Kevin was an Aggie.”

Dolphin said he attended Aggie football and basketball games growing up, and he “just loved the atmosphere.” 

Getting the offer to play was huge, but as a preferred walk-on, the path to getting on the field was long and strenuous. Dolphin redshirted his freshman year and then slowly worked his way up the depth chart, playing in seven games for 51 snaps over the next three seasons. 

Chandler Dolphin, a graduate student, talks about his time at Utah State in his interview on April 19, in the Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academic Complex building. (Photo by Heidi Bingham)

It was hard for Dolphin to grind through years of practice without much time on the field. He thought about quitting sometimes. 

“It was a long journey for me, but I think I could definitely say that I bought into… the process of what it takes sometimes to get on the field,” Dolphin said. “Multiple times where I wanted to quit. Luckily, I had good people in my corner who told me that I wouldn’t — It’s not the best option for me. It’s not a good idea to throw in the towel.”

One of those supporters was his father, Robert Dolphin, who tried to help Chandler see “the long term.”

“I always felt he had it in him. I always felt like there’s a great prize, a great end result at the end destination,” Robert said. “So many athletes and so many kids don’t want to be patient — they want immediate success, and so they’re constantly going in the transfer portal. They’re moving all over, trying to find the next best thing. And Chandler never wanted to transfer. He never wanted to play football anywhere else. He never wanted to be anything but a Utah State Aggie.”

Chandler worked through the tough times, and when he got the opportunity to prove his worth to head coach Blake Anderson in his first season at USU, he excelled and was rewarded by being put on scholarship. 

“My journey was slower than others, but I’m just proud of everything that I’ve done here and proud of the way that I stuck it out,” Chandler said. 

Chandler’s first year as starting center in 2021 was one of the best seasons in Utah State Football history. The campaign included comeback wins at Washington State and Air Force and a dominating victory over San Diego State in the Mountain West Football Championship game. It culminated with another Power Five victory over Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. 

After winning USU its first Mountain West Conference title in football, the Aggies looked to run it back in 2022. However, with widespread injuries and tough defeats, things did not go their way. But after starting the season 1-4, the Aggies fought their way back to 5-5 and defeated San Jose State on senior night in Maverik Stadium to become bowl eligible. 

“That was a really, really big game,” Chandler said. “We played one of our best games of the whole season and to get bowl eligible, have that be my last time playing in Maverik Stadium, having all my family and close friends there, that was something that was — it’s one of my core memories of Utah State Football for me in my journey.” 

Representing Utah State on the football team and playing in an Aggie jersey is something Chandler is “super grateful for.” 

“It’s meant everything to me. It’s like — I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world,” Chandler said. “It’s been a phenomenal experience, and I’ve grown so much as a person, just mentally. It’s taught me how to be tough. And you know, each era of Utah State Football has presented a different challenge for me, but it’s — each one has been just as enjoyable as the other.”

At the end of the 2022 season, Chandler was named an Honorable Mention All-Mountain West player. But even more impressive to his father, Chandler started D-I football while maintaining a high GPA, securing Academic All-Mountain West honors from the 2020 season through the 2022 slate.  

“We’re just so proud of how he did things at school,” Robert said. “I know how hard it is to do that stuff but not play college football. You think of how much time it takes out of college football and to be able to maintain great grades like that, that’s just — at the end of the day, we’re more proud about his academic accomplishments than anything he does on the field.”

Utilizing his extra time at USU from his five years of football eligibility, Chandler earned a master’s degree in business administration during this academic year. 

Connecting with classmates and professors has been his favorite part of graduate school. 

“I will always remember all the group work that I did with all those people and all those classes,” Chandler said. “Group work, presentations, live negotiations with classmates — that’s the stuff that I think I remember when I think back at my experience.” 

Chandler said he’s had a “phenomenal educational experience” at Utah State.

“Every single professor I had was fantastic,” Chandler said. “Especially in the business school, I think they truly go above and beyond in helping their students. I feel like there’s an extra care factor with the professors here at Utah State that I don’t feel like is common at other schools.” 

With his degrees and experience from Utah State, Chandler feels prepared for life after USU, whether in the NFL or the business world. 

“Utah State in (the) football program taught me how to be mentally tough and deal with adversity,” Chandler said. “To have a degree from Utah State is extremely valuable because it is such a great university. And so for me, I feel like having my degree at Utah State will change the trajectory of my life.”

Featured image by Sam Warner.