From Utah Tech to Utah State: Brevin Hamblin’s journey to the Pac-12

Two years ago, Brevin Hamblin took a chance to prove himself. He wanted to prove he was good enough to play in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Now, he’s making plays in the Pac-12 and was just awarded Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.  

“I was looking to jump to the FBS level from Utah Tech. I just kind of wanted to prove to myself and everyone out there that I could play at the FBS level, and I got the Utah State offer pretty early into me entering the transfer portal,” Hamblin said.  

Hamblin spent his freshman year playing as a defensive back for the Utah Tech University Trailblazers. He had a successful year, playing all 11 games with two starts as a true freshman and ending the season with 43 tackles. In high school, Hamblin had a standout career at Syracuse High School, setting the school record with 13 interceptions, according to Utah Tech Athletics. 

The choice to transfer to Utah State was an easy one for Hamblin.  

“[I] took a visit here, met with coach Mendenhall and the defensive staff, and honestly, just really fell in love with the program,” Hamblin said.  

Family was also a big motivator for Hamblin.  

“I’ve had two siblings actually graduate from here, so I’ve known a lot about Utah State,” Hamblin said. “It was cool to be able to come up here with them.” 

Another motivation for Hamblin comes in the form of a bracelet that he wears on his arm during every game. According to Utah Tech Football, Hamblin wears the blue bracelet to honor his sister Marlise, who passed away in August of 2014. 

After the game against Troy University, when the Aggie defense forced a season-high three turnovers and held the opposing offense to just 10 points, Hamblin was awarded the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. During the game, Hamblin had a team-high 12 tackles for his first double-digit tackle outing of the season and the 11th of his career. He currently leads the team in total tackles at 42, according to Utah State University Athletics.  

On the defense as a whole, Utah State head football coach Bronco Mendenhall had good things to say about the defense moving forward. 

“The defense kept making play after play after play when they needed to preserve the win, and as we continue to try to expand what we’re doing, as was well documented, we’re struggling with procedure and different things,” Mendenhall said. “We’re not polished and finished yet, but we’ll take the victory and we’ll learn and grow from here.” 

Brevin Hamblin celebrates a touchdown against Nevada on Nov. 8 at Maverik Stadium.

Utah State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Nick Howell thought the honor was very deserved. 

“He should get it. He’s one of the best players in the conference,” Howell said.  “He’s one of the best players in the country.” 

Hamblin attributes much of his success to his coaching staff and the players around him.  

“Coach Howell does a great job incorporating the safeties and the scheme to make plays, so it allows players like me and Chapman [Lewis] to stand out in the back end,” Hamblin said. 

Lewis is a junior transfer from Texas Tech University currently playing his first season as a safety for USU.  

Hamblin also attributed much of his success to his team. He mentioned how he feels everyone on defense working together in their roles is what makes him stand out.  

“I couldn’t do it without the team around me and all 11 dudes on the defense,” Hamblin said. “It takes an army, honestly, for everyone to stand out in their own role. But I’m honored I got it. It’s awesome.” 

Hamblin’s attitude toward his teammates and the game are part of what makes him stand out as a player, according to Howell. He spoke about the type of player Hamblin is and the impact that attitude has on the coaching staff and team. He also mentioned Hamblin’s coachability.  

“He’s just a really good kid. Really easygoing, really easy to coach, but also super hardworking, focused, goal-oriented and driven,” Howell said. “Really good football instincts and IQ, so he figures stuff out really fast. He can play multiple positions really, really easy. He’s just really easy to coach.” 

Hamblin will continue to play for the Utah State Aggies as they continue into conference play.