How USU Football is dealing with the transfer portal
LOGAN — Utah State Football has lost over 30 players to the transfer portal this offseason with most of the damage coming from the defensive side of the ball. “Injuries and attrition” along with the departures were significant enough that USU held a practice for its annual Spring Showcase instead of a scrimmage.
Seeing players leave the program has led some Aggie fans to take to the internet to speculate why that might be. Head coach Blake Anderson was clear in saying that what he’s heard from fans is wrong. Instead, he said NIL has completely changed college football recruiting
“Whatever the fans think, we do not have a culture problem,” Anderson said. “This is a college football problem and we’re doing the best we can to figure out what the new college football is going to look like and keep a competitive football team right here.”
He cited how other schools have developed a NIL collective that pays players. Anderson said players could receive between $3,000 to $10,000 a month from some collectives even if they’re not starting.
“This is the new world of college football,” Anderson said. “This is not a Logan problem, this is a NCAA football problem and it’s not going to go back.”
Additionally, there’s another type of player that enters the transfer portal. Anderson pointed to guys that need to transfer down a level to get the kind of playing time they want.
“They need to do that,” Anderson said. “Every name that goes in the portal is not a guy that’s been, you know, productive on the field here. We’re trying to find a place where some of those guys can be.”
Anderson was also keen to praise returning Aggies that have had the opportunity to leave the program to make money. He said players like safety Ike Larsen, defensive tackle Hale Motu’apuaka, wide receiver Terrell Vaughn and others were told they could make money if they left USU but instead, they chose to stay.
“We’re going to celebrate those guys,” Anderson said. “They’re staying because they want to be here.”
Despite the disadvantage USU has in NIL recruiting, Anderson and his staff will strive to bring in the right guys for their team.
“We’re going to coach the guys that are here,” Anderson said. “We’re going to recruit like crazy to get more guys here that want to be a part of what we’re doing and I don’t know maybe one day we’ll be in the NIL world as well, but right now we don’t have a collective that’s paying these guys.”
The reason why doesn’t make it any easier to lose your good friends and teammates.
“It’s always sad to see your brothers leave, especially people you know, you’ve been playing alongside for a couple of years, but you know, I wish them all the best,” Motu’apuaka said. “At the end of the day, you know, who we got in Aggie nation is who we got. We’re gonna ride it to the end.”
But regardless of why players are leaving, the Aggies that have stayed aren’t worried about it.
“Every school in the country has people leaving,” quarterback Cooper Legas said. “That’s just people we can pick up now so I mean, no one within our own system is worried about everyone that’s gone and stuff.”
In fact, Legas is confident about the offense that has stayed, and the guys the Aggies picked up in the portal during the offseason. He praised every skill position group from the receivers to the running backs to him and fellow quarterback Levi Williams.
“I think this is the best group we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” Legas said. “I think our offensive skills are the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”
Similarly, Motu’apuaka has liked what he’s seen from new guys like defensive end Cian Slone and the improvement he’s seen from returners like defensive end John Ward.
“I think they did a great job, you know, like the saying goes ‘Next man up,’” Motu’apuaka said.
Now the Aggies’ attention turns toward strength and conditioning and football IQ during the summer to prepare for fall camp and the regular season.
“We need to be in better shape than we are right now,” Anderson said. “Football-wise we got to build over the summer on the X’s and O’s. They can’t just, you know, wait for us in August. They got to get in there and learn. They gotta watch tape, do PRPs and take the next step so that (when) we get them back in August we’re not starting over — we take the next step. I think that’s gonna be critical to our success.”
Featured image by Phil Weber from the USU Football scrimmage on April 8.