Loyal local: Ike Larsen sticks around because of the community

Safety standout Ike Larsen has eyes on him as he enters his sophomore season. He set the single-season school record with three blocked punts in 2022, and he was recognized with First-Team All-Mountain West, Athlon Sports First-Team All-Mountain West and Phil Steele First-Team All-Mountain West honors.

Larsen has also been named to the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, just one of 35 defensive backs selected, and he has returned to the field excited to continue making an impact on Aggie Nation.

After redshirting his freshman season, Larsen made a significant impact on the Aggie defense. He finished the season with 33 tackles (19-solo, 14-assist), which included 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss, with a team-best four interceptions and a team-high three blocked kicks while adding two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.

His raw talent has left him in the spotlight for the 2023 season.

“There’s always room to get better — better with tackling, technique, football IQ, all that. I’m not going to be complacent,” Larsen said. “I’m going to go out there and just keep trying my best to be my best.”

Born and raised in the valley, Larsen was recognized for his talents long before stepping onto USU’s field. He attended Sky View High School in Smithfield, where he was a three-star prospect and the 24th-best recruit in the state of Utah, according to 247Sports.com. As a senior defensive back, he earned first-team all-state honors from MaxPreps.com and Deseret News. He helped the Bobcats to their second straight 4A state championship in 2020 and was named the team’s MVP.

In his senior season, he posted 55 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns and blocked nine kicks during the year. Offensively, he had 762 all-purpose yards and caught 24 passes for 565 yards (23.5 YPA) and five touchdowns, and he carried the ball 19 times for 197 yards (10.4 YPC) and four touchdowns.

But if those stats don’t impress fans enough, his loyalty to the area will.

“I love the community. I love Logan. I’m from Logan, so the support I’ve had since I was a freshman in high school to a freshman in college — now, as a sophomore, it’s been so good,” Larsen said.

Utah State Football gained 38 new players this season, influenced by NIL (name, image and likeness) deals and a volatile transfer portal. Many athletes left their schools in search of sponsorships and side money, even if it meant less playing time or a less preferable school. But Larsen didn’t bat an eye.

“With the NIL and the portal nowadays, it’s super crazy. People can go make a hundred thousand at a different school and not really have to do anything,” he said. “The reason why I stay is because of the community. I could have left, but I didn’t feel a need when I have everything I want here.”

Chris Howell, Sky View’s head football coach, spoke of Larsen visiting the high school team and giving the players an example of how far they can go.

“I love it when Utah State takes local kids, whether it’s from Sky View or any other school because it creates a connection between the community and a really good program,” Howell said. “It says something about the brand of football and the level of football that we play in the valley.”

USU safety coach Ethan Morriss is heading into his third season in Logan and has seen the impact Aggie Athletics has had on the community. Coming from a small town himself, he knows what it means to have a local playing under the lights.

“It just means so much to the community: him wearing Aggie blue and white, having a local kid come out here and be a part of the team and being successful very early on in his career,” Morriss said. “It’s awesome to see because it gives kids in the community a chance to see, ‘Hey, I grew up down the road from him. If I just continue to work hard, I could be just like that kid. That could be me one day.’”

The Larsen family — parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and more — attend nearly every game, cheering #6 on. They are long-time Aggie fans who never doubted Larsen’s potential.

“100%, I knew he had the potential to play in college,” said Mike Larsen, Ike’s father. “I always said that, watching him in Little League. Even in flag football when he was five or six years old, there was a night and day difference from the skill level of other kids to what he was doing. I’ve always said, ‘This kid’s going to go somewhere.’”

As Ike looks to the rest of the 2023 season, he’s counting on the brotherhood USU football is creating.

“We have a new team, so I’m really just looking forward to how we all collaborate together and become a brotherhood. That’s the biggest thing for football. If you’re not a brotherhood, then you’re not going to be successful,” he said.

The “brotherhood” Ike described extends beyond the workouts or game days. As someone who has struggled with mental health, he tries to be more aware of those around him and how they are doing.

“Winning games is fun, but having that brotherhood — loving each other and having each other’s backs 24/7 off the field — those are the memories that we’re going to remember,” he said.

On hard days, faith keeps Ike going.

“Faith is key. That’s what I live by. If I’m having a bad day or if I’m sad, I just tell myself, ‘Faith is key,’ and it makes everything a lot better,” he said.

For serious struggles, Ike said he hopes those who are struggling will reach out and talk to someone.

“Don’t be scared to reach out. Don’t hold it in, because that makes it 10 times worse. That’s what I did — I held it in for years, and then finally I just blew up. My advice would be don’t hold it in, just get it out, talk to somebody,” he said. “People care about you, and they want you to be here.’”

Just as Ike tries to be there for his teammates, he is there to support his family. When his parents became sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, he stepped in and made their health a priority.

Mike said when he was too sick to walk, Ike “got me where I needed to be.”

“He’s my hero,” Mike said. “He’s got a good heart. The kid will do anything for anybody.”

Morriss said outside of the game, Ike “always has the guys laughing.”

“Goofy, funny, just has a smile that lights up the room,” Morriss said. “Every time you walk in and you see that smile, it’s like ‘Oh, that’s Ike!’ You see it from a mile away.”

Morriss hopes to see Ike continue to grow both physically and mentally this season.

“We saw it physically in the summer and how much preparation he put in,” Morriss said. “I’d like to see him continue to grow as a leader and continue to learn the game so it all becomes second nature to him.”

After last season, Ike has spent much of his time training and preparing for what’s next.

“When I talked to him after fall camp, after that last game, he looked at me and said, ‘Dad, I felt like Ike Larsen again,’” Mike said. “And I said, ‘Good — now let’s start strong and finish strong.’”

Despite his busy student-athlete schedule, Ike finds time for music. It’s become both a hobby and a mental outlet.

“I love doing it, and I’m going to keep doing it for as long as I can,” he said. “With mental health, that’s how I cope, just like singing about or talking about it in my music.”

Ike has recorded five songs available to listeners on Apple Music and Spotify.

“It makes me super happy, and my teammates love my music,” he said. “I’ll be walking down the hall and they’ll say a line from my song, and it just makes me laugh. So I’m going to keep doing it. I love it for sure.”

Family, music, friends, school and faith are frequently on Ike’s mind. But for now, he’s focused on the 2023 season as he continues to make a name for himself in and outside of Cache Valley.

“I’m excited to see what we can do with the new team,” he said. “Hopefully we can execute and keep building day by day.”