Receiving royalty

For the last several seasons, Utah State football has boasted one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country. Their typical up-tempo offense and vertical passing game have produced some of the best individual receiving seasons in the school’s history in just the last few seasons. Utah State’s offense has finished in the top 25 in the country in total offense in two out of the previous three seasons, primarily fueled by their relentless passing attack.

No one has been more at the front of that relentless Aggie passing game than senior wide receiver Jalen Royals. After transferring to Utah State in 2022 after a season at Georgia Military College, Royals had a quiet season for the Aggies, making just one start and posting zero stats on the year. Just one year after that quiet performance, Royals exploded onto the scene.

During the 2023 campaign, Royals hauled 71 passes for 1,080 receiving yards, becoming the 13th player in school history to record a 1,000-yard season. His 15 touchdown catches set a new school record for single-season touchdown receptions, and his seven touchdown receptions of 50-plus yards were the most in the country. With his record-setting season in 2023, Royals left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was one of the top receivers in the country.

“He’s got kind of the combination of all the things that you’re looking for,” said offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo on his star wideout. “There’s just not a lot on the football field he cannot do, and you can put him in any situation — inside, outside, versus a bigger corner, versus a smaller, faster guy — and I feel like we always have an advantage with him on the field.”

Royals has undoubtedly made a name for himself with his explosive play-making ability, but his demeanor off the field is quite the opposite and possibly even more surprising. Royals is one of the most reserved players on the team.

“Jalen doesn’t talk — he’s really quiet. He is a very quiet, very reserved kid. Not going to be loud, not going to be the class clown or anything like that,” Cefalo said.

Despite his quiet tendencies, Royals is aware of his situation and is not afraid to speak up when necessary.

“He’s very confident in who he is, and he’ll ask questions and speak up when he needs to, but he’s about his business,” Cefalo said.

His humble, stoic attitude starkly contrasts the typical personality of a superstar athlete. In a day and age where loud, marketable social media personalities are the standard, Royals’s overwhelming humility brings a refreshing change to football fans.

Even with his quiet, down-to-earth appearance on the surface, Royals is a very social person and one of the most well-liked guys on the team.

“He’s actually not as quiet as people think he is. He will open up and be very talkative, very open and very fun-loving. He just has to get to know you first,” said Deandre Royals, Jalen’s father.

Cefalo and Deandre agree Royals is fiercely loyal and always has had a tight-knit group of friends.

“Everyone has always loved him. He’s very family-oriented, even in high school with his friends. He spends a lot of time with his close buddies,” Deandre said. “It’s probably about four or five of them, but they’re very tight and close … they’ve been friends since they were five.”

Royals’s family-oriented mindset is a defining characteristic of the Royals family, not just for Jalen. Their family, comprised of Jalen, his older sister and his parents, spent most of their summers traveling for athletics for both Jalen and his older sister. Their time spent together throughout the years has built and continues to fortify a strong family culture that has left a lasting impact on them.

Deandre also names the family-oriented culture at Utah State and within Cache Valley as a top reason that Royals decided to transfer to USU after his freshman season. The Royals family continues to nourish their strong family culture whenever possible. Jalen’s parents even travel to each of Utah State’s football games, making the trek from their hometown of Atlanta to wherever their son will be in action.   

Royals is an incredible athlete, and not surprisingly, that athletic ability transfers to much more than just the gridiron. One of his favorite activities outside of football is getting after it on the basketball court.

“I used to play basketball when I was growing up, all throughout high school, middle school and elementary school. I stopped playing when I got to college, of course,” Royals said.

Those that are frequents to Utah State’s on campus facilities might just get to see him around and shooting some hoops.

“I like to play at the ARC actually — play with some of the locals here,” Royals said.

Royals was not highly recruited out of high school for several reasons. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic limited his ability to play at recruiting camps and get recruited that way, but his love of basketball and inherent talent were also limiting factors.

“I think that’s what hurt his recruiting career because when it was time to kind of focus on football or make a decision which way you wanted to go, he still had basketball as an option,” Deandre said.

Royals was one of the higher-ranked point guards for the state of Georgia and spent significant time with his family traveling across the U.S. for Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournaments and playing in tournament championships.

Even without being highly recruited, Royals has found a way to become one of the top receivers in the country. After his record-setting season just a year ago, he still has his sights set on the future. Royals hopes to repeat his 1,000-yard season and prepare for the upcoming NFL draft with the goal of being selected and playing at the next level.

Despite his success from last season, Royals is not too concerned with pressure or expectations for this season.

“Calming down, knowing that I can do it all over again, just knowing my ability and trusting myself — that’s it,” Royals said.

Even though he’s a quiet guy, Royals enjoys social interaction and being around fans.

“Honestly, I’m a very easy person to come up to. I’m not like a ‘rah-rah-rah’ type of dude, so you don’t have to be shy,” Royals said. “Just say, ‘Hey, how’re you doing,’ something like that.”

Everyone around Royals has nothing but praise for the young student-athlete, especially coach Cefalo. “Just how much [the fans] love watching him play football — I could stand on the table and say they would enjoy him just as much off the field … I think everyone in Cache Valley would be very, very pleased just how well he represents them.”