USU Announces 89 student-athletes receive academic all-conference honors

Utah State University Athletics announced 89 Aggie student-athletes achieved academic all-conference honors, placing them as the No. 4 highest in the Mountain West Conference behind Boise State University with 97, University of New Mexico with 96 and California State University, Fresno with 93. Athletes from football, soccer, volleyball and cross country all received awards. 

“That’s our scoreboard, seeing individuals earn academic honors from the conference,” said Justice Smith, the associate athletic director for academic success at USU. “Our job is to make sure there are systems in place for our student-athletes to succeed in the classroom, which is going to help them succeed on the field as well.” 

Of the 89 academic honorees, 37 were from the football team, 18 from soccer, 15 from women’s cross country, 10 from men’s cross country and nine from volleyball. Football had the largest increase of honorees, jumping from 26 in 2024. 

According to Smith, this jump is credited in large part to the Aggies’ new football head coach, Bronco Mendenhall. 

“The biggest change really comes from the communication from our coaches that academics are a priority,” Smith said. “The coaches show them this is where we were last semester, this is where we need to be next semester, and then laying out a plan to help them achieve that.” 

This focus on academics was something Mendenhall said he made clear from the moment he stepped on campus, highlighting the subject in his introductory press conference with the university. 

“Results absolutely matter, but how we achieve them matters more. I care about these young people, who they become and what they do with their lives. There isn’t anyone on this planet with higher expectations for these players than me,” Mendenhall said. “At many of the other institutions where I’ve coached, we had the highest GPA in school history, most service hours in school history, followed by the most success on the field in school history. That is success to me.” 

From the university’s perspective, the student’s success is a process that begins from the second they arrive on campus until they graduate, creating a path for success from start to finish. 

“Our job is guide them through this whole academic journey. When they first arrive, we try and get an idea of who they are. Freshmen are given mentors. Transfers are given mentors who are part of our learning specialist program. From there, they can request more help, too, if needed,” Smith said. “If we begin to see an academic decline, we can then give them more of a structure to follow. That could include a tutor, structured study time outside their house, various different things to help them succeed.” 

Utah State is routinely at the top of the Mountain West in terms of academic performance, and Smith said this is something that the athletic department takes pride in. 

“From an athletic standpoint, we love to compete in one facet or another, which includes an academic standpoint. Utah State is always one of the top institutions academically, both in the conference and on a national scale,” Smith said. “Our goal is to always be leading the way academically for any conference we are in.”