USU Football grounded in Logan as FAA halts air traffic

Editor’s note: This is an ongoing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available. This story was last updated at 4:39 pm.

Utah State football has been grounded in Logan as the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights nationwide on Friday due to communications issues at regional air traffic control centers. The Aggies were scheduled to take off around 2 pm on Friday out of Logan-Cache Airport, headed for San Diego International Airport on a flight operated by Sun Country Airlines prior to their matchup against the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday night.

After waiting over an hour on the tarmac, the team has since deplaned and left Logan-Cache with no timetable for a potential takeoff on Friday.

Friday’s order was the first time the FAA halted air travel nationwide since January of 2023, when a disruption in the FAA’s Notice to Airmen pilot-alert system forced a temporary delay in departures that lasted approximately two hours. Prior to that, the only other time flights have been grounded nationwide was following the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

“The FAA issued ​a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue ​impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin attributes the grounding to merely a telecommunications issue and said that foul play is not suspected.

“Everybody’s safe. There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying,” Mullin said.

According to a source within Utah State Athletics, no update has been provided to the team on a potential timeline for a departure and arrival in San Diego.

The Aggies were not the only team to be disrupted in their travels on Friday, as Chris Vannini of The Athletic has reported that a number of teams experienced delays, including some teams opting to bus to their destinations as delays continue.

✈️ Utah, Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Baylor (to BYU) among the many CFB teams that haven’t taken off.

Some like Alabama were already driving.

https://t.co/7P5Gj5xUJd

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) November 13, 2026

As Friday progresses with no apparent return to air travel imminent, contingency plans are being made by programs across the country, with reports of a Saturday morning men’s basketball game between Cornell and UNC Greensboro being postponed as UNCG was unable to travel on Friday.