Young Aggies excelling in opportunities for USU football
Despite Utah State’s disappointing result on Saturday versus Wyoming, a number of positives could be picked out from the wreckage. A surprising bright spot was the performance of junior WR Aaren Vaughns. The JC transfer had 60 yards from scrimmage on the day, on top of a 29-yard passing touchdown off a trick play. The game brought career highs to Vaughns in rushing, receiving, and passing yards.
Vaughns performance on Saturday has been in no means a solitary event. A number of young Aggies have excelled when given the opportunity this season. The Aggies are a young team, and the amount of young talent already contributing meaningfully to the team bodes well for the future.
Freshman QB Jordan Love has seen increased playing time over the past several weeks, and could continue to see a rise in his volume of play. Meanwhile, fellow redshirt freshman WR Jordan Nathan has entrenched himself as the team’s starting punt returner, and is a reason to hold your breath on every Aggie return.
In the secondary, Ja’Marcus Ingram has already proven to be an impact player as a freshman, recording his fifth pass breakup of the season versus Wyoming.
Others like the pair of tight ends, sophomore Dax Raymond and freshman Carson Terrell, are a handful for defenses to deal with. USU also pulled the redshirt off of promising freshman RB Tre Miller during the contest versus Wyoming due to injuries to the RB corps.
Even JC transfers like Eltoro Allen and Louy Compton have shown tremendous potential and ability on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. JC transfer Suli Tamaivena has entrenched himself as an integral part of the defense, and leads the Aggies in tackles on the season.
At 3-4, USU’s season has not gone entirely as fans may have hoped. Yet the team is not devoid of young, exciting talent that could lift the team over the remainder of the season and in years to come. At the very least, the next five games serve as a prime opportunity for Aggie fans to become increasingly familiar with the future leaders of Utah State.
Which of the Aggies’ youngsters are you most excited to watch for the rest of the 2017 season and beyond?