LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's football program has a well-known reputation for being a hard-working and blue-collar team.
 
Both on and off the field.
 
"This school is meant for you to work hard so you can be successful," said senior cornerback Cameron Haney. "We are a blue-collar program, and I live by that."
 
Haney certainly does.
 
Both on and off the field.
 
Haney missed the first two games of his senior season due to injury, but has been a key member of the defense since returning. Haney has recorded 14 tackles, including 1.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, a team-best seven pass breakups and forced one fumble in just four contests.
 
In the Aggies' Oct. 5 game at then-No. 5 LSU, Haney intercepted his first-career pass, returning it 19 yards to set up a field goal by senior placekicker Dominik Eberle.
 
"He has had a major impact for us," said first-year Utah State cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey. "One of the best things about Cam is he's been productive, and it has been huge for us to get him back. He's now fully healthy, and in these past three games, he's been very productive for us, and that's just a credit to him and how hard he's worked. The thing about Cam is he'll do exactly what he's coached to do. He doesn't try to press or try to go over and beyond. He lets the plays come to him, and it's been big.
 
"It was good for him to get his first-career interception against LSU. I didn't even realize that was his first one, so I've just been really impressed with him ever since I got here. We've just got to keep him healthy and keep him moving along, and he's got to make sure he does a good job of leading with all those younger guys that are behind him."
 
Off the field, though, Haney maintains his hard-working blue-collar mentality. The son of Karen Morgan is the founder of a non-profit organization based out of his home city of Los Angeles, Calif., where he looks to guide inner-city kids to give them the tools and resources they need in order to exploit their talents.
 
"Basically, we target young children and teenagers, and I track their academic success over a six-month period," Haney explained even further. "In tracking that, I take data and I collect data, and then when the six-month period is over, I have a conversation with the teenager or youth, and help them with the resources and materials that they need to succeed. I'm also working with the city with the building and development of schools."
 
Haney began the non-profit organization this past summer.
 
"My mom told me, 'I feel like you're a prominent figure in our community, so why not help build it?'"
"I just found out about his non-profit organization a couple of months ago, and when he told me, I was like, 'Let me know if there is anything I need to do to help you, because I think that is awesome,' especially coming from where he's from," Orphey said.
 
Coming out of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, Haney was highly sought after. Besides Utah State, he entertained offers from Washington, Washington State, Arizona State and Colorado, as well as Boise State and Louisville.
 
But there was something about the Aggies and Cache Valley that reminded Haney of home.
 
"You just had to work and grind at my high school, so I saw that correlation between Cathedral and Utah State, where I could work and grind without any distractions," Haney said. "That attracted my eye, as well as the family atmosphere. I just gravitated toward that and chose Utah State. I didn't focus on all the big glitz and glamour, and everything like that, so that's why I chose the Aggies."
 
The decision to become an Aggie has been very beneficial to both parties involved.
 
After redshirting in 2015, Haney played in 37 of 38 games with 10 starts heading into the 2019 campaign. As a junior in 2018, he recorded 26 tackles and seven pass breakups. Through the first three games of this year, he has already matched the seven PBUs from a year ago.
 
Haney's play on the field and his demeaner off of it are two big reasons why he is a good leader for the cornerbacks.
 
"The thing about Cam, is when he wasn't playing, he stayed locked in mentally," Orphey said. "I always made sure to tell him, 'You've been here a long time and you've played a lot of ball, so you know how things are supposed to be. You know when something isn't right, so make sure you speak up, because this is your senior year, so how this season goes is truly on you.' He's just done a good job with that, and the good thing is those guys listen to him. He can fit in with any personality, so he gels with anybody on the team, and that is always big.
 
"He kind of rallies this goes," Orphey continued, "and gives them tips here and there. I'm just excited for him. I think this is only the beginning and he's going to continue to get more productive as the season goes on."
 
Which is exactly what the Aggies need in their quest to capture the Mountain Division title and subsequent Mountain West championship. Utah State is currently 2-0 in the conference heading into its showdown with Nevada.
 
In the Aggies' Mountain West opener at San Diego State, a 23-17 victory for USU, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Haney had four tackles and a career-high-tying three pass breakups.
 
"That was a pretty big game for me, just because my family was able to go, including both of my grandfathers, and some family members that had never seen me play football ever," Haney said. "I was just rehabbing, rehabbing and rehabbing, and then I just went out there and gave it my best."
 
Haney, who is majoring in integrated studies, is on track to graduate in December. He would love nothing more than to get a shot at playing at the next level, but if that doesn't pan out, Haney has back-up plans.
 
"My plan is to train as hard as I can and see if I can get a shot at the next level, and if that doesn't work out, then I am going to gravitate toward collegiate football coaching." Haney said. "And then, I'll still have my hands in my non-profit organization."
 
Outside of football and schooling, Haney enjoys drawing, reading, cooking and dabbling in the stock market.
 
"My time at Utah State has been great, and I have loved it," said Haney, who has 20 tattoos and is widely considered the funniest player on the team. "A lot of people do think I'm funny. I've always been funny, but I've always been myself, and I think a lot of people gravitate toward that. I'm real animated, so I'm going to be animated until I'm old.
 
"I always just bring high spirits wherever I'm at."
 
Which suits Orphey and the Aggies just fine.
 
"I love who he is and I love his work ethic," Orphey said.  "He comes to work every day. I have to tell him to slow down sometimes, because he won't ever complain, and that's what I enjoy the most about Cam Haney. I try to stress to these young cats to pick his brain as much as they can while he's here, because he has a lot of knowledge, and he knows how to do certain things, and it's been good."
 
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
-USU-