LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head football coach Gary Andersen held a press conference Wednesday to announce his second signing class since returning to the Aggies.
The class, which includes 24 total players, is comprised of 19 high school athletes, three junior college transfers and a pair of four-year transfers. Of the 24 players, seven signed with Utah State in December and four are returned missionaries.
Overall, six of the players are currently enrolled at Utah State for the spring 2020 semester, while five others will serve two-year LDS Church Missions before beginning their collegiate careers.
Head Coach Gary Andersen
Opening statement:
"It's a big day and we are going to talk about the signing class, but first of all, I want to talk about the addition of a new coach. Dave Schramm comes to us from Weber State. He was the offensive coordinator there with (head coach) Jay (Hill), and he was a part of some tremendous teams. It is great to have Dave here finally. I have been with Dave for a number of years throughout my career and he is exactly what Utah State is all about. He cares about the kids first and has been doing this for a long time. He has an unbelievable amount of knowledge from being the coordinator for a number of years at Utah and at Fresno State, when they had the great run with Derek Carr. He has been doing this at a very high level and we are excited to have him. He has toughness and grit, and is a tremendous teacher both on and off the field. He coaches the game of football because he wants to, not because he has to, which I think is very important. He wants to be here in this area. He has a boy that plays football at Boise State and has another boy – they are twins – that is playing baseball at the University of Utah, so his ties around here are very important. It is a tremendous family and a tremendous addition to our Aggie Family. We are excited to get him going and he will be coaching the running backs. He will also be involved on the special teams side, so he should be a great addition to that offensive staff."
On the success in the classroom during the fall semester:
"We had the best GPA ever last fall for a Utah State football team. I know it has been mentioned before, but it needs to be mentioned a lot. It was a great accomplishment for the group of kids during the football season to be able to get that done. Great work by the academic people, Waqa (Damuni) and his crew, and Slade (Richison), were fantastic in helping our kids. Our coaches were also a big part of that, but the most important thing is our kids took great pride in that. It means a ton to me for them to be able to reach a goal like that. Our grad transfer GPA, which is really important, was a 3.5, and that is fantastic. That is a huge sense of accomplishment for them and they should be very proud of it, and they have represented the school very well on and off the field."
On community service:
"With community service, our kids are really busting their tails, and that means a lot. We are always anxious to get involved in the community as much as we can, and then with our Beyond Football program that Waqa works with, along with Zach Nyborg, is continually growing. It is becoming much more powerful. If people want to be involved in that from helping us reach out into the community, get internships and have some ideas where our kids can get in touch with the community and help them grow as young men, and to help us grow us a community, please reach out to us."
On how hard the team is working right now:
"The current team is working very hard. They know they've got some competition coming their way and it is all about toughness right now. We are in a good spot and we have a lot of goals in the weight room to where we need to be to become a tough, physical team in those slug-out games that we are going to get, especially on our side that we play in. To get to that championship game on our side of the Mountain West, you have to be very competitive, and we all now you can't stub your toe very many times during the season and still have a chance to play for a championship. Our physicality, we have to compete every day against that weight, we have to compete every day against each other in the indoor when we are given those opportunities. I think they are answering the bell there, but we've put some big goals on top of them. I am proud of the way they are competing and I am also proud of the way they are competing when they leave our facility at this point, but that needs to continue. It is an every-day process to keep educating."
On the coaching staff:
"This coaching staff is to be commended for this hard work. We looked to have a smaller class than we signed, but there were kids we just could not say no to, which is because the coaches did a tremendous job. Keegan (Andersen), Trevor (Mann) and Trever (McFalls) within the recruiting aspect of what they do did a great job of identifying and functionally moving us through the process. The coaches did a great job of going out and showing people who we are. We always talk about showing them Cache Valley and showing them Utah State. We don't have to sell anything here. We have to show them who we are, what we are about and what is expected. When we got parents on campus, our success rate was through the roof, so thank you to all the professors, to everybody on campus from the places we go to eat and be involved in, it takes us all to commit and come to us. So, thank you to all the people that were involved in that, especially the coaching staff, the recruiting guys and the academic people who worked so hard to present our school the way that it is, and not some façade of what we are pretending to be."
On the Utah State recruiting model:
"We stayed within our recruiting model. If you sit back and look at it, there are eight signees from the state of Utah, which is always big for us. There are 10 missionary kids, including six that will be going on missions and four that will be returning from missions. That is a big part of our program. There is a strong Polynesian presence within this class, and those are really the three pillars of who we want to be, and we always talk about. That is exactly what we expect and exactly how we like our recruiting classes to fit in, and that is the case here. It was a tremendous job of coaches reaching out throughout the country, and we will recruit nationally as needed, but we're really going to stick hard within our areas and make those pillars of our recruiting idea and our recruiting plan fit the pillars of our program."
On the 2020 recruiting class in general:
"The biggest thing I am going to say about this recruiting class is within those 24 additions, there are 19 new faces and six of them are already in the program with possibly one more that could join us a little bit later in the semester. We will have 12 or 13 new faces in summer conditioning, which is a low number, just like we thought it would be. But, that is a great number to have in there. What I will say about those 19 kids, minus the six who are leaving on their mission, is they will compete to play. I don't look at one of them and say, 'That is a guaranteed developmental guy that has no chance to get on the field and play for us.' There is going to be a lot of competition from these kids for them to get on the field and play, whether it's special teams, offense or defense. We wanted to recruit length, we got that done. We wanted to recruit speed, we got that done. We wanted to recruit football intelligence, I believe we got that done. And most importantly, we wanted to recruit kids that truly believe and love the game of football. Those were high bullet points for us as we went through this recruiting cycle. I believe we have met those, but time will tell. We will see where it all goes from there, but again, this is a great group of kids who are highly competitive and that's what's going to give them a chance to come in and compete.
"The specialists need to play. They need to come in and expect to contribute, yes, work their way into a starting spot, they control that, we don't. But, the specialists are a big part of this. We sit in there and say, 'Stephen (Kotsanlee), Ryan (Marks) and Jacob (Garcia), what are they going to bring to the table?' We need some immediate help in that position. We lost some really good players there, and we need to create competition in that area. We are excited about that, and also the running backs. Both of those young men (John Gentry and Elelyon Noa) coming in and competing at a high level at the running back position is something that we need. And, I'll say it one more time, I really believe that those other high school signees will come in here and compete. That is on them to see how hard they work and where they are going to fit into the picture. The returned missionaries? I love that crew. Depending on when they come back, where they went and all those things that come with it, it is a crew that if you look at them as a whole, they are long, they are athletic and they compete like crazy. Their film jumps off at you and they love Utah State. They are excited to get back here. Frank Maile does a tremendous job of tracking those young men while they are on their mission. Those guys, I believe, will be four difference makers in our program as we go forward. Is that going to happen this year? I don't know. We will see as they come in and they get back into shape and all those things that come with it.
"With the junior college signees, it's not their choice, they have to help us. If they don't help us, then I failed, the recruiting guys failed, the recruiting coach failed and these young failed. They need to help us and that's why we recruited them, and I expect them to be able to do that. James (Hansen) is here, Xavion (Steele) is here and then Justin (McGriff) will work his tail off to get himself here in the summer, which he will and he will be prepared to make a difference for us. With the four-year transfers, Keegan (Duncan) is a little different. He is a young player, but I expect him to come in and compete for a starting job as he goes through the process – not much in spring with his little setback that he's had from an injury. He'll be fine once we get him to fall camp. He'll compete. Marcus Moore played in the Pac-12 and has played at a high level. Throw on his tape and see what he has done. He is a very good football player and he has the right attitude. He fits us, and it's so important when you bring in those four-year transfers that, yes, there are a lot of great players that are four-year transfers. They all have a story and they all have a journey that they've gone through, but does that story and that journey fit us? I believe in this case with Marcus, it definitely fits us to what his expectations are for him on and off the field. We expect him to be a great player."
On recruiting sons of coaches:
"In this case, we've got a couple that are great players and potentially great players for us as we go through it. You talk about Breaker (Mendenhall) and what he brings to us and what Justice (Ena) brings to us, they are both very good players. Genetically, they were blessed through their mothers, which is fantastic for them on the football field. They competitiveness of their dads, how they were brought up, where they are at and the position they are putting themselves in to be great football players, they got there by themselves, but it doesn't hurt to have that tag as a coach's son. We are lucky to have both of those kids. They both went through the recruiting process and went through it the right way. Justice was recruited because of Justice, not because of Justin, in that case. Breaker was recruited because of Breaker, not because of Bronco. It's fun to have those kids and they will be great players."
On if Bronco Mendenhall wanted to coach his son:
"Whatever Breaker wanted, that's what Bronco wanted. Breaker had an opportunity to choose between a number of schools, not just us and Virginia. He decided to come here because he thought that was best for him, and the great thing with Bronco is Bronco was able to come here and took the time to come during the recruiting cycle. Obviously, he didn't compromise his position as a head coach at Virginia in any way, but he took a day-and-a-half to come out here and see who we were and understand. He actually made a couple of visits to Logan when he knew that it was a possibility that Breaker wanted to be here. As a family, they were able to see it and those two were able to spend a recruiting cycle with us for a day-and-a-half. It was great to have them here. It's not about Bronco, it's not about myself, it's about Breaker, but Bronco was excited, as is the rest of the family, that he is joining us."
On what impressed him the most about Justice End during his senior year at Sky View:
"Justice competed all year long at a high level with, really, an injury that could have taken him out of football probably pretty early in the season, but he kept on battling, so that showed some toughness, which is not a surprise with his pops. He is tremendously athletic. I sit back and we say, 'Yeah, he is going to be an offensive lineman right now.' That's hard for me to say and I kind of bite my lip when I say that because I watch his tape and think, 'Boy, he would be a heck of a defensive lineman, too,' so that just speaks to his athleticism. He is very driven and he is focused on finishing school right now the right way, rehabbing his injury the right way and going out and doing a great job on his mission, then hopping back in here and being a great football player at Utah State. He is full of life and energy and excitement as far as where he wants to go. He's a soft-spoken kid, but he is not soft-spoken on the field. He is a great addition."
On a recruit he had to fight really hard to get and ended up getting:
"You say that, and there are so many stories behind that. There are some that we had to fight all the way through, there are some we got on and locked into them pretty tightly and then all of a sudden, they throw out that graphic and say that they're committed, then the world knows and it gets more competitive. John Gentry was a battle to the very end. What a strong family and what strong parents. Ajani Carter is here, and they are from the same high school, North Shore, and AJ has had a tremendous experience in his short time here as a freshman, and he and John are very close friends. But, to have mom and dad both be able to come on the trip and feel who we are and what we are about, they got to feel Aggie Nation at the basketball game. Those things are big. The dad had a really good understanding of the recruiting cycle and the challenges that we face in this league. There are a bunch of those stories.
"Justin (McGriff), watch his tape. He's a giant wide receiver, not a big wide receiver. You'd think that he accidentally got himself on the football bus and not the basketball bus when he jumps off for a game. A lot of people want those bit, tall wide receivers, and coach (Jason) Phillips did a great job. Coach (Mark) Orphey gets down in those areas and they kind of work together down there, whether it's Texas or Florida, or wherever it is going to be. They surround themselves with the people that have confidence in them that they are going to take the young men to a really good place, and that really good place is called Utah State. Many people only know it from afar, but those guys recruit at a high level. There are a bunch of battles on there, and I could go on and on. It goes back to this place and those coaches doing a great job and showing them what this place is all about."
On if there is such a thing having too much depth at one position, and if so, if it affects how they recruit:
"It absolutely does. You take a young man like Broc Lane, our need was tight end, tight end, tight end, and we needed to get our numbers there. But, our numbers are high as seniors on our list with tight ends, and he's different. He's an athletic guy that can move and run, so when you talk about too many, it maybe looks like right now you're too many, but not with the shift we're going to have within the offense as far as at times playing with two tight ends more. He's an athlete that is developed enough; over the last year-and-a-half, he has grown like eight inches and put on a bunch of weight, and he can come in and play right away. So, that is an example of you may be one more, but you're not, because now that's double positions from what it was a lot of times a year ago.
"You look at the safeties, and there are a lot of safeties on our board right now, but those are long-levered athletes that can run. It was a point of emphasis in recruiting to get longer and run, and without getting too technical, have the ability to make sure that we can play regardless of the situation within the last six inches. When I say that, you can't coach it. All these kids have that. What their highlight tapes that they have out there. They can all make decisions in those last six inches, whether it's tackling or catching a contested ball as a corner or catching a contested ball as a wide receiver, or what have you. It looks like to us all of those kids have that, so that allowed us to grow the class and maybe look heavy in some spots, such as the safety spot. They are long-levered defenders that can help us and that's why they'll have a chance to play for us as freshmen."
On filling position needs during this recruiting class:
"It went well. Every year you look back and say, 'Where are you going to take the hits and where did you take the hits?' You try to make those be as small of hits as you can, but a lot goes into that – graduation, possible transfer kids, injuries, unfortunately, play a part in that. I think we did a great job of identifying that, studying it and looking at it and saying, 'What do we need in these spots?' I'm proud of the staff and the one thing that I did forget to mention is our kids, and how our young men in the program recruit when they get here. They do a tremendous job, and that is a big part of why these guys are here. Is there more to go? Yes, there is. We would like to find a linebacker and we would like to find another running back. That would be key for us. Both potentially grad transfers."
On taking more grad transfers besides the need at linebacker and running back:
"It would have to be somebody we deemed as very special, for us to be able to take another step with anybody else with this class. We are in a really good spot with where we sit with our initials for next year, and obviously, we have used all of our initials moving forward through this year, or they plan to be used. We talk about it all the time as a staff, 'Never say no to what you would deem as a difference-maker.'"
On Crew Wakley and Otto Tia:
"Otto is obviously going to serve his mission first. He is a young man that we looked at it today and Bodie, coach Reeder, had never really seen him much because he has been here, but hasn't been here for long. We watched his recruiting tape and he is sitting there and is rolling his eyes, 'We are talking about him playing defense, right?' And then the defensive coaches are looking at him like, 'You can shut your mouth Bodie.' That's why he is listed as an athlete and a lot of it is going to depend on how Otto grows, how he develops and where he goes on his mission. He is just a tremendous athlete. He is tall, long-levered and has a great mentality. He is going to be a great player for us.
"With Crew, he did everything for his team in high school. If you watch the tape, he was Mr. Everything. Not to discount the rest of the team, but he was a fantastic football player. He made a lot of great things happen on the offensive side of the ball. That same conversation came up that I just mentioned on the offense-defense when we watched the four or five clips that he has on his highlight that is going out on social media for signing day. It is a great compliment to have athlete next to your name because that means you've got people competing for you on both sides of the ball."
On how Keegan Duncan's high school abilities will translate to the college level:
"I am very confident in that. He has been with us, and is in the program. Every day, he is hungry to get better. He's strong, physical and tough-minded. He is going to be coached by coach Ena at an inside linebacker position. There is nobody better to do that, to be able to bring a young player along and get him in a position to play at a high level early. The switch, the tweaks within the defensive scheme, will allow Keegan to play within his talent level. He is a tremendous athlete. He can run and he is long-levered. He is going to be a sideline-to-sideline player, which we want our linebackers to be, but yet, he can still be tough and physical. The learning curve for him will not be so much of a physical nature, although he hasn't played that position much. We'll get through that very quickly with him. It's just handling the mental side of it and understanding the game of football, but again, there is nobody better to coach him than coach Ena, to get him ready for that spot. He is a very rare talent in my opinion."
On how much information they can get from the recruiting videos they see on the websites from these players:
"It kind of depends on how it's put together, but they are very valuable. That is the first thing we usually look at. We take it from there and our recruiting department does a tremendous job of breaking it down, and making a tape that has good, bad and okay stuff in it. We'll break down the tape and see what he does, then we'll watch a whole game on him, also. But as an initial evaluation, it is a huge part of the process to get the ball rolling."
On if he recruits mostly against teams from the Mountain West:
"No. It's a mixed bag. Obviously, the more we are on the west coast, we are much more into teams that are in our area. And, teams kind of change dynamics as coaches change. We will always try to hold our blueprint. We bang around with California schools when we got to California. When we go to the northwest, Boise State has always down a great job there. Fresno State gets up into that area, or used to get up into that area. What they do now, we'll see as we go through time."
On Utah kids being recruited on a national level nowadays:
"It's much more difficult to recruit the state of Utah, which is great for the state of Utah, but it does become much more competitive."
On if Utah State has enough Utah guys on the roster now:
"We'd like it to be at least a third. I felt a year ago we needed to ramp it up and amp it up to get to that. We're making strides and we will still add walk-on kids. A big point for us is we will recruit walk-ons here, just like we've always done in the past. We need to make sure that is a point of emphasis."
On taking an in-state kid versus another kid from another state that might be more highly recruited:
"Utah is within our blueprint and if it's close, it is going to Utah, hands down. That's what we believe in and we will never sway from that. Secondly, we look at ourselves as a developmental program. If we sat in here for an hour and started listing those names of those developmental kids that started in this program and became great players, it would be a long list, and we're very prideful in that, because we realize that so many kids in that state of Utah are multi-sport athletes. When you're 16, 17 or 18 years old, and you're going from football into basketball, then baseball or track & field, and you're right back into football in the summer, you never lift weights, you never develop, you never grow. But, you are competing every day, and that's what we love. We love the competitors. So, weighing them out as far as where they sit, we'll sway to that side because other places, they're more locked in. I don't think we ever look and say, 'Where are you from? How are you going to fit?' It's, 'Are you going to be able to adapt to who we are?' Wherever you are coming from, we are not changing. We are who we are, and you will have to adapt to us. That's a big part of the recruiting process."
On integrating the new guys:
"Whether they come in now, whether they come in, in the summer, whether they come in for fall camp, the biggest thing is to make sure that we work on delivering an environment of trust within a position coach, a trust within a team that they get a big brother who will take care of them so they have somebody they can lean on, and then understand the expectations. You don't just write core values on the wall just to have them there to take up space. You have to identify and understand and start to engage, 'What is the plan to win?' You have to know your role on the team and accept your role. Academically, we have expectations for these kids. When you are here, you live in a wonderful fishbowl as a student-athlete in Logan, Utah. You're going to affect little eyes and little ears every single day. The goal is to affect those little eyes and those little ears in a positive way."
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