LOGAN, Utah – Determination and hard work have led Utah State senior wide receiver Derek Wright to living out his childhood dream of playing college football at the highest possible level.
However, it didn't come easy for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound all-state performer out of Manti (Utah) High School.
After walking on at Snow College following his prep days with the Templars, he also had to walk on at Utah State to even realize his dream of playing at the Division I-A level. Now in his final season with the Aggies, Wright has helped lead Utah State to a 6-2 overall record through the first eight games of the season, including a 4-1 conference mark – tops in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West.
Wright currently ranks third on the team in receptions (26), second in yards receiving (449) and second in touchdown catches (5). Coming into the season, he had caught just 18 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 16 career games.
We caught up with Wright to discuss how much fun he is having this season, his love for golf and the worst thing he has ever eaten out of politeness.
USU: What has your experience been like at Utah State so far?
Wright: I've been really happy with how it's turned out. I love Logan and have loved the atmosphere that Utah State football brings. The first couple of years up here football-wise, it didn't really pan out like I was hoping it would. I'm glad that I was able to stick around and help more this year than I have in the past.
USU: Following the 2020 season, were you planning on coming back?
Wright: There was a little bit of thought of maybe being done, or transferring, but it wasn't really anything that I thought hard about. I was 90 percent committed to coming back. Listening to the new coaches and what they had to say, it convinced me to be all in and come back.
USU: What stood out to you listening to the new coaches?
Wright: The way that coach (Blake) Anderson handled the whole situation when he got here, it was obviously not anywhere where he wanted it to be. He came in and talked to us and let us know that he was going to gain our trust and flip this program around, and get it back to where we all knew it could be. I believed him. I also met (wide receivers) coach (Kyle) Cefalo, and my first impression of him, I was really happy with him and excited to get to work with him.
USU: On the team having the kind of success it has had so far, how special has this season been so far?
Wright: Like you said, nobody outside of the football program would have guessed that we would be 5-2 right now. But, at the end of the day, they are not the ones that are going out there and putting in the work like we are. We knew what we could accomplish. Going through spring ball, we all had new things to learn and new coaches to adapt to, and they had to adapt to new players. We knew it was going to be a challenge, but at the end of the day, we believed in ourselves and have been able to make a major turnaround from last season.
USU: What has it meant having fans back in the stands this season, especially The HURD?
Wright: Having The HURD is a game-changer, especially since we moved sidelines. I know that makes the other teams uncomfortable, and just having them provide some energy and giving us momentum when we need, it's been huge. It's been a lot of fun to be back in full-capacity stadiums.
USU: When did you make it a goal to play college football?
Wright: When I was 3 years old. It's been a life-long goal of mine to be a Division I football player.
USU: What was it about Utah State that brought you here after Snow College?
Wright: I wasn't really recruited a lot out of Snow College. I had a few Division I-AA offers, and a couple of preferred walk-on spots. I honestly hadn't even talked to Utah State until Gary Andersen was hired. His son, Keegan, was at Utah with Gary, and he was the one that was talking to me and told me that I had a preferred walk-on spot at the University of Utah. Once the Gary Andersen hire came out and his son also came up to Utah State, I reached out and asked, 'I don't know if it's a possibility to be a preferred walk-on at Utah State, but if so, let me know.' He messaged me back and told me it was, and got me in contact with the receivers coach. That wasn't even until late-December that, that all started happening. Me, my mom, my wife and my brother, we drove up to Logan one day in late December, and it was actually my first time in Logan. We went and walked around the stadium and the facilities by ourselves. My wife (Reggie) and I were like, 'We might as well do it.' Out of all the places that had offered me to be a preferred walk-on, Utah State kept in contact with me and actually seemed like they wanted me there, and believed in me the most.
USU: When did you get put on scholarship?
Wright: My first semester was the spring of 2019, and then I got my scholarship in the summer of 2020. It was something that meant a lot to me. I had to walk on at Snow College, too. Being a walk-on wasn't really something that was new for me. I'm glad that I had to do that for myself, because from the moment I came up here as a walk-on, it was something I dreamed about, finally being given a scholarship. It was a cool experience to be able to call my mom and my dad, and tell them that I had been put on scholarship. It's something I will never forget.
USU: Outside of football, what do you enjoy doing?
Wright: Golf. I crave golf. Whenever I get the chance, I am on a golf course. It's addicting, and I'm not even that good. It's expensive and frustrating, but it's fun.
USU: Are you the best golfer on the football team?
Wright: That's up for debate. There are a few of us who are pretty good. Brandon Bowling is pretty good, Reece Jarvis, Andrew Peasley, Crew Wakley – we all are pretty good as far as amateurs go.
USU: Have you played golf with any members of the Utah State golf team?
Wright: No, and I think I would retire if I ever did.
USU: What are your plans after this season?
Wright: I have a job lined up right now at a bank in Utah County. My wife and I are going to move down there, and she is going to start esthetician school so she can get going on her career. I'll be training for pro day while I am down there, and hopefully, have a shot at playing at the next level. If not, I have this career that I can get going on at the bank.
USU: How would you survive a zombie apocalypse?
Wright: I would grab as many guns as possible and head up the mountain, and try to get as high up the mountain as possible, and set up shop and see how long we could survive up there.
USU: If you could scale any animal to the size of a horse, what would it be?
Wright: My Dalmatian dog, Ozzy.
USU: What animal would be the cutest if scaled down to the size of a cat?
Wright: A lion or a bear.
USU: If animals could talk, which one would be the rudest?
Wright: A Chihuahua.
USU: What is the worst thing you have eaten out of politeness?
Wright: I don't think I have ever had to eat anything gross. I've been pretty lucky so far. I know there are a lot of people out there that have to shovel down some food that they don't like, but I don't remember any experiences like that. I've been lucky.
USU: What is the dumbest thing someone has argued with you about?
Wright: That the earth is flat. It might have been in the locker room, actually, and it turned into a big group argument. There was one player standing on the side that the earth was flat.
USU: On a scale of 1-10, how strict were your parents?
Wright: With my parents being divorced, at my dad's house, it was probably an eight or a nine, and my mom was more of like a five. It got to the point where as I got older, they took it easier on me, because I was a pretty good kid. I didn't ever get in trouble or anything, so they built some trust and were never really strict with as many things anymore.
USU: Do cats have any regrets?
Wright: I think they regret that they are not dogs, because everyone loves dogs more.
USU: What move title best describes your life.
Wright: My wife just whispered "Talladega Nights," but it would probably have to be "Blended." When my mom got remarried, my brother and I moved to Sterling and my step-dad already had some kids, and some of them took us in, some of them didn't. There was a lot of fighting and it was a blended family for sure, but we all love each other now.
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.
For more information on the Utah State football program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUFootball, on Facebook at USUFootball and on Instagram at USUFootball.
-USU-
