LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football held its 12th practice of fall camp Thursday morning and the Aggie linebackers are working hard to build off last year's success.
 
"What I've seen from this defense is we've been able to grow from last year," said second-year inside linebackers coach Mike Zuckerman. "Last year, we got the basics done. Now, we are focusing on the details – how hard we can practice, how much more we can put in and how much these guys handle – because they're so much more confident and they know our standard. We're coaching a lot less in terms of how to practice, how to run to the ball and tackle, and a lot more execution of how to really get into the hard details."
 
Highlighting this group is senior AJ Vongphachanh, who earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors following the COVID-shortened 2020 season. As a junior in 2021, Vongphachanh started all 14 games at inside linebacker and had 55 tackles, which included 2.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss, to go along with one fumble recovery. For his career, he has played in 27 games with 20 starts, and has 122 tackles, which includes 5.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
 
"It's been fun watching AJ this camp and his growth as a leader. He has really grown as a leader and being a presence on the defense. So, I'm really excited with how he's pushing himself and what he could be this year," said Zuckerman.
 
The only other letterwinner returning here is junior Kaleo Neves, who has played in 23 career games with one start and has seven career tackles.
 
Utah State also welcomes back freshman inside linebacker Sione Moa, who redshirted during his first season with the Aggies.
 
"Overall, the defense is just hungry this camp," said Vongphachanh. "We came off spring really good. Everything is progressing really fast because it's our second year and there's a lot of returners on the defensive side. Even the guys who are coming in are doing a great job of just buying in and working hard every day."
 
With an immediate need for impactful players, Utah State added three talented newcomers via the transfer portal in juniors Anthony Switzer (Augusta, Arkansas/Marion HS/Arkansas State) and MJ Tafisi (West Jordan, Utah/Alta HS/Washington), and redshirt freshman Cole Joyce (Bentonville, Arkansas/Bentonville HS/UCF).
 
Switzer is the most experienced newcomer here as he appeared in 24 games with 15 starts during his three seasons at Arkansas State, as he recorded 91 tackles, which included 4.0 tackles for loss, to go along with four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception.
 
Tafisi spent four seasons at Washington and appeared in 22 games, as he recorded 40 tackles, including 1.0 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with one pass breakup. And, Joyce spent one season at UCF, appearing in one game.
 
Utah State also added one four-year transfer here in junior Wes Wright (Manti, Utah/Manti HS/BYU), who played in 10 games at BYU during the 2020 season, and one junior college transfer in junior Omari Okeke (Bellflower, California/Bellflower HS/Cerritos JC), who spent two seasons at Cerritos (California) Junior College and posted 50 career tackles.
 
Additionally, Utah State welcomes five freshmen to the program in Max Alford (Park City, Utah/Park City HS), Avery Ellis (Royal City, Washington/Royal HS), Lofa Fonoti-Maikui (Layton, Utah/Northridge HS), Bronson Olevao (Salt Lake City, Utah/Highland HS) and Josh Williams (Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite HS).
 
"This linebacker group has been really great. We're a lot younger than last year's group, but these guys are willing to work every day. The new guys have stepped up, even the upcoming freshmen. Everyone's done a great job with attention to detail, trying to learn the defense, running the show overall and getting everyone set," added Vongphachanh.
 
All fall camp practices are closed to the public. Fans are invited to watch Utah State's final scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m., as part of its annual Family Football Fun Day, held on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
 
Utah State will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Aug. 27, when it hosts Connecticut at 2 p.m., in a game that will be nationally televised on Fox Sports 1. USU then plays at Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 3, and hosts Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 10, before beginning MW play at home against UNLV on Saturday, Sept. 24, in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network at 5 p.m.
 
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 or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.