LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football held its fifth practice of fall camp Wednesday morning and the Aggie tight ends are excited about the possibilities of being more involved in the offensive scheme this fall.
 
"Coach (Blake) Anderson has the ability to spread the field with multiple positions, so you'll see tight ends spread out more and being involved in the passing game," said third-year tight ends coach DJ Tialavea. "They're all capable of catching the rock, but I always tell them you have to do the dirty work first. You're still going to see us run blocking and protecting the quarterback, and then when Coach Anderson calls for us to be split out and get into the pass game, we're fired up to do so."
 
Utah State returns its top three tight ends from a season ago in senior Josh Sterzer, junior Broc Lane and sophomore Parker Buchanan.
 
"We've got three guys returning and two new guys that we've added to our group this spring," added Tialavea. "For the most part, they all fit the mold of what we're looking for. They're hard workers, guys who love football and do anything they're asked. They show up every day to compete, so that's all we can ask for."
 
Sterzer, who started 11 games a season ago, has played in 26 games with 12 career starts and has caught 15 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown. Lane has appeared in 15 career games and has eight receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown. And Buchanan has played in nine career games and has two catches for nine yards.
 
"Fall camp has been awesome," said Sterzer. "Every day we are working on the run game and being physical, along with our ball skills, just a little bit of everything. We've got to be a jack of all trades; we're involved in just about everything we can do on offense."
 
"Josh is that savvy vet. He's been around the program multiple years, and he's played a lot of football for us. He brings the pro mentality to the group. He shows up on time every day and makes sure our guys are ready to roll, gets them in the right mindset, and coaches the younger guys. He's done a great job and is a phenomenal leader for us," Tialavea said.
 
Along with the three players mentioned above, Utah State also added two newcomers here in junior college transfer Isaiah Alonzo (Irvine, California/Mater Dei HS/Orange Coast College) and freshman Will Monney (Springville, Utah/Springville HS).
 
Alonzo had 21 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns during his sophomore season at Orange Coast College. And Monney was a three-star recruit that was rated as the No. 24 prospect in the state of Utah and 86th-best tight end in the nation according to 247Sports.com coming out of high school. Following his senior season, Monney earned all-region honors as he caught 31 passes for 443 yards (14.3 ypr) and three touchdowns.
 
All fall camp practices – minus two scrimmages – will be closed to the public. Fans are invited to watch Utah State's first scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 11 a.m., and its final scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 19, at noon, as part of its annual Family Football Fun Day. Both scrimmages will be held on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
 
Utah State opens the 2023 season at Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 2, while its home opener is the fol-lowing weekend against Idaho State on Saturday, Sept. 9. USU begins Mountain West play at Air Force on Friday, Sept. 15.
 
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.