LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Utah State football has been picked seventh in the 2024 Mountain West preseason poll, it was announced Wednesday at the league's annual media days held at The Circa Resort & Casino, while senior wide receiver Jalen Royals and junior safety Ike Larsen were named to the preseason all-conference team.
 
For Larsen, it is the second-straight year that he has been named to the MW Preseason Team.
 
Boise State was picked to win the MW as the Broncos garnered 38 first-place votes and earned a total of 543 points. UNLV received four first-place votes and 471 points for second place, followed by Fresno State with four first-place votes and 460 points. Air Force received 384 points, followed by Colorado State (337), Wyoming (296) and Utah State (285). San Diego State received 251 points for eighth place, while Hawai'i (214), San José State (185), New Mexico (85) and Nevada (77) rounded out the order of finish.
 
About the Players
Royals, a 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver from Powder Springs, Ga., (Hillgrove HS/Georgia Military College), was a College Football Network (CFN) Third-Team All-American and earned first-team all-MW honors last season as he started all 13 games and finished the year with 71 receptions for 1,080 yards (15.2 ypr/83.1 ypg) and a school-record 15 touchdowns. In all, he had seven touchdown receptions of 50 or more yards, which led the nation. Royals is just the 13th player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and his 1,080 receiving yards are the 10th-most in school history, while his 71 receptions are tied for the 10th most and his 15 total touchdowns are tied for the eighth most in a single season. During the 2023 campaign, he led the team in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and was second in receptions. He also led the team with four 100-yard receiving games, including three-straight.
 
Royals finished the season first in the MW and second in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 15, was third in the MW and 24th in the nation in receiving (83.1 ypg), fifth in the MW and 38th in the nation in receptions (5.5 pg), seventh in the MW and 64th in the nation in scoring (7.2 ppg), and seventh in the MW and 88th in the nation in yards per reception (15.2).
 
Larsen a 5-10, 195-pound safety from Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS) was named a CFN Honorable Mention All-American and earned first-team all-MW honors last season as he started all 13 games. He finished the year with 103 tackles (58-solo, 45-assist), which were the second-most on the team, and he became the 65th player in school history to have 100-plus tackles in a season. He also had 4.5 tackles for loss, to go along with a team-high four interceptions and a team-best two blocked kicks, while adding six pass breakups, which were the second-most on the team, and one forced fumble. He finished the year with five double-digit tackle outings.
 
Larsen, who was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week twice and the MW Special Teams Player of the Week once during the 2023 season, finished the year ranking first in the MW and fourth in the nation with two blocked kicks, tied for first in the MW and eighth in the nation with one defensive touchdown, third in the MW and 19th in the nation with four interceptions, eighth in the MW in passes defended with 10 (0.77 pg), and eighth in the MW and 56th in the nation in tackles (7.9 pg).
 
Looking at the Roster
Utah State returns 12 starters (O-7, D-5) as part of 35 letterwinners (O-18, D-13, S-4) from last year's team that finished with a 6-7 record and played in its 11th bowl game in the past 13 years and 17th in school history as it lost to Georgia State 45-22 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. USU also tied for sixth place in the Mountain West with a 4-4 league mark.
 
Along with 35 returning lettermen, Utah State welcomes back 19 redshirts (O-9, D-9, S-1) and five other returners (O-4, D-1) that were members of the program in 2023, while adding 45 newcomers (O-18, D-26, S-1), which includes 22 four-year transfers, 11 junior college transfers and 12 high school players.
 
Highlighting Utah State's returners in 2024 are four all-Mountain West performers in graduate senior TE Broc Lane, senior WR Micah Davis, Royals and Larsen. Along with Royals and Larsen, two more Aggies earned honorable mention all-MW honors last season in Davis and Lane. 
 
Other starters returning for Utah State in 2024 include graduate senior OL Wyatt Bowles, graduate senior CB Jaiden Francois, senior OL Falepule Alo, senior OL Cole Motes, senior DE Cian Slone, junior CB Avante Dickerson, junior OL Aloali'i Maui and junior DT Seni Tuiaki.
 
Fall Schedule
Utah State opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, as it hosts Robert Morris and begins Mountain West play at Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 5.
 
Ticket Information
Season tickets for the 2024 season are on-sale now. Purchase today to take advantage of our payment plans and spread your payment throughout the summer. To purchase visit utahstateaggies.com or call the ticket office at 435-797-0305.
 
Follow
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.
 
2024 Mountain West Football Predicted Order of Finish
Rank    Team (First-Place Votes)         Points
1.         Boise State (38)                      543
2.         UNLV (4)                                 471
3.         Fresno State (4)                      460
4.         Air Force                                  384
5.         Colorado State                        337
6.         Wyoming                                 296
7.         UTAH STATE                           285
8.         San Diego State                      251
9.         Hawai'i                                     214
10        San José State                        185
11.       New Mexico                               85
12.       Nevada                                      77
 
2024 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team
Offense
QB       Mikey Keene, Jr., Fresno State
WR      Tory Horton, Gr., Colorado State
WR      Ricky White III, Sr., UNLV
WR      Jalen Royals, Sr., Utah State
RB       Ashton Jeanty, Jr., Boise State
RB       Malik Sherrod, Sr., Fresno State
OL       Kage Casey, So., Boise State
OL       Jacob Gardner, Gr., Colorado State
OL       Mose Vavao, Sr., Fresno State
OL       Tiger Shanks, Sr., UNLV
OL       Jack Walsh, Jr., Wyoming
TE       John Michael Gyllenborg Jr., Wyoming
 
Defense
DL       Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., Boise State
DL       Devo Bridges, Sr., Fresno State
DL       Soane Toia, Sr., San José State
DL       Jordan Bertagnole, Gr., Wyoming
LB       Andrew Simpson, Jr., Boise State
LB       Chase Wilson, Sr., Colorado State
LB       Jordan Pollard, Jr., San José State
LB       Jackson Woodard, Sr., UNLV
DB       A'Marion McCoy, Sr., Boise State
DB       Jack Howell, Sr., Colorado State
DB       Cameron Oliver, Sr., UNLV
DB       Ike Larsen, Jr., Utah State
 
Specialists
P          James Ferguson-Reynolds, Jr., Boise State
PK       Jonah Dalmas, Gr., Boise State
PR       Jacob De Jesus, Sr., UNLV
KR       Jacob De Jesus, Sr., UNLV
 
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., RB, Boise State
Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DL, Boise State
Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV
Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year: Jacob De Jesus, Sr., PR/KR, UNLV