LOGAN, Utah (Wednesday, Dec. 3) – Utah State head football coach Bronco Mendenhall announced portions of USU's signing class on Wednesday, as part of the NCAA Early Signing Day. The class features 17 high school players.

Of the 17 players, five will enroll at Utah State in January for the 2026 spring semester and two will serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling at USU.

Fourteen of the 17 players are rated as three-star recruits.

The state of Utah produced the most signees with seven, followed by three players each from California and Texas, and one player each from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Canada.

Ten of Utah State's signees are offensive players with four linemen, two quarterbacks, two tight ends, one wide receiver and one running back. Of the seven defensive players that signed, four are linebackers, two are defensive backs and one is a defensive lineman.

Utah State will announce its complete 2026 signing class on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

 

HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES (17)

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Exp.	Hometown	High School
Luke Baker	OL	6-8	270	Fr.	HS	North Logan, Utah	Green Canyon HS
Tiki Bell^	DL	6-4	310	Fr.	HS	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	Episcopal (Va.) HS
Dontae Dyson	CB	6-1	170	Fr.	HS	Layton, Utah	Northridge HS
Brody Flores^	OLB	6-3	210	Fr.	HS	Aurora, Colo.	Grandview HS
Brady Goodman	QB	6-4	215	Fr.	HS	Mesa, Ariz.	Mountain View HS
Easton Hammond	OL	6-3	275	Fr.	HS	Millville, Utah	Ridgeline HS
Matekitonga Havea*	OL	6-6	315	Fr.	HS	Lehi, Utah	Lehi HS
O'Shea Jackson-Webb	CB	6-0	170	Fr.	HS	Clovis, Calif.	Clovis East HS
Kaleb Maryland^	QB	6-0	195	Fr.	HS	Houston, Texas	North Shore HS
Cade McCall	WR	6-0	180	Fr.	HS	Katy, Texas	Katy HS
John McClellan	LB	6-2	215	Fr.	HS	Rohnert Park, Calif.	Rancho Cotate HS
Preston McDaniel^	TE	6-4	225	Fr.	HS	Idaho Falls, Idaho	Thunder Ridge HS
Lucas Neidig	OL	6-7	270	Fr.	HS	South Jordan, Utah	Bingham HS
Jude Nelson^	TE	6-4	225	Fr.	HS	Long Beach, Calif.	Millikan HS
Tripp Palmer*	OLB	6-4	200	Fr.	HS	Blanding, Utah	San Juan HS
Jackson Regan	RB	5-10	200	Fr.	HS	New Braunfels, Texas	Canyon HS
Viliami Tapa'atoutai	LB	6-3	200	Fr.	HS	Woods Cross, Utah	Woods Cross HS

^Will enroll at Utah State for the 2026 spring semester
*Will serve a two-year LDS Church Mission before enrolling at Utah State.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Matekitonga Havea --- Muh-tek-ee-toe-nguh / Huh-vay-uh
Lucas Neidig --- Nye-dig
Jude Nelson --- Jewd
Viliami Tapa'atoutai --- Vee-lee-uh-mee Tup-uh-uh-tow-tie

2026 UTAH STATE FOOTBALL SIGNEES BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

LUKE BAKER • OL • 6-8 • 270 • FR • HS • North Logan, Utah (Green Canyon HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 26th-best prospect in the state of Utah by 247Sports ... earned All-Region honors following his senior season at Green Canyon High School in North Logan, Utah ... helped the Wolves advance to the Utah Class 4A State Championship game in 2025 as a senior and in 2023 as a sophomore ... three-year starter ... played volleyball.
Personal: Son of Derek and Jill Beer ... has three brothers and two sisters ... undecided on a college major.

TIKI BELL • DL • 6-4 • 310 • FR • HS • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Episcopal (Va.) HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 53rd-best prospect in the state of Virginia by 247Sports ... played in just two games during his senior season due to injury at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va. ... posted 19 tackles, including 1.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss ... earned All-State and All-Conference honors following his junior season as he recorded 61 tackles, including 39 tackles for loss, to go along with five forced fumbles and two blocked field goals ... was named Episcopal HS MVP and Athlete of the Year ... helped the Maroon to the 2023 IAC Championship as a sophomore ... played basketball, soccer, lacrosse and competed in track & field.
Personal: Son of Curtis Bell and Janice Schmidt ... has two brothers and one sister ... brother, Darius, is an offensive lineman at East Carolina ...  will enroll at Utah State for the spring 2026 semester ... plans on majoring in business.

DONTAE DYSON • CB • 6-1 • 170 • FR • HS • Layton, Utah (Northridge HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 21st-best prospect in the state of Utah by 247Sports ... two-year starter at wide receiver and defensive back for Northridge High School in Layton, Utah ... missed the first four games of his senior season due to injury ... earned Utah Class 5A Region 5 first-team honors as a cornerback as a senior with 23 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception as he helped the Knights to their first playoff game since 2017 ... offensively, he caught 35 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns ... returned five kickoffs for 202 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown ... earned Utah Class 5A first-team All-State, first-team All-Region and third-team All-Area honors as a junior as a cornerback as he had 34 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception ... caught 28 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns ... returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown ... recorded 28 tackles and five pass breakups as a sophomore ... member of the High Honor Roll ... played basketball.
Personal: Son of Andre and Heather Dyson ... has twin sisters ... undecided on a college major.

BRODY FLORES • OLB • 6-3 • 210 • FR • HS • Aurora, Colo. (Grandview HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 16th-best prospect in the state of Colorado by 247Sports ... earned Colorado Class 5A first-team All-State, first-team All-Conference, and first-team All-Aurora City honors, and was named his team's Defensive MVP following his senior season at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo. ... recorded 111 tackles, including 12.0 sacks and 26.0 tackles for loss, to go along with five pass breakups and a fumble return for a touchdown during his senior season ... posted 74 tackles, including 9.0 sacks and 27.0 tackles for loss as a junior ... competes in track & field ... was the Centennial League long jump champion as a junior and has a personal best time of 10.9 in the 100 meters.
Personal: Son of Joey and Jessica Flores ... has two brothers ... cousin, Teitum Tuioti, plays football at Oregon ... cousin, Manu Tuioti, plays football at Boise State ... cousin, Teivis Tuioti, plays football at San Diego State ... cousin, Teilor Tuioti, plays football at Idaho State ... will enroll at Utah State for the spring 2026 semester ... undecided on a college major.

BRADY GOODMAN • QB • 6-4 • 215 • FR • HS • Mesa, Ariz. (Mountain View HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 41st-best prospect in the state of Arizona by 247Sports ... 2025 team captain for Mountain View High School in Mesa, Ariz., as he helped the Toros to the Open Division Quarterfinals for the first time in school history ... named East Valley Region Player of the Year and his team's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior as he threw for 2,256 yards and had a 61.9 completion percentage with 28 touchdowns ... rushed for 463 yards and 11 touchdowns ... earned Arizona Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year honors, first-team All-State, and was named the East Valley Region Player of the Year following his junior season as he helped Mountain View HS to a region championship and runner-up finish in the state tournament ... passed for 3,087 yards and had a 64.3 completion percentage with 43 touchdowns ... rushed for 435 yards and 11 touchdowns ... threw for 7,087 yards during his prep career and accounted for 100 total touchdowns ... earned All-Region honors in baseball and was named the Mountain View HS Defensive Player of the Year following his junior season ... Academic All-State in football and baseball ... Mountain View HS Golden Helmet Scholar Award.
Personal: Son of Griffin and Courtney Goodman ... has three brothers and two sisters ... plans on majoring in business at Utah State.

EASTON HAMMOND • OL • 6-3 • 275 • FR • HS • Millville, Utah (Ridgeline HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 30th-best prospect in the state of Utah by 247Sports ... earned Utah Class 4A first-team All-State honors as a junior and sophomore and second-team All-State honors as a freshman at Ridgeline High School in Millville, Utah ... two-time Region 11 Offensive Line MVP ... started all 53 games during his four-year prep career and helped the Riverhawks to a 44-9 record, including a state championship during his senior campaign with a perfect 14-0 record ... helped Ridgeline HS to the semifinals of the state playoffs during each of his first three seasons ... three-time honorable mention All-Region selection in baseball.
Personal: Son of Park and Becky Hammond ... has two sisters and one brother ... cousin, Sammie Murdock, played soccer at Utah State ... plans on majoring in business at Utah State.

MATEKITONGA HAVEA • OL • 6-6 • 315 • FR • HS • Lehi, Utah (Lehi HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 33rd-best prospect in the state of Utah by 247Sports ... earned Utah Class 6A first-team All-Region honors as both a junior and senior at Lehi (Utah) High School ... allowed two sacks in two years as a starter for the Pioneers ... helped Lehi HS to a 5A state championship as a freshman and to the first round of the state playoffs during his senior campaign ... member of the wrestling team.
Personal: Son of Samuela and Abby Havea ... has two brothers and two sisters ... plans on majoring in business ... will serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling at Utah State ... name is pronounced Muh-tek-ee-toe-nguh Huh-vay-uh.

O'SHEA JACKSON-WEBB • CB • 6-0 • 175 • FR • HS • Clovis, Calif. (Clovis East HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 102nd-best prospect in the state of California by 247Sports ... prepped at Clovis East High School in Clovis, Calif. ... named his team's Defensive Player of the Year as a senior as he recorded 34 tackles, seven pass breakups and one interception ... had 565 all-purpose yards as he caught 10 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns ... earned first-team All-District honors and was named to the Fresno Bee First-Team following his junior season he posted 58 tackles, 15 pass breakups, five interceptions and two forced fumbles ... returned three interceptions for touchdowns ... helped the Timberwolf to a 12-1 record and a trip to the California State Playoffs 1-AA championship game ... had 25 tackles, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception as a sophomore ... competes in track & field and has a personal best time of 10.9 in the 100 meters.

Personal: Son of Rodney Webb and Nia Hodge ... has three brothers and three sisters ... cousin, Rashad Perry, plays football at Ohio ... plans on majoring in computer science at Utah State.

KALEB MARYLAND • QB • 6-0 • 195 • FR • HS • Houston, Texas (North Shore HS)
High School: Three-star recruit by 247Sports ... Houston Touchdown Club Offensive MVP Finalist and Whataburger Super Team Nominee as a senior ...  has helped North Shore HS in Houston, Texas, to three straight District Championships ... during his senior season, he is 165-of-240 (.688) passing for 3,387 yards and 31 touchdowns ... has rushed for 500 yards and five touchdowns ... threw for a career-high 337 yards and five touchdowns against Kingwood HS ... notched a career-high 129 yards on 11 carries and a career-best two touchdowns against South Oak Cliff HS ... helped the Mustangs to a 14-1 record as a junior and to the championship game of the Texas 6A D1 playoffs as he earned Texas Class 23-6A honorable mention All-District honors ... was 46-of-60 passing for 688 yards and five touchdowns, while completing 76.7 percent of his passes ... rushed for 303 yards on 55 carries and four touchdowns as he averaged 5.5 yards per carry ... competes in track & field and has personal best times of 10.43 in the 100 meters and 21.55 in the 200 meters.
Personal: Son of James and Mallary Maryland ... has three brothers and two sisters ... plans on majoring in kinesiology ... will enroll at Utah State for the spring 2026 semester.

CADE McCALL • WR • 6-0 • 180 • FR • HS • Katy, Texas (Katy HS)
High School: Three-star recruit by 247Sports ... has seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns thus far during his senior season ... earned third-team All-District honors following his junior season at Katy (Texas) High School as he caught 24 passes for 450 yards and five touchdowns ... gained 30 yards on two carries with one score ... caught 14 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore ... has helped the Tigers to three-straight Texas Class 19-6A District Championships, three-straight Bi-District Championships and three-straight area championships ... competes in track & field ... finished eighth at the district championships in the 100 meters with a time of 10.73.

Personal: Son of Albert and Ashleigh McCall ... has two sisters ... plans on majoring in business at Utah State.

JOHN McCLELLAN • LB • 6-2 • 215 • FR • HS • Rohnert Park, Calif. (Rancho Cotate HS)
High School: Three-star recruit by 247Sports ... all-state nominee during his senior season at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, Calif. ... had 141 tackles, which includes 5.0 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss as a senior as he helped the Cougars to the second round of the state playoffs ... had double-digit tackles in seven games during the season, including 21 stops and an interception he returned 60 yards for a touchdown against James Logan HS ... rushed for 201 yards and five touchdowns and had 380 return yards ... posted 157 tackles as a junior as he was named his team's MVP ... had 75 tackles as a sophomore ... earned multiple Player of the Week honors during his prep career ... competes in lacrosse and track & field.

Personal: Son of Josh and Jennifer McClellan ... has three brothers and one sister ... plans on majoring in interdisciplinary studies at Utah State.

PRESTON McDANIEL • TE • 6-4 • 225 • FR • HS • Idaho Falls, Idaho (Thunder Ridge HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the seventh-best prospect in the state of Idaho by 247Sports ... three-time All-Conference honoree at Thunder Ridge High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho ... caught 30 passes for 451 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior, including 10 receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns against Hillcrest HS ... caught 41 passes for 564 yards and four touchdowns as a junior ... had eight catches for 100 yards and a touchdown against Skyline HS and 125 yards and one touchdown on four receptions against Hillcrest HS ... had 18 receptions for 200 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore.

Personal: Son of Carlan and Amber McDaniel ... has two brothers and one sister ... plans on majoring in business ... will enroll at Utah State for the spring 2026 semester.

LUCAS NEIDIG • OL • 6-7 • 270 • FR • HS • South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
High School: Earned Utah Class 6A All-Region 2 honors following his senior season at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah ... named his team's Lineman MVP as he only allowed one sack during the year ... helped the Miners to the second round of the state playoffs ... earned Academic All-State honors ... plays basketball and earned first-team All-Region honors as a junior as he averaged 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds and helped Bingham HS to the third round of the state playoffs and the Tark Classic Championship.
Personal: Son of Scott and Anya Neidig ... has one sister ... plans on majoring in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in entrepreneurship at Utah State ... last name is pronounced Nye-dig.

JUDE NELSON • TE • 6-4 • 225 • FR • HS • Long Beach, Calif. (Millikan HS)
High School: Three-star recruit and the 82nd-best prospect in the state of California by 247Sports ... named the Moore League Player of the Year following his senior season at Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif., as he caught 61 passes for 824 yards (13.5 ypr) and 12 touchdowns ...  had 10 receptions for 151 yards and a career-high four touchdowns against Compton HS ... had 29 receptions for 357 yards and five touchdowns as a junior and 13 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore.
Personal: Will enroll at Utah State for the spring 2026 semester.

TRIPP PALMER • OLB • 6-4 • 200 • FR • HS • Blanding, Utah (San Juan HS)
High School: Two-time first-team All-State honoree at San Juan High School in Blanding, Utah ... helped the Broncos to four-straight Utah Class 2A State Championships and four-straight Region 2A South titles ... as a senior, he caught 77 passes for 1,473 yards and 15 touchdowns ... had eight 100-yard receiving games, including catching nine passes for a career-high 212 yards against Summit Academy ... had a career-high 11 receptions for 176 yards and a career-high three touchdowns against South Sevier HS ... defensively, he recorded 77 tackles, which included 3.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss, to go along with eight quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one blocked kick ... had 13 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns as a junior ... posted 53 tackles on defense and intercepted five passes to go along with six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one blocked punt ... competes in basketball and track & field ... two-time state champion in the high jump and a state champion in the long jump ... earned first-team All-State honors in basketball in each of his first three prep seasons, helping the Broncos to three-straight region championships ... member of the National Honor Society, Honor Roll, Principal's List and a peer tutor.
Personal: Son of Ryan and Cambria Palmer ... has two brothers ... plans on pursuing a pre-medical degree ... will serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling at Utah State.

JACKSON REGAN • RB • 5-10 • 200 • FR • HS • New Braunfels, Texas (Canyon HS)
High School: Three-star recruit by 247Sports ... three-year starter at Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas ... accounted for 47 touchdowns and 4,072 yards from scrimmage during his prep career, both of which are school records ... named preseason All-State and earned Texas class 6A first-team All-District honors as a senior as he rushed for 607 yards on 84 carries (7.2 ypr) and four touchdowns in five games ... had four 100-yard rushing games ... caught nine passes for 167 yards (18.6  ypr) and one touchdown ... earned Associated Press All-State, SA Express News All-Area, and All-Region Honors following his junior season as he rushed 1,879 yards on 289 carries (6.4 ypr) and 24 touchdowns ... ranked second on the team with 15 receptions for 228 yards and three touchdowns ... had nine 100-yard rushing games on the season, including three 200-yard outings as he helped the Cougars to a 9-4 record and to the third round of the state playoffs ... earned second-team All-District honors as a sophomore and was named his team's Offensive MVP ... rushed for 828 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 228 receiving yards and two more scores ... competes in track & field ... Academic All-District all four years of high school.
Personal: Son of James and Heather Regan ... has one sister ... undecided on a college major.

VILIAMI TAPA'ATOUTAI • LB • 6-3 • 220 • FR • HS • Woods Cross, Utah (Woods Cross HS)
High School: Earned Utah Class 5A first-team All-State honors at fullback following his senior season at Woods Cross (Utah) High School as he rushed for 1,601 yards on 283 carries (5.7 ypr) and 17 touchdowns and helped the Wildcats to a Utah Class 5A Region 6 Championship ... defensively, he recorded 55 tackles, which included 6.0 sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss, to go along with three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery ... earned second-team All-State honors as a junior as he rushed for 1,678 yards on 288 carries (5.8 ypr) and 23 touchdowns ... defensively, he posted 63 tackles, which included 10.0 sacks and 21.0 tackles for loss, to go along with three fumble recoveries and one interception ... named honorable mention All-State as a sophomore ... competes in wrestling, volleyball, and track & field ... placed seventh in the shot put at the state championships as a junior with a toss of 46 feet, 11 inches.
Personal: Son of Samisoni and Charla Tapa'atoutai ... has two sisters and one brother ... cousin, Rhino Tapa'atoutai, plays football at Arizona ... plans on majoring in business at Utah State ... name is pronounced Vee-lee-uh-mee Tup-uh-uh-tow-tie.