LOGAN, Utah – Riley Jensen, who played football at Utah State during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, has been named a mental performance coach for the Aggies.
“We’re excited to announce the addition of Riley Jensen to our sports medicine staff,” said USU Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Mike Williams. “His experience as a mental performance coach will be a valuable addition to our department. Having him on board will enhance our program and benefit our student-athletes. Working with former student-athletes is always rewarding for all of us at Utah State.”
In his role, Jensen will work with all Utah State coaches and student-athletes to teach the concepts of resilience, confidence, positivity, grit and personal mastery.
“Returning to my alma mater has stirred a considerable amount of emotions,” Jensen said. “It means a tremendous amount to Team Jensen, because my grandparents, my uncles and my parents all graduated from Utah State. We are all still very interested in the success of this wonderful institution.”
His father, Kirk D. Jensen, was a four-year letterwinner in tennis at Utah State from 1968-72, and then coached the Aggies from 1987-89.
Jensen currently works with USA Archery (Para), Westminster College basketball, Rowmark Ski Academy, Peak Ski Academy and Team X Alpine Professional Ski Team. Furthermore, he is the lead mental performance coach for Real Salt Lake, the Utah Royals FC and the Real Monarchs, and also tutors various individual athletes from the pro, collegiate and high school ranks, and works with corporate athletes from the Utah Jazz ticket sales department.
Over the past nine years, Jensen, who was been playing or coaching high school and collegiate for more than 27 years, has been part owner and co-founder of the Mountain West Elite sports camps, which operate in several states.
Jensen earned first-team All-American honors at Snow College before making his way to Utah State, where he started at quarterback as a senior in 1998, earning academic all-conference accolades in the process.
In 2017, Jensen was inducted into the Snow College Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1996, he led the Badgers to a 10-1 overall record and a No. 4 national ranking. That year, he passed for 3,650 yards and 36 touchdowns.
After his playing career, Jensen took the offensive coordinator position at Snow College in 1999, where the Badgers led the country in passing and total offense. He has also spent time as a coach at North Carolina State and has coached high school football in the Beehive State at Cottonwood, Olympus and Alta, respectively.
Jensen earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Utah State in 1999, and completed his M.S. in sport and exercise psychology from Utah, where he interned with the Utes’ football and tennis teams.
While playing for the Aggies, Jensen loved working with Richard “Doc” Gordin, who was an inspiration to his dream of working in the sport psychology field.
“As a student-athlete at USU, taking classes from Doc Gordin was so helpful and sparked a huge interest in the field of sport psychology for me,” Jensen said. “More importantly, he was a great help to my athletic performance at a young age on the tennis court. As I matured and pursued a degree in the field, it was very apparent that Dr. Rich Gordin is a pioneer and legend in the field of sport psychology. To replace a legend is always a little nerve-racking, but I hope to emulate Dr. Gordin in any way that I can.”
Jensen currently lives in Salt Lake City. He and his wife, Georgann, have three children: Alexis (8), Jack (6) and Karissa (1).
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