LOGAN – In a developmental program like Utah State, it’s typical for players whose names fans have only seen on the roster to come out of the blue and become the best players on the team. It’s the nature of a team like the Aggies. A lot of work is done behind the scenes with players who come in and spend a year or two out of sight and mind of the fans. But when the players emerge as redshirt sophomores or juniors, they’ve bulked up, worked on the finer aspects of their game, and are much more capable than as fresh high school recruits.
The following are players who have spent at least a year on Utah State’s roster and are likely to make the jump from relative unknown to potentially starting and maybe even becoming one of the better players on the team.
Ike Larsen | Sophomore | Safety
Is it possible for Larsen to have a “breakout” season if he was an honorable mention freshman All-American and Second Team All-Mountain West? Well, kind of. Looking at Larsen’s season totals last year shows how much his impact came in bursts. Through the first eight games of the season, Larsen started just one game and only had 18 tackles, one TFL, one sack and two interceptions. In his final three appearances of the season Larsen started each time and racked up 16 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and two more interceptions. The production over those final three games, spread out over a whole season
Larsen played just 240 defensive snaps last year (26 per game), the seventh-most in Utah State’s defensive backfield. No doubt Larsen made the most of his limited time on the field, what with him leading the team in interceptions, blocked kicks and being 12th in total tackles. But the fact that, barring injury, he’ll play well over twice that snap count this year makes Larsen is a breakout candidate. Except rather than jumping from a bench-warmer or limited producer, the jump Larsen can make is impact player to superstar. Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Mountain West are within reach if Larsen can live up to the hype he built from his freshman season.
John Ward | Junior| Defensive End
The transfer from UCLA was buried behind the pass-rushing trio of Daniel Grzesiak, Byron Vaughns and Patrick Joyner Jr., but he quietly tallied 3.0 tackles for loss in his limited snaps last season. With all three of the players ahead of him gone, and not too many incoming transfers that are obvious choices to supplant him, Ward should become a starter or at least a regular rotation edge rusher. And so far in spring ball, Ward has taken first-team snaps at defensive end.
Max Alford | Sophomore | Linebacker
Alford was thrust into a larger-than-expected role as a true freshman. He had his struggles in his 13 games played that included four starts late in the year but produced solid stats. PFF graded him only slightly behind AJ Vongphachanh among USU linebackers in overall defense and gave Alford the second-best run defense grade ahead of Vongphachanh and only slightly behind MJ Tafisi.
It’s actually Vongphachanh’s departure that is opening up the door for Alford to be a breakout player for the Aggies. Alford will likely be the first man up to step into the starting role (though he’ll battle transfer Gavin Barthiel for that right). Even if he doesn’t win the job outright, he’ll still maintain his snap count from last year and ought to improve from a season that was at times up-and-down for Alford.
Otto Tia | Sophomore | Wide Receiver
For a second year in a row, Utah State is losing most of its receiving production. The Aggies are bringing in plenty of new bodies in the wide receiver room, which could keep Tia from making the jump. It also doesn’t help that Tia caught one pass last year. But still, that’s a full season of taking snaps within the offensive system and likely plenty with the likely starter, Cooper Legas. It could give Tia a leg up in the playing time competition. One of the things that plays into Tia’s favor is the physical tools he has as a 6-foot-4 wide receiver. He’s a player that Anderson said “has all the physical traits to be a phenomenal player in this league.”
“He’s exactly what you want. He’s big. He can run. He can be physical. He can elevate. He’s got the hands to do the job,” Anderson said. “I think he’s just got take the next step in terms of his confidence level.”
There’s a level of improvement that needs to happen for Tia. Though snaps and targets were limited for him, Tia dropped two of the three passes thrown to him last year. He needs to show great hands, especially as a taller outside receiver whose role should theoretically be reeling in tougher-to-catch passes to move the chains on crucial downs.
So far in spring ball, Tia has been running with the first team though there are some incoming transfers that haven’t arrived yet so Tia’s position battle hasn’t even truly begun. But he’ll have a head start working with the top QBs on the depth chart.
Robert Briggs | Sophomore | Running Back
Last season Briggs served as the primary backup to workhorse Calvin Tyler Jr. who wound up carrying the ball 253 times all season, leaving just 74 carries for Briggs. With Tyler now graduated, the starting role is there for the taking for Briggs and there’s a lot of potential there. As a true freshman, Briggs showcased great tackle-breaking ability and solid speed for a running back. He’ll likely share a lot of his backfield snaps, but he should be the number one back and as such could easily more than double his 353 rushing yards from last season.
Seni Tuiaki | Sophomore | Defensive Tackle
As a redshirt freshman, Tuiaki earned a spot in the defensive line rotation, even earning a start in the Aggies’ fourth game of the season due to injuries along the defensive line. Unfortunately, Tuiaki also fell prey to a season-ending injury in Utah State’s game against UNLV. But in the four games Tuiaki did play in, he established himself as a solid player on defensive front. According to Pro Football Reference, Tuiaki earned the highest defensive grade of Utah State’s interior defensive linemen, including the best grades in run defense and tackling. There’s the obvious caveat that Tuiaki played just 137 snaps on the season (by PFF’s count) while players like Hale Motu’apuaka, Poukesi Vakauta and Tavian Coleman each played 290-plus snaps each, but it’s a positive sign for the sophomore tackle.