Bryson Barnes had a quick answer to what has felt different with the Utah State University football team under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
“Man, hard work,” the graduate quarterback said at Mountain West Football Media Day this week. “I feel like in the modern day, they kind of bring a science aspect into it where they say less is more. With Bronco coming in, more is more.”
Mendenhall was hired in December as the 31st head coach in program history and signed a six-year contract with the Aggies. His arrival was on the heels of former head coach Blake Anderson’s dramatic departure in July. Nate Dreiling served as the interim head coach last season, as Utah State finished 4-8 overall and 3-4 in the Mountain West Conference, marking the team’s worst 12-game showing since 2016.
It is no surprise that Mendenhall’s voice and sturdy guidance have been well received.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah State Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes spots his shot as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
It has motivated players like Barnes, who is primed to take on the QB1 spot for the Aggies this season. Barnes started his collegiate career with the University of Utah (2021-2024) before transferring to Utah State last year. He has appeared in 33 games between the two schools, with 14 starts. Barnes previously relieved and replaced his teams’ starters — Cam Rising and Spencer Petras — due to injury.
Now he has the chance to own the job, and Mendenhall’s messaging has helped Barnes’ mindset.
“It is an earned, not given program, and doing hard things together — that’s something we preach all the time,” Barnes said. “We continue to do hard things. Doing those hard things is just going to help us become better players and better people.”
In 2024, Barnes played nine games and had three starts for the Aggies. The Milford, Utah native accounted for 1,386 yards of total offense and completed 77-of-125 (.611) passes for 856 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
If Utah State hopes to field a more competitive product this year, Barnes will be at the core of it.
The Aggies were picked to finish in 9th place (out of 12 teams) in the 2025 Mountain West football preseason poll, selected by a media panel. Utah State garnered 165 points while Boise State was nabbed as the preseason favorite to earn the 2025 Mountain West regular-season title. The team got 35 of 39 first-place votes and 464 total points, leading the preseason poll for the 15th consecutive season.
(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham meet at the center of the field before the start of a game at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009.
Mendenhall will look to change the narrative for the Aggies, and he has the experience to do it. He returns to Utah after a year as the head football coach at the University of New Mexico. Before that, Mendenhall spent six years as the head coach at the University of Virginia and 11 seasons at Brigham Young University.
Mendenhall’s 140-88 career record — which includes taking Virginia to its first Orange Bowl in 2019 and NFL signings from more than 60 of his former players — has made it easy for his new squad to trust him.
“He is a player’s coach and he shoots it straight,” said Gabriel Iniguez Jr., a senior defensive tackle for Utah State. “I feel like — we talk about numbers a lot and facts, and he shows us the statistics and all that. You see those numbers and his resume — how do you not listen to this guy and not buy in? Obviously, it works.”
This new era of Utah State football will commence on Aug. 30 as the Aggies play their first game of the 2025 season against the University of Texas at El Paso. The game is at 5:30 p.m. MT at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.