Bronco Mendenhall is living above a garage, behind on NIL, and pumped about his first Aggie signing class

Bronco Mendenhall says he is living in an Airbnb above a garage in Logan and figures it will be at least a year — maybe two or three — before he truly feels settled in Cache Valley.

“But … you have to have results during that time as well,” Utah State University’s new football coach said. “Otherwise, you might as well not unpack your boxes, right?”

So Mendenhall, the former BYU coach, has spent more time looking for recruits than housing since being hired from New Mexico in December. And, this week, he finalized his first recruiting class as the Aggies’ coach.

While he feels his new school is behind on Name, Image and Likeness fundraising and is still uncertain how his team will look on the field next season, Mendenhall is optimistic about the future of football at USU.

Here are a few takeaways from the Aggies’ new signing class.

By the numbers

In years past, Mendenhall might have signed 15. But with roster turnover caused by the transfer portal, the Aggies signed 36 players in this class.

“The sheer volume is unlike anything that really college football has experienced,” Mendenhall said.

USU’s class is made up of 17 four-year transfers, 12 high school prospects and seven junior college signings. That’s a result of necessity with Mendenhall being hired so late in the year.

“Ideally, my formula would be just the opposite, where the majority would be high school players with the four-year players supplementing that and with junior college players, right about the same number,” the coach said.

Familiar faces

Seven players followed Mendenhall from New Mexico to Logan, giving Mendenhall and his staff the comfort of familiarity heading into spring practices.

“I’ve seen them every single day and they’ve seen me every single day and they wanted to come,” the coach said. “That mitigates risk for everyone, right?”

Among the standouts: Safety Noah Avinger was a team captain with the Lobos last year. Defensive lineman Antoineo Harris Jr. recorded 29 tackles. And running back Javen Jacobs had 277 rushing yards, 130 receiving yards and four total touchdowns before breaking his collarbone in the game against USU last year.

“Those are players that I know and trust,” Mendenhall said. “They’re not guaranteed a thing in terms of starting or in terms of what their role will be other than an opportunity. They came for the opportunity. I brought them for the opportunity and that was enough for us both to say this could be a good fit.”

A QB addition

Sophomore Anthony Garcia has followed Aggie offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven from San Jose State to Arizona and now to USU.

“What I love about that is the history and the vetting and the person and the player — all that has been known and seen,” Mendenhall said. “And when that happens there, there aren’t any misses. Does that mean he’s our starter? That’s not what it means, but it does mean we know what we’re getting, and he knows what he’s getting with a coach and a system.”

Mendenhall said he believes the quarterback is the most important position on the team.

“I like our quarterback room,” he said. “I think we’re deep, and I think we’re competitive, and that gives our program a great chance to have success.”

Name, Image and Likeness

Money talks and Mendenhall knows it.

“The quality of your roster now is tied directly to your [NIL] collective,” he said.

So how does he feel about USU’s collective at the moment?

“We’re at the very beginning, in an infancy stage of where we need to be,” he said. “So there’s momentum being generated, there’s education happening, but we’re still significantly behind, not only where I just came from, but where we need to be.”

Still, Mendenhall said he is “encouraged by the momentum” he has seen since arriving in Logan.

“I see the results coming,” he said. “It’s going to have to be a significant effort on my part, and the education, and just simply, the magnitude of what will have to happen for Utah State to remain relevant, with the ability to have a roster that’s needed year in and year out.”

Staying local

Another key part of Mendenhall’s recruiting philosophy will be finding talent in Utah, he said, “with predominantly high school players in state being the core of everything that we do.”

Taking things a step further, the Aggie coach particularly wants to mine Cache Valley for talent.

“If every good player in this valley stays at Utah State, to me, that’s the epitome of what Utah State is. And then we expand that simple circle that starts in Cache Valley throughout the entire state,” Mendenhall said. “That could be up to 17 players, maybe more, out of this state per year. … That doesn’t mean we’re compromising quality. We’re getting great players that fit in line with our program.”

Standout wideouts

A trio of freshman receivers earned praise from their new coach this week.

Malakai Alofipo, a 6-2 wide receiver from Crimson Cliffs in St. George, has the speed and work ethic to make an early impact, Mendenhall said.

Kaleb Mitchell, from Dallas, might be taller than the 6-foot-6 at which he’s listed. “And with his range, his catch radius and his speed, what a giant target,” the coach said.

And Ty Olsen, a 6-2 receiver, set high school records in San Diego, finishing his prep career with more than 4,000 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns.

“The simple volume of production,” Mendenhall said. “If you watch his highlight film, it’s then substantiated with the numbers. Facts are our friends and the amount of production is unheard of in terms of a high school career.”

He continued: “You put those three receivers together? Yeah, I’m really encouraged.”

Small town, big impact

Gage Yardley, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety from Richfield, has also caught Mendenhall’s eye.

“He reminds me a lot, and it’s kind of dangerous to make comparisons, but we had a player at Brigham Young University named Jordan Pendleton, and man, what a good player he was for us,” the coach said.