Aggies focus on line, athleticism with Wells' third signing class

LOGAN — Whether he intended it to look that way or not, Utah State head coach Matt Wells’ third signing class put a lot of focus on offensive linemen and guys in the front seven on defense.

There won’t be any complaining about it, however.

“Just for numbers-wise, it happened that we were able to get a couple of the junior college kids in here right now,” Wells said after officially presenting 17 players the Aggies signed in the 2015 class on Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

“When you look at the O-line, I’m very happy with that area," he said. "In a couple of years, that’s going to be very depleted. That needed to be a focus on this class, just like linebacker will be next year.”

The list includes 11 high school signees, five junior college enrollees and two four-year transfer players. Offensive lineman Ben Wysocki played four years at UCLA, seeing action as a redshirt freshman, sophomore and junior for the Bruins. The all-California Interscholastic Federation First-Team selection in 2010 was a standout lineman at Los Alamitos High School, and he’ll attend graduate school at Utah State after finishing his degree in Westwood, California, in March.

“When Ben Wysocki became available and showed an interest, that was another kid that drove off this campus, through the canyon and by the time he hit the airport, he had two other Mountain West offers,” Wells said. “It’ll be good for our O-line, giving us some versatility. Ben is one-and-done, but the rest aren’t. He’s kind of like a Kentucky basketball player. They’re really good players, too.”

Utah State, one of four programs nationally to average 10 wins and a bowl game victory over the past three seasons, also added trench mates Preston Brooksby from Glendale (Arizona) Community College; Jude Hockel from Diablo Valley (California) Junior College; Hawaii’s top-rated high school lineman in Viliamu Auwae; and Layton’s Wade Meacham, who will serve a two-year LDS mission before enrolling at Utah State.

Utah State has three players in this year’s class who won’t enroll until serving a mission in Herriman defensive end Harris LaChance and Bingham linebacker Daniel Langi joining Meacham in church service immediately out of high school.

Those three absences will be filled by the junior college signees, a staple of Utah State’s program under Wells. This year’s JUCO class includes defensive back Wesley Bailey (Eastern Arizona); Brooksby; tight end Chris Copier (Snow); Hockel; and running back Devante Mays (Blinn) — the only signee from the state of Texas.

“As we develop this program, the junior college kids are always going to be a part of the foundation of this program,” Wells said. “They will always be able to fill needs from the depth standpoint that you may be waiting a year or two on because of admission programs, missions, or whatever. The way the junior college kids fit into the equation will also be a process; they’ll all fit key roles in filling our needs.”

Other new signees won’t enroll at Utah State until January, such as West Salem (Oregon) High quarterback Cade Smith. The 6-foot-2 will grayshirt this fall with the Aggies, who already return plenty of talent under center in starters Darell Garretson and Kent Myers from the 2014 season.

Taking the option to grayshirt points to Smith’s character, Wells said.

“He’ll fit in perfectly in the quarterback room,” he added. “He threw the ball tremendously accurate, and he has a very strong arm. He’s a quality young man from a great family. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

The Aggies will also get five players returning from LDS missions by August, and some of them may be in line to see significant minutes in the fall.

One player who could see time as a true freshman is defensive back Cameron Haney. Wells said the 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback from Los Angeles reminded him of current Aggie defensive back Jalen Davis, the true freshman who burst on the scene to earn Freshman All-American honors from 247 Sports.

“His highlight tape is very reminiscent of Jalen Davis. You see him returning kicks, and he looks just like Jalen,” Wells said of Haney. “He may be a shade taller, but he’s got a similar body tape.

“We were very excited when we got that call last week. I think Cameron’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

Wells hesitantly compared incoming linebacker Joe Riggins to former Aggie and current St. Louis Rams DB Maurice Alexander, saying the youngster could play all four linebacker spots in Utah State’s 3-4 defense.

“I’m excited to bring in another Florida kid this year,” Wells said of Riggins, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native. “Our Florida boys do all the recruiting when they get on campus. JoJo (Natson) and LaJuan (Hunt) did a great job with him when he was on campus, and they continued that Florida pipeline up here.”

The national signing period opened Wednesday and runs through April 1. Utah State’s spring practice begins March 16 and concludes with the annual Spring game April 11 at 2 p.m.

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