Asher Cunningham powers Utah State defense, earns Pac-12 weekly honor
Oct 12, 2026, 6:44 PM
Utah State Aggie linebacker Asher Cunningham answers questions after registering a career-high 17 tackles in a win against Washington State.
LOGAN – For the second time this season, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week calls Utah State home.
Aggies inside linebacker Asher Cunningham earned the honor after leading Utah State’s defense in a 13-point comeback win over Washington State on Friday night. It is the first weekly conference recognition he has earned.
Cunningham finished with a career-high 17 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and half a sack as Utah State held the Cougars scoreless in the second half.
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🏆 @pac12 Defensive Player of the Week: @asher_cngham6 ! 🔒 https://t.co/UidQyUsa9K
— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 12, 2026
Cunningham’s play has been vital for an Aggies team whose offense has struggled through six games.
His intensity shows on nearly every snap as he flows to the football. Rare is the stop where Cunningham is not in the final camera frame, if not directly involved in the tackle.
He heads into the bye week leading Utah State with 52 tackles, six tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
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About Asher Cunningham
Cunningham is in his first season with the Aggies after spending three years at Elon.
The Asheville, North Carolina, native began his football career as a two-time first-team all-conference selection at A.C. Reynolds High School. He finished his senior season with 105 tackles and four sacks after posting 110 tackles and two sacks as a junior. He also scored 11 touchdowns across those two seasons.
After a standout prep career in which he lettered in football, basketball and track and field, Cunningham continued his career at Elon University.
Asher Cunningham all smiles after his career-high 17 tackle night 😁😤 https://t.co/PpMd3joLYh
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 10, 2026
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker became a three-star transfer prospect after playing in 20 games, including 16 starts, for the Phoenix.
Cunningham earned third-team All-Coastal Athletic Association honors as a sophomore in 2025 after totaling 108 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in the NFL, Locals in MLB, and the Utah State Aggies. Follow Brian’s coverage here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
