Utah State Will Go As Far As ‘Exceptional’ Bryson Barnes Takes Them In 2025
Sep 21, 2025, 1:04 AM | Updated: Sep 22, 2025, 11:46 am
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 06: Bryson Barnes #16 of the Utah State Aggies runs with the ball during the second half of a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on September 06, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images)
LOGAN, Utah – Any doubt that Bryson Barnes could be the face of Utah State football in 2025 has been put to rest after Barnes led the Aggies to back-to-back wins over Air Force and McNeese.
Beyond his work with the football in his hands, Barnes has proven to be an excellent leader throughout the Bronco Mendenhall experience.
“Our quarterback, Bryson (Barnes) – the resolve, the physicality, the decision making, the toughness – he’s the leader of our team and our team is taking on his identity,” the first-year head coach said of his redshirt senior QB following a 48-7 win over the McNeese Cowboys.
RELATED: Utah State Football Crushes McNeese In Convincing Win
Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall includes Bryson Barnes in the list of great quarterbacks he has coached before (Taysom Hill, Devon Dampier among them).#AggiesAllTheWay #BYU #Utes @KSLSports pic.twitter.com/m6EUCF7iQY
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) September 21, 2025
Barnes completed 19-of-27 passes (70.3 percent) for 293 yards and three scores against McNeese. The dual-threat QB led the ground game as well, finishing with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
He averaged 9.8 yards per carry in the third 100-yard rushing game of his career, all with the Aggies.
“I’ve had good quarterbacks,” Mendenhall said. “Taysom Hill — pretty good quarterback. Bryce Perkins — pretty good quarterback. Devin Dampier — pretty good quarterback. Bryson Barnes is a really good football player. That would have been reason enough to take the Utah State job. If I knew Bryson, truly who he was and how he is…”
Mendenhall continued, “He is tough, and he is relentless, and his preparation… he’s exceptional, and is exactly what Utah State needs, as a football program, any era, any time. As the leader and the style of play, he represents us perfectly well.”
About Utah State’s Bryson Barnes
The reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week followed up the first five-touchdown performance of his college career with another to solidify his spot atop the USU on-field leadership board.
Barnes was no secret in Utah high school football after he earned 1A First-Team All-State recognition as a sophomore, junior, and senior at Milford High School. He finished his prep career with the Utah state record for touchdown passes (137).
Despite his polished prep resume, Barnes chose to walk on at the University of Utah in 2020.
He redshirted as a freshman before playing 13 games (1 start) the next two years.
RELATED: Bryson Barnes Earns Mountain West Honor
Barnes & Boyd? Sounds like a law firm that can get you lots of touchdowns!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/IEXxriCUlh
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 21, 2025
Barnes played in 11 games for the Utes in 2023, finishing with 1,572 yards on 142-of-242 passing (11 INT, 12 TD) while contributing 90 carries for 265 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 320 yards on 31-of-53 passing (2 INT, 2 TD) against No. 17 Arizona.
The 6’2, 205-pound pig farmer earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Davey O’Brien Great 8 recognition after leading Utah to a win over No. 18 USC. Barnes threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns (14-of-23, 1 INT) with 10 rushes for a season-best 57 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone
Utah State concludes its non-conference matchup in Nashville, Tennessee, against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, September 27. Kickoff is at 10:45 a.m. MT, and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Listen to USU football games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie QB Kevin White on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
