Former Utes Guard Rylan Jones Officially Joins Utah State Men’s Basketball

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball announced that former Utah Utes guard Rylan Jones has officially joined the Aggies.

Jones officially joined the Aggies on Friday, May 28.

“We are excited to welcome Rylan back home,” USU head coach Ryan Odom said in a statement. “He fell in love with basketball and of course the Aggies during his family’s time in Logan. Rylan made an immediate impact in the PAC-12 and his basketball IQ, ability to make others better and his overall competitiveness will be tremendous for our team. I know that he is excited to get to work with his teammates here at Utah State.”

Jones first announced his decision to transfer to Utah State in early May.

The Holladay, Utah native recently finished his sophomore season and was a bright spot for the Utes during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He will be a sophomore again with college eligibility being frozen last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones announced his decision to join the Aggies via Twitter on Monday.

“Utah, I am extremely grateful for my 2 years at the University of Utah,” Jones tweeted. “Coaches, teammates, fans, memories and moments that I will never forget. With that being said I have decided to commit to Coach Odom and Utah State University.”

📍Logan, Ut #AggiePride @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/UP1eL8HVYY

— Rylan Jones (@rylanjones15) May 10, 2021

Jones is the latest on a long list of transfers out of the Utah basketball program. The program will look to find some consistency with new coach Craig Smith after former coach Larry Krystkowiak was fired.

Last season, Jones started 28 games for the Utes averaging 4.4 points per game. The super sophomore is known for being an elite passer and will bring a lot to the Aggies under new coach Ryan Odom.

Jones grew up around the program in Logan after his dad Chris spent time on the coaching staff at Utah State for eight seasons. Chris was recently the Director of Basketball Operations for Utah under Larry Krystkowiak for the last five seasons. After Krystkowiak was fired, Craig Smith decided to not retain Jones, which led Rylan to enter the transfer portal.

Jones is the seventh player to have left the program since the departure of Krystkowiak and land with another school. He joins Timmy Allen (Texas), Alfonso Plummer (Illinois), Jordan Kellier (Siena), Ian Martinez (Maryland), Mikael Jantunen (going pro) and Pelle Larsson (Arizona).

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.

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