Previewing Utah State’s 2026 wide receivers

LOGAN – The 2026 Utah State Aggies need someone to break out in a wide receiver room that lacks experience and proven production.

“We’re thinner at wide receiver than what we were last year,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said at Utah State’s media day in early August. “The team is deeper, broader and more talented throughout, thinner right now at wide receiver in terms of experienced players.”

It’s an unavoidable reality for a program entering its first Pac-12 season.

TWO-EIGHT, TWO-JAY! @CarsonTujague with the rock break to end fall camp! 🪨🔨

Next up: September 5th vs. Idaho State!

🎟️: https://t.co/AVUwMaXSrJ pic.twitter.com/Ey87ETWj3k

— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 25, 2026

Leading pass catchers Brady Boyd and Braden Pegan are gone — Boyd to the NFL and Pegan to Utah — stripping most of the proven production from an offense that will also break in a new quarterback in McCae Hillstead and a new play-caller in offensive coordinator Robert Anae. The talent in the room is raw but intriguing, and how quickly it develops may determine whether Utah State’s debut in a more demanding league exceeds expectations or falls flat.

Second-year Aggie Anthony Garcia has emerged as Anae’s most versatile weapon as he continues to learn the nuances of the wide receiver position full time.

Senior Javon Robinson and graduate seniors Eli Wood and Demick Starling have been around college football for years but are each looking for a chance to break out with the Aggies.

Things fall off quickly behind them.

To offset the lack of experience, Utah State split its resources between five transfers and five true freshmen.

Anthony Garcia – Graduate senior

Garcia is back in Logan for his second season with an official move to wide receiver.

“Anthony’s very versatile. A year ago, we brought him in as a quarterback,” Mendenhall said. “It seems like anytime we put him in the game, we scored touchdowns. Either he’s catching it, or he’s throwing it, or he’s running it.”

Anthony Garcia 🤝 Soft Hands

Another touchdown for the Aggies!!

📺 @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/sCHGr6X7XX

— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 9, 2025

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete etched his name in the record books as the first Aggie since 1976 to record rushing, receiving and passing touchdowns in the same season. Garcia is also the first player in program history to have multiple receiving touchdowns and multiple passing touchdowns in the same year.

He appeared in 13 games, making four starts. Garcia finished with 20 receptions for 348 yards and two touchdowns, 11 rushing attempts for 75 yards (6.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown, and completed 6 of 7 passes for 79 yards and four touchdowns.

Despite the position change, Mendenhall expects to deploy Garcia all over the field, even hinting at some special teams trickery.

“He might punt, he might run it, or he might throw it, or he might hand it off,” Mendenhall said. “We’ll see.”

Javon Robinson – Senior

A 5-foot-6, 160-pound speedster in the mold of former Aggie Terrell Vaughn, Javon Robinson joins Mendenhall’s program following a single season with the Georgia State Panthers.

He delivered 58 receptions, 595 yards and four touchdowns while starting six games and appearing in 12 for the Panthers after spending two seasons at Grambling State in 2023 and 2024.

Forgot to share these yesterday: newcomer Javon Robinson is an experienced playmaker for the Aggies and has high praise for his quarterback McCae Hillstead pic.twitter.com/3Esv44zNVA

— Eric Frandsen (@efrandsen) August 26, 2026

Robinson started all 22 games he appeared in for the Tigers, contributing 73 catches for 875 yards and three touchdowns. He left Grambling State having accounted for 1,598 all-purpose yards, including averaging 21 yards per kickoff return on 23 attempts.

Robinson was named HBCU Freshman of the Year in 2023.

Rex Haynes – Junior

The Utah State coaching staff would be thrilled if Rex Haynes, after being lightly used in four seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, could follow a similar path to 2025 wideouts Boyd and Pegan.

The transfer portal duo burst onto the scene as underused Power Four transfers and gave Bryson Barnes a pair of legitimate downfield threats.

Haynes has ideal positional size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds but needs to show he can produce after playing in eight games, mostly on special teams, with the Wildcats.

Eli Wood – Graduate senior

Entering his final year of eligibility after four years at Virginia, Eli Wood is another player who hopes to get a chance like Boyd and Pegan a year ago.

The 6-foot-2 Wood appeared in 35 games with the Cavaliers, catching 19 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

Most of his production came in 2025, when he caught 16 passes for 205 yards and both of his collegiate touchdowns.

Demick Starling – Graduate senior

An injury kept him off the field in 2025. Now Demick Starling will get his chance in Anae’s offense.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Starling began his college career with four seasons at Virginia and last played with Western Kentucky in 2024, when he caught three passes for 56 yards.

He caught 11 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns at Virginia while also contributing as a kick returner.

Starling began his Virginia career in 2020 while Mendenhall was still the head coach.

Nikko Boncore – Redshirt freshman

The 5-foot-11 Nikko Boncore was a three-star recruit and the 19th-best prospect in Arizona, according to 247Sports, in 2024.

He signed with Utah State after earning Arizona Class 6A first-team all-region honors as a senior despite playing in just six games.

FIT CHECK! Get your wardrobe ready and match with our 6 home football game themes this year! 👕

Single-Game🎟️: https://t.co/0NSpn58Cdg
Season 🎟️: https://t.co/AVUwMaXSrJ pic.twitter.com/WFf58ewgfq

— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 20, 2026

Boncore ended his final prep season with 29 catches for 508 yards and five touchdowns. He also showcased his speed in the ground game, rushing five times for 53 yards and one touchdown.

The limited senior season belied his junior production: 92 catches for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns, earning first-team all-conference honors.

Boncore appeared in four games last season but did not record a reception.

Ty Olsen – Redshirt freshman

A native of San Diego, 247Sports rated Ty Olsen as a three-star recruit coming out of Lincoln High School. He was named to two all-state teams and was a three-time All-San Diego honoree.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound wide receiver caught 53 passes for 903 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.

Olsen preserved his redshirt as a freshman, appearing in three games in 2025 and catching one pass for 14 yards.

Talan Arnett – Freshman

Talan Arnett enters his first season with the Aggies as a two-time Arizona Class 6A Fiesta Region Offensive Player of the Year and two-time first-team all-state selection at Mountain View High School, where he was a teammate of freshman quarterback Brady Goodman.

Arnett caught 69 passes as a senior for 923 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He ended the season with 1,438 all-purpose yards.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound wideout finished his prep career with 133 receptions for 2,230 yards and an Arizona 6A record 43 touchdowns.

Trent Call – Sophomore

A product of Skyridge High School in Lehi, Trent Call enters his first season with the Aggies.

Call redshirted with Utah Tech in 2024 before spending his 2025 season with Snow College. He has yet to appear at the FBS level.

He earned Utah Class 6A Region 3 first-team recognition as a senior in 2023.

Call finished his prep career with 52 catches for 868 yards and 11 touchdowns after being a second-team all-region performer at quarterback as a junior.

Mavrik Chlarson – Freshman

Mavrik Chlarson heads to Utah State after earning Utah Class 4A all-state honors following his junior and senior seasons at Tooele High School.

He ended his prep career with 68 catches for 960 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.

Charlie Holbrook – Freshman

Charlie Holbrook begins his Utah State career after completing a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honduras.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound former West High School wideout caught 28 passes for 451 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.

He helped the Panthers earn a Region 2 title as a junior.

LJ Johnson Jr. – Sophomore

LJ Johnson Jr. enters 2026 looking for his first opportunity to contribute at the college level.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound wideout redshirted with Texas Tech in 2024 and did not play a snap for the Texas State Bobcats in 2025.

Multiple recruiting outlets rated him a three-star prospect after a two-way prep career at Madisonville High School in East Texas.

Johnson was the unanimous District 11-4A Offensive MVP his senior season after catching 54 passes for 940 yards and 11 touchdowns. His performance helped Madisonville reach the Class 4A Division II area round.

Cade McCall – Freshman

True freshman Cade McCall begins his collegiate career in Logan after injuries limited his prep career at Katy High School in Katy, Texas.

McCall played in 11 games between his junior and senior seasons. He recorded 22 catches for 325 yards and five touchdowns.

Kaina Watson – Freshman

A true freshman out of powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Kaina Watson signed with Utah State as a three-star recruit and the No. 12 prospect in Nevada, according to 247Sports.

Watson was part of three state championship teams and Bishop Gorman’s 2023 national championship squad.

He earned first-team all-state honors and the school’s offensive MVP award after catching 52 passes for 951 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Watson gives the Aggies a developmental prospect with tremendous upside.

Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone

The Aggies open the 2026 season against Idaho State on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on September 5. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. MT.

Find Utah State football’s entire 2026 schedule 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.

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