Bronco Mendenhall Explains Utah State’s QB Plan Behind Bryson Barnes

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football head coach Bronco Mendenhall explained what his quarterback plans are if Bryson Barnes is unavailable against Hawai’i. Barnes left USU’s 55-35 loss to Vanderbilt after being hit on a long scramble.

Early in Monday’s press conference before facing Hawai’i, Mendenhall said he intends to speak with the medical staff before updating the public about any individual availability.

“(I’m) anxious to visit with medical and see practice today, and then I can be accurate as to where exactly he stands,” Mendenhall said. “I don’t intend to keep it a secret. I’ll announce as soon as I can get verification.”

RELATED: USU Is In Good Hands If Forced To Start Jacob Conover

Head Coach 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥, junior OL 𝐓𝐚𝐯𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐮'𝐚𝐩𝐮𝐚𝐤𝐚 and graduate ILB 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 preview its matchup against Hawai'i.

Watch the full press conference here ⬇️ https://t.co/Bf0cQai2U3#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/sheqDZhrkw

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 6, 2025

The long-time head coach did sound optimistic about his team’s overall depth following the bye.

“I think it will have helped,” Mendenhall stated. “I’m looking forward to seeing a fresher and healthier roster, and looking forward to verifying that in today’s practice.”

Jacob Conover becomes QB1 if Barnes is out

In the event Barnes can’t take the field, graduate senior Jacob Conover would get the nod two weeks after throwing the first two touchdown passes of his college career.

Asked if the offense would look different, Mendenhall hesitated.

“We’d prefer it not. We’d prefer it to be Jacob as much as possible,” he said. “We know Bryson moves the ball many times and corrects mistakes with his legs. So, there’d be a little bit less of that. We probably have to find other ways to be able to manufacture that.”

Who is Utah State football QB Jacob Conover?https://t.co/68BGE2mEDa

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 1, 2025

Behind Conover, expect CJ Tiller to serve as the backup.

“We have a lot of confidence in Jacob, and if Bryson is not able to go, it would be Jacob’s role to have. He would be backed up by CJ Tiller. Then you’d probably see Anthony Garcia’s role kind of expand somewhere between more athlete besides just receiver.”

Bryson Barnes is having an All-Mountain West season

The former Utah Utes walk-on quarterback has improved every season since stepping onto the University of Utah’s Salt Lake City campus in 2020.

His maturity, work ethic, and toughness have blended perfectly with the expectations of Mendenhall in his first season with the Aggies.

Bryson Barnes ANOTHA ONE

📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/30dmyERrsi

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 14, 2025

Barnes leads the Mountain West with 11 passing touchdowns, and his six rushing scores are two shy of tying Chuckie Keeton’s single-season (2012) QB program record.

His 17 combined touchdowns are the third most in the country.

Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone

USU travels to the Hawaiian Islands for a battle with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. MT.

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. 

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