Utah State Football 2026 Transfer Portal Tracker
Jan 8, 2026, 5:54 PM | Updated: Jan 9, 2026, 9:47 am
The iFIT Sports Performance Center and Maverick Stadium are pictured at Utah State University in Logan on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall enters a crucial offseason as the 2026 transfer window opens, bringing both roster uncertainty and opportunity.
Like programs nationwide, the Aggies pivot their attention from bowl preparation to roster reconstruction.
The 2026 NCAA Transfer Portal window officially opened on Friday, January 2.
RELATED: Utah State Football Announces 2026 National Signing Day Class
BREAKING: Utah State star WR Braden Pegan plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agent tells @On3Sports
This season he totaled 60 receptions for 926 yards & 5 TDs⁰⁰2025 All-Mountain West First Team selection
Repped by @david_benzaken & @IanGrutman⁰⁰https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/woheqUwKfX
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 12, 2025
Before USU can begin addressing its positions of need, it must first identify where expected holes will be as players like All-Mountain West First-Team WR Braden Pegan seek a brighter spotlight elsewhere.
2026 Transfer Portal Tracker
ADDITIONS
QB McCae Hillstead – Redshirt junior (BYU)
A former Aggie returns to his freshman home following two learning seasons at BYU.
The Lehi, Utah native completed 94 of 158 passes for 1,062 yards and 11 TDs against eight interceptions in eight games as a true freshman in 2023.
Hilstead set a USU freshman single-game passing record when he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-38 loss to James Madison.
.@USUFootball adds some stability to the quarterback room after adding a former @BYUfootball QB.https://t.co/7CSTkTI60f
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 9, 2026
Hillstead redshirted for the Cougars in 2024.
He saw action in five games in 2025. The once and future Aggie completed four of five passes for 33 yards in a season-opening 69-0 win over Portland State. They were the only pass attempts in his BYU career.
DEPARTURES
WR Braden Pegan – Junior
Committed to Utah Utes
Pegan came to Logan after receiving sparse playing time in three seasons at UCLA.
Have a day BP! Braden Pegan with ANOTHA ONE for 6⃣!
📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/gZX8n696K7
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 14, 2025
The 6’3, 210-pound playmaker burst onto the scene as a reliable target for QB Bryson Barnes.
Pegan caught 60 passes for 926 yards and scored six total touchdowns in a breakout campaign.
LB Enoka Migao – Senior
Injury limited linebacker Enoka Migao to five games in 2025. He registered ten tackles for the 6-7 Aggies.
Coming into the season, Migao had played in 22 games, making five starts.
He has played seven games in the past two seasons due to various injuries.
QB CJ Tiller – Sophomore
CJ Tiller came to Utah State after spending the 2023 season with the Boise State Broncos.
After redshirting in 2024, Tiller was buried on the QB depth chart behind Bryson Barnes and Jacob Conover.
Tiller had one carry for nine yards in his Utah State career.
OL Camden Jury -Redshirt freshman
Camden Jury saw action in seven games as part of an Aggie offensive line that struggled throughout the season.
The redshirt freshman announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Thursday, January 1.
Entering the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/5HGnH39nTp
— Camden Jury 6'7" 325 OL (@CamdenJury) January 1, 2026
“I’m incredibly thankful to God for the opportunity to play college football and for my time at Utah State,” Jury wrote on social media. “Logan will always hold special memories, and I’m grateful for my teammates, coaches, and everyone who supported me along the way.”
He continued, “After much prayer and reflection, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.”
DB Noah Flores – Redshirt sophomore
Noah Flores hits the transfer portal after three years in Logan.
Thea Alta High School product played 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2024. He recorded nine tackles, three tackles for a loss, and one interception.
Officially in the Portal !🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/PKm8q3Js9Y
— noah flores (@noahflo4) January 2, 2026
Flores finished with 26 tackles and an INT in 2025.
He had a career-high seven stops in a September win over Air Force.
DT Lawrence Falatea – Junior
A former Alta High School standout, Lawrence Falatea, entered his name in the transfer portal on Saturday, January 3.
Check out the recognition and recovery here from Lawrence Falatea (No. 50). USU loses the initial push, but Falatea feels the play, disengages from the big LT and helps Torren Union shut this down. Really well done pic.twitter.com/7K06MGSyJX
— The Aggship (@TheAggship) September 2, 2024
He is potentially a significant loss for the Aggie defensive interior after contributing 28 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and three sacks.
Falatea leaves Logan with 40 career tackles between USU and three seasons at Washington State.
OL Jr Sia – Redshirt sophomore
A three-star recruit out of Mountain Ridge High School, Sia started 43 games in his high school career.
He redshirted at Utah State in 2023 and did not appear in any 2024 games.
Sia appeared in all 13 games in 2025.
K Tanner Rinker – Junior
Tanner Rinker began his junior season at Utah State by hitting his first ten field goal attempts before finishing with misses on five of his final eight attempts.
Officially in the portal!@GP_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/p6tE0gcBhs
— Tanner Rinker (@Tanner_Rinker) January 2, 2026
Rinker was named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting a career-long 49-yard kick in the season-opener against UTEP.
S Gio Kafentzis – Redshirt freshman
Committed to Portland State Vikings
Gio Kafentzis played sparingly before registering a career-high three tackles and the first interception of his career in a loss to Washington State in the 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
— Gio Kafentzis (@GioKafentzis) December 29, 2025
“I want to thank my coaches, teammates, and Utah State for helping me grow as a person and an athlete,” Kafentzis wrote on social media. “After deep prayer and reflection, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility left.”
LB Carl Nesmith – Senior
Carl Nesmith enters the transfer portal with six total tackles as an Aggie. He was the first USU player to announce he was leaving the program, making his decision on December 1, 2025.
He recorded four tackles in a loss to Texas A&M this season.
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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.
