Way Too Early NFL Draft Preview For Utah State’s Jalen Royals
Apr 26, 2024, 10:29 PM | Updated: 10:30 pm
LOGAN, Utah – Speed and shiftiness have been paramount in Blake Anderson’s offense, and senior wideout Jalen Royals has those traits in spades.
After his 15 touchdown grabs set the Utah State single-season record in 2023, does Royals have an encore performance in store that could earn him looks from NFL scouts?
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Jalen Royals with his 15th touchdown of the year 👏
What a catch 😮 pic.twitter.com/4X5YRj6dCd
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 23, 2023
The 6’0, 210-pound wideout earned College Football Network Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Mountain West recognition after becoming the 39th player in school history to surpass the 1,000-yard career receiving mark. He became the 13th player in program history to top 1,000 yards in a single season. His 1,080 yards and 71 receptions are the tenth-best for a single season in school history, while his 15 touchdowns were the eighth-most overall.
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Cooper Legas ➡️ Jalen Royals@USUFootball TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/eruD8PeQgQ
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 19, 2023
Royals started all 13 games and averaged 15.2 yards per reception and 83.1 yards per game. His seven touchdowns of 50+ yards led the country. He finished the year with four 100-yard receiving games, including a career-high 185 yards and three touchdowns against UConn. A week later, Royals added 140 yards and three more TDs while making a then-career-high seven grabs at Colorado State.
His 15 receiving touchdowns led the Mountain West and was second in the nation.
About Jalen Royals
Playing his prep football at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, Royals had 26 catches for 455 yards and four TDs as a senior. His athleticism showed on the track team, where he was an all-state high jumper and placed sixth in the state championships as a senior.
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Jalen Royals has been making plays all season for Utah State. In a win and you’re bowl eligible game, he’s come up big again! 💥@RoyalsJalen
— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) November 24, 2023
In 2021, Royals played his freshman season at Georgia Military College. He had seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.
He signed with Utah State following the 2021 season. Royals played in 12 games for USU in 2022 without recording a stat.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
