Will Utah State Football Rise To Meet Bronco Mendenhall’s Standard?
Aug 27, 2025, 12:17 PM
Utah State football helmets (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State football program is focused on building toward long-term success as it prepares to face the UTEP Miners in the 2025 season-opener.
The Aggies held their weekly in-season press conference with local media on Monday, August 25, featuring first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, senior quarterback Bryson Barnes, and junior linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr.
“Our guys are working hard,” Mendenhall said in his first game week press conference with USU. “We’re becoming a physical, hard-working, tough, resilient, high-effort football team… I like their effort. I like their willingness. I like their hope. I like their belief. I like their camaraderie. I like their unity.”
RELATED: Mendenhall Has High Expectations For His Players, Utah State Football Is No Exception
🗣️ Head Coach 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥, graduate QB 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬, and junior ILB 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐨 𝐉𝐫. preview Utah State’s season opener vs. UTEP this Saturday at Maverik Stadium.
Watch the full press conference now ⬇️https://t.co/LWzwWBq6qX pic.twitter.com/IVldc0DwhV
— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 25, 2025
Mendenhall pointed to the example of longtime UCLA Bruins basketball coach John Wooden in his team-building methods.
“His approach was just so much internally focused,” Mendenhall said of Wooden’s efforts to build a cohesive team year after year. “Rather than the opponent, early games, early season, early in a coach’s tenure… It’s really way more about us right now than anyone that we’re playing.”
“Not only early in the season, but early in the program, and becoming the head coach,” he continued. “So much of the focus is just only on us, how we practice, how we execute. I’m talking about our schemes and strategies, let alone the opponent scouting report.”
Bryson Barnes
Former Utah QB Bryson Barnes is preparing to lead Utah State under center as the Aggies acclimate to Mendenhall’s expectations. His work ethic and leadership make the duo seem ready-made for each other as a coach/player partnership.
“The thing about our program, and this goes for everything we do here, is we set high expectations, extreme expectations,” Barnes said. “It’s not just, ‘You know what? We’re hoping to make a bowl game.’ It’s not hoping to get an 8-win season. At the end of the season, we’re looking to win a Mountain West championship and nothing less.”
RELATED: Mendenhall Discusses Roster Building Philosophy At Utah State
Good morning Aggies… WE PLAY FOOTBALL THIS WEEK!! 🤩🤘#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/xxnWYaB7wj
— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 25, 2025
The Milford, Utah, native also had high praise for the coaching staff Mendenhall has built in Logan.
“I think it’s a super special staff,” Barnes said. “My quarterback coach was at Virginia, has been through the program, and he kind of understands how to navigate this program, because it’s different than, I would say, all of college football and the expectations and the difficulty of the workouts that we do. I mean, you go through it, and mentally, you go through it. And when you have a staff that’s been there, done that, you know they’re able to help you and guide you along the way. There’s just so many special things to say about the staff, but the alignment and the understanding of how this program operates is the biggest thing.”
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Bronson Olevao Jr.
Olevao Jr. sees something different in the chemistry of this Utah State team.
“For me, a guy that has been here for four years, it’s been a little different,” Olevao Jr. said. “I’ve been able to see a lot of different teams, a lot of players come and go, but I love the camaraderie of this team and the unity, and that’s something that we’ll harness this year moving forward.”
The Salt Lake City, Utah, native surely speaks for many of his teammates when he talks about his excitement to begin the season.
“I’m super excited for my teammates and for my team, because we’ve put in a lot of work this offseason,” Olevao Jr. began. “Finishing up camp, we’ve worked very hard in both our summer training, spring ball, leading up to this, where now we get to play a game and we get to showcase what our identity is as a Utah State football team.”
Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone
Utah State kicks off the 2025 season on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on Saturday, August 30. Kickoff against the UTEP Miners is at 5:30 p.m. MT.
Listen to USU football games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.
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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.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.
