Utah State football had a big day Tuesday with 18 players committing to their program. 5 of the players are junior college transfers from a variety of places such as Snow College, located in Ephriam, Utah to as a far south as Blinn College in Livingston Texas. Utah State also brought in 3 different 3-star athletes (ESPN 300). The most notable of them, Chad Artist (Logan HS). However, by far Utah States two biggest signings go to two players who will transfer from other major college programs. Ben Wysocki an offensive tackle from UCLA as well as Dallin Leavitt a safety from BYU. My rankings of the top 5 impact players brought in during National Signing Day are listed below.
5. Wade Meacham OL
Wade Meacham, from Layton Utah, held a 3 star rating on ESPN. Meachem weighs in at 260 pounds and a height of 6’6″. In the highlight video below, you will notice that Meachem has a tendency to play a bit high in his stance compensating for his overall size. Coach Weber will have to work on helping him stay low. Overall, his size and footwork should make him a great prospect. Meacham would have to make an incredible impression in the summer to have a chance at seeing the field for Utah State, as they already have a deep talent pool at the offensive line. I’d say USU chooses to redshirt Meacham and build him into the program for a year or two before reaching the field.
4. Cameron Haney CB
Cameron Haney, a 3-star recruit will be joining the Aggies from Los Angeles, California. Cameron will be joining the Aggies in the fall. From his highlight tape below, it appears that his greatest strength will be in the Aggies return game. Coach Shaver has an athletic prospect at his disposal to develop into the future. I would assume a redshirt year for Haney as well, to get the feel for the college game under his belt, before seeing the field down the road.
3. Dallin Leavitt S
Dallin joins the Aggies as a transfer from BYU, where he was an impact player for the Cougars. In his freshman season, Dallin played in 13 games for the Cougars followed by 11 his sophomore year. He will leave the BYU program with 43 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Due to his transfer status Dallin will be forced to sit out a year before reaching the field. After which he will have a remaining two years of eligibility to be an impact player for the Aggies.
2. Chad Artist WR
Our final 3-star recruit per ESPN, Chad again will be joining the Aggies from only a few blocks away having played here for Logan High School. I feel that out of any of the freshman coming in Chad has the greatest upside as well as the potential to contribute early in his career. I had an opportunity to see Chad play in person over the fall, and I can tell you this kid can flat out play ball. He may be a bit raw in some respects, but his big play potential is fantastic. Look for Chad to be a big star for the Aggies.
1. Ben Wysocki OT
Ben will be joining the Aggies as a graduate transfer from the UCLA Bruins. With the loss of senior tackle Kevin Whimpey, look for the Aggies to plug Wysocki into the lineup right away to help anchor a young Aggie offensive line. Wysocki will bring a lot of experience and knowledge from having played with guys like Jeff Baca, who is now a center with the San Diego Chargers, Xavier Su’a-Filo a guard with the Houston Texans and Malcolm Bunche a senior prospect coming out this year.
These are a few of many prospects Coach Wells and his staff have brought in, to continue their climb to a Mountain West Conference Championship.
