The latest on the Utah State Aggies’ 2023 recruiting class

Whether it be the middle of the college football season, the dog days of summer or the outset of spring or fall camp, recruiting is an ever present part of college football.

There is really no such thing as an offseason anymore, and for head coach Blake Anderson and company, finding the next batch of Aggies is always a priority.

The early signing period is nearly here — recruits can sign from December 21 to December 23.

Here is a look at Utah State’s 2023 recruiting class, with prospects listed alphabetically according to reporting by 247 Sports, Rivals, On3, and the Deseret News.

Keith Abney

WR/ATH — Waxahachie High School (Waxahachie, Texas)

5-foot-11, 170 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

★★★ — Rivals 

★★★ — On3

• Abney chose the Aggies over offers from 14 other schools, including but not limited to Boston College, Army, Air Force, Kansas State, Navy and Pitt.
• Was a Texas 11-6A first-team all-district selection as a junior.
• Hauled in 32 catches for 522 yards and two touchdowns during the 2021 season.
• Plays on both sides of the ball, as a wide receiver and cornerback.
• Thus far as a senior, has recorded 18 receptions for 371 yards and six touchdowns on offense, while recording eight tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery on defense.

Zion Andreasen

LB/EDGE — East High School (Salt Lake City)

6-foot-4, 230 pounds

Not rated — 247 Sports

Not rated — Rivals

Not rated — On3

• Committed to Utah State on August 3, choosing the Aggies over offers from Idaho, San Diego State and Montana.
• Has played on both sides of the ball for East, as a tight end, linebacker and edge rusher.
• Recorded 51 tackles and a team-high 13 sacks as a senior, while also scoring a defensive touchdown.
• Racked up 87 total tackles in his high school career, after tallying 35 tackles as a junior in 2021.

Zakkarii Black

ATH — Charter Oak High School (Covina, California)

5-foot-9, 150 pounds

Not rated — 247 Sports

Not rated — Rivals

Not rated — On3

• While playing as both a running back and wide receiver, recorded 33 receptions for 438 yards and five touchdowns, and also carried the ball 110 times for 685 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior, per Max Preps.
• Helped Charter Oak High School to a 10-1 record, playing on both sides of the ball (he is also listed as a cornerback).
• Began his high school career at Maranatha High School in in Pasadena, California, before transferring to Charter Oak for his senior season.
• Chose the Aggies over interested parties like Penn State, Grambling State and Morgan State.

McCae Hillstead

QB — Skyridge High School (Lehi)

5-foot-11, 175 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

★★★ — Rivals

★★★ — On3

“McCae is a guy who believes in his teammates, and trusts the process and is just an awesome kid. So no matter what happens on the field, he’s going to continue to trust his guys and believe in them and he knows his guys will go make plays.” — Skyridge coach Jon Lehman

• Ranked the 15th-best prospect in the state of the Utah in 2023, and the 65th-best quarterback prospect in the country.
• Completed 195 of 353 pass attempts in 2021 — a completion percentage of 55.24% — for 2493 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Also carried the ball 122 times, rushing for 819 yards — 6.71 yards per carry — and 13 touchdowns.
• Threw for the fourth-most touchdowns and fourth-most passing yards of any quarterback in Utah last fall.
• Holds scholarship offers from Utah State, Florida International (FIU) and Washington State.
• Missed considerable time with injury as a senior, but has still managed to complete 83 of 131 pass attempts for 1,145 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 272 yards and seven additional scores.

William Monney

TE — Springville High School

6-4, 205 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

Not rated — Rivals

Not rated — On3

“Will Monney bought into the program. He committed himself, really committed himself, to improving his craft. Will was a leader for our team. He showed that through his actions and how he went to work day-in and day-out. Will has a prototypical TE frame but runs routes with WR precision. The Aggies got a really good ball player.” — Springville coach Dave Valeti

• Chose the Aggies over an offer from Idaho State.
• Is rated the 25th-best prospect in Utah by 247Sports.
• Caught 27 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns this season for the Red Devils.
• Best game came against Maple Mountain, when he had eight catches for 110 yards and a score.

Jackson Olsen

WR — Ridgeline High School (Millville)

6-foot-3, 175 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

★★ — Rivals 

★★★ — On3

“Jackson is an incredible athlete who was a key player in our state championship run last year. This year he was injured and only played half the year. In that short time he was an electric player scoring as a QB, WR, RB and as a kick returner. I’m excited to see what he can do at the next level.” — Ridgeline coach Travis Cox

• Holds scholarship offers from Utah State and Idaho.
• Led Ridgeline in receiving yards in 2021 with 1,125 and tied for a team-best 17 touchdowns.
• Averaged 18.14 yards per reception and scored at least a touchdown in every game as junior, the lone exception coming in the RiverHawks season opener against Bonneville.
• Missed considerable time due to injury as a senior, but still managed to make 22 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 136 yards and a score. Olsen also dabbled at quarterback briefly, completing 13 of 14 passes for 94 yards and an interception.

Jr Sia

OT — Mountain Ridge High School (Herriman)

6-foot-6, 308 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

★★★ — Rivals

★★★ — On3

• Is rated the 10th-best prospect in the state of Utah and 88th-best offensive line prospect in the country, per 247 Sports’ Composite.
• Chose the Aggies over offers from some notable Power Five programs, namely Utah, Nebraska and Virginia.
• Based off of 247 Sports ratings, is the seventh-best prospect to ever sign with Utah State.
• Played on both sides of the ball for the Mustangs, as an offensive tackle and nose guard.

Kadiyon Sweat

S — Lehi High School

6-feet, 185 pounds

★★★ — 247 Sports

★★ — Rivals

Not rated — On3

“Kadiyon Sweat was the quarterback of our defense. His football IQ was outstanding. He gave us great athleticism and ball hawk skills as well as great physicality from his safety position. USU will be getting a great player and a great culture guy. He will work as hard as any player on their roster and give them anything they need. Very unselfish player.” — Lehi head coach Ed Larson.

• Rated the 26th-best prospect in the state of Utah and the 152nd-best safety prospect in the country, per 247 Sports.
• Chose the Aggies over offers from Air Force, Colorado State and a handful of FCS schools, including instate programs Weber State and Utah Tech, per multiple recruiting services.
• Recorded 41 tackles and a team-high eight interceptions, two of which were pick-sixes, as a senior and finished his high school career with  191 tackles — averaging 3.6 per game — and 24 interceptions, including four pick-sixes.

Utah State’s recruiting efforts aren’t limited to just high school prospects. The Aggies have used the transfer portal extensively under Anderson the last two seasons and have begun to place a greater emphasis on the JUCO ranks as well.

Isaiah Alonzo

TE — Orange Coast College

6-foot-5, 250 pounds

• Had 21 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns this season, an improvement on the three receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown he tallied as a freshman.
• Attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, before joining the Pirates.
• Utah State was his first D1 offer.
• Will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Davon Booth

RB — Cerritos College

5-foot-10, 200 pounds

• In 20 games played over the last two seasons, Booth has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards (1,888) averaging 94.4 yards per game.
• Booth has taken a leap this season — he will have two years of eligibility for Utah State — and in nine games has averaged 147.1 yard per contest, while rushing for a total of seven touchdowns.
• Booth has shown big play ability, with a season long run of 74 yards.

Ronald Fuselier

CB — Allan Hancock College

6-foot-1, 170 pounds

• Has played two seasons for the Bulldogs, appearing in 19 games thus far.
• In nine game played last season, he recorded 40 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three interceptions.
• This year, in 10 games played, he has 22 tackles and 11 pass break ups.
• Has two years of eligibility remaining.

Davon Martin

CB — Tyler Junior College

6-foot-2, 185 pounds

• Began his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State, before transferring to Tyler Junior College.
• Recorded 15 tackles and 20 pass breakups for the Apaches this season.
• Has two years of eligibility remaining.
• Was a three-star recruit coming out of Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida in 2020.

Clifton Mosley

DL — Navarro College

6-foot-2, 340 pounds

• A freshman — he will have three years of eligibility for Utah State — Mosley has played in seven games this season for the Bulldogs.
• Has 31 total tackles — 27 solo — two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
• Originally recruited by Kent State and Louisiana-Monroe out of high school (Calvary Baptist Academy).

Cian Slone

EDGE — American River College

6-foot-3, 222 pounds

• A two-star recruit coming out of high school, per 247 Sports, from Rocklin, California.
• Was the Beavers’ second leading tackler this season, finishing with 81.
• Led American River College with 21.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
• Has three years of eligibility remaining.

Viliami (Maka) Tu’akoi

LB — Independence Community College

6-foot-6, 215 pounds

• A former Alta Hawk, Tu’akoi has played in eight games so far for the Pirates.
• Has recorded 26 total tackles — 22 solo — six tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
• Had his best game against Garden City, when he recorded five tackles, including three tackles for loss.