Utah State University Men's Football

Kody Cooke is in his second season as Utah State’s head football strength and conditioning coach. Cooke has 14 years of coaching experience and he has been part of nine bowl teams. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Cooke helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Cooke on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American.   Cooke came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as Tulsa's Assistant Athletics Director of Performance and Strength for football.   Before his time at Tulsa, Cooke spent four seasons at Hawai’i, where he served as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Rainbows football program from 2020-23, including as its head strength and conditioning coach in 2022 and 2023. At Hawaii, he helped the team to a pair of bowl games, including a win in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl.   Before that, Cooke spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a member of the Virginia Tech strength and conditioning staff, helping the Hokies to a pair of bowl games.   Cooke spent five years (2013-17) at Arizona State where he started as a graduate assistant and worked his way up to becoming a sports performance assistant coach. He served as a strength and conditioning intern at Tulsa for the summer of 2012.   In his first season at Arizona State in 2013, the Sun Devils won 10 games, claimed the Pac-12 South Division, and finished No. 21 in the final AP Poll while sporting the league’s top defensive unit. In all, he helped the Sun Devils appear in four bowl games.   Cooke began his collegiate playing career at Oklahoma, before spending three seasons (2009-11) as a member of the Tulsa football team as he played 12 games with the Golden Hurricane. Cooke was a member of four bowl squads as a player, including the OU team that competed for the national championship at the 2009 Orange Bowl and the 2010 Tulsa squad that won 10 games and finished the season in the Top 25.   A native of Enid, Oklahoma, Cooke earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulsa in exercise sports science in 2011 and his master’s in higher and post-secondary education from Arizona State in 2014.   Cooke and his wife Nikki have two children: daughter Ellison and son Kooper.   KODY COOKE FILE Coaching History                                                                                                                            2025-                Utah State – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach 2024                 Tulsa – Assistant Athletics Director of Performance and Strength 2022-23            Hawai’i – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach 2020-21            Hawai’i – Assistant Head Coach/Strength & Conditioning 2018-19            Virginia Tech – Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning 2014-17            Arizona State – Sports Performance Assistant Coach 2013                 Arizona State – Graduate Assistant 2012                 Tulsa – Strength & Conditioning Intern Bowl Games (9)                                                                                                          Utah State (1): 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Hawai’i (2): 2021 Hawai’i Bowl*; 2020 New Mexico Bowl Virginia Tech (2): 2019 Belk Bowl; 2018 Military Bowl Arizona State (4): 2017 Sun Bowl; 2015 Cactus Bowl; 2014 Sun Bowl; 2013 Holiday Bowl *Not Contested   Division Championship (1)                                                                                                          Arizona State (1): 2013 – Pac 12 South Division   Playing Experience                                                                                                                                                 2009-11           Tulsa  2007-08            Oklahoma Education                                                                                                                                                 2014                Arizona State – Higher and Post-Secondary Education (Master’s) 2011                Tulsa – Exercise Sports Science (Bachelor’s)   Family                                                                                                                                                 Wife, Nikki; Daughter, Ellison; Son, Kooper   

Utah State alumnus and former assistant coach D.J. Tialavea (Tee-al-uh-vay-uh) is in his first season as USU’s senior offensive analyst and assistant offensive line coach. Tialavea previously spent five years on Utah State’s coaching staff as he served as the tight ends coach for four years from 2021-24 and served as an offensive graduate assistant coaching the tight ends during the 2020 campaign. Tialavea was also a four-year letterwinner for the Aggies from 2010-13 and spent four years in the NFL. Tialavea came back to Utah State after spending the 2025 season as the tight ends coach at Oklahoma State. In 2024, Tialavea coached three of USU’s tight ends to each record double-digit catches, more than 130 receiving yards and at least one receiving touchdown. His efforts helped make USU one of just two FBS teams to finish the regular season with three tight ends to each record more than 100 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He helped the 2023 Aggies reach six wins and an appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He also coached Broc Lane to honorable mention All-Mountain West honors. Overall, USU’s three tight ends caught 24 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. USU finished the 2023 season 25th in the nation in total offense (438.6 ypg), 26th in scoring offense (33.2 ppg), 30th in rushing offense (184.4 ypg) and 43rd in passing offense (254.2 ypg). During the 2022 campaign, Tialavea helped Utah State to six wins and an appearance in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. USU also tied for second place in the Mountain Division of the MW with a 5-3 mark. Under Tialavea, Utah State had three tight ends combine to catch 19 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. In 2021, Utah State had its best season in school history as it tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3), won its first-ever MW Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in both polls. Utah State’s offense set six school records during the 2021 campaign, including 41 touchdown passes, 4,248 passing yards and three receivers with 10-plus touchdown receptions. USU’s offense also tied a pair of school records with 13 100-yard receiving games and five passing touchdowns in a single game. Under Tialavea, Utah State had two tight ends combine to catch 15 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, Utah State’s offense produced over 600 yards of total offense twice, and over 400 passing yards three times, all of which rank among the top 16 performances in school history. Utah State finished the 2021 season ranked 15th in the nation in passing offense (303.4 ypg), 23rd in total offense (445.6 ypg), and 33rd in scoring offense (32.6 ppg). USU was also the only team in the nation with at least 10 touchdown receptions by three players. During the 2020 season, Tialavea coached a tight ends group that had three players combine for 73 yards on 10 receptions and one touchdown in USU’s shortened six-game campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tialavea was a four-year letter winner (2010-13) and three-year captain for Utah State along the defensive line and at tight end, helping the Aggies to three-straight bowl games and the 2012 Western Athletic Conference title. He appeared in 40 games with 17 starts and caught 30 passes for 198 yards and five touchdowns. He also earned academic All-Mountain West honors following his senior season. Following his collegiate career, Tialavea spent four years (2014-17) in the NFL. Originally signed by Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent, he also spent time with Buffalo in 2014 before joining Atlanta’s practice squad in 2015. He spent two seasons with the Falcons before the Chicago Bears signed him to their practice squad in 2017. On Dec. 24, 2016, Tialavea made his official NFL debut in the Falcons’ 33-16 win at Carolina, a game in which he caught a 1-yard touchdown pass. Tialavea graduated from Utah State with a sports management degree in 2013. He later earned his master’s degree in education from USU in 2019. In 2014, he received the Utah State Courage Award. DJ TIALAVEA FILE Coaching History                                                                                                                            2026-               Utah State – Senior Offensive Analyst / Assistant Offensive Line Coach 2025                Oklahoma State – Tight Ends 2021-24           Utah State – Tight Ends 2020                Utah State – Graduate Assistant 2016                Oregon State- Graduate Assistant   Bowl Games (3)                                                                                                          Utah State (3): 2023 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; 2022 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl; 2021 LA Bowl Conference Championships (1)                                                                                                          Utah State (1): Mountain West, 2021 Playing Experience 2017                Chicago Bears – Tight End 2015-16           Atlanta Falcons – Tight End 2014                Buffalo Bills – Tight End 2013                Jacksonville Jaguars – Tight End 2010-13           Utah State – Tight End / Defensive Line   Education                                                                                                                                          2019    Utah State – Education (M.S.) 2013    Utah State – Sports Management (B.S)

Josh Clifford is in his second season with Utah State as a junior analyst/skill assistant with the offense. The 2026 campaign will be Clifford’s third year working for head coach Bronco Mendenhall.  In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Clifford helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Clifford on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American. Offensively, Utah State averaged 30.9 points per game in 2025 to rank second in the Mountain West and 36th nationally. USU also ranked third in the conference and 39th in the nation in total offense at 409.5 yards per game, fourth in the MW and 47th nationally in passing offense at 247.0 yards per game, and sixth in the MW and 62nd in the nation in rushing offense at 162.5 yards per game. Utah State finished the season first in the Mountain West and fifth in the nation with five interceptions thrown, first in the MW and ninth in the nation in turnovers lost with 11, and second in the MW and 30th in the nation in turnover margin at plus 0.46.   Clifford came to Utah State after serving as an offensive graduate assistant at New Mexico during the 2024 season. At UNM, he helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Their season was highlighted by a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams. The UNM victory was its first win over a top-20 team since 1994 and its first non-conference win against a top-20 opponent since 1940.   Before New Mexico, Clifford spent the 2023 season at Wake Forest on a coaching and recruiting internship.   Clifford played five years at Virginia as a wide receiver under Mendenhall, appearing in seven games over his final three seasons.   A native of Salem, Virginia, Clifford earned his bachelor’s degree in arts from Virginia in 2022, and a master’s in educational psychology in 2023. Along with playing football at UVA, Clifford was actively involved with Athletes in Action.  

Stine Emrick (Stee-nuh) is in her second season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Utah State football. Emrick has seven years of coaching experience. In her first year at Utah State in 2025, Emrick helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Emrick on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American.   Emrick came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tulsa football team.    Before Tulsa, Emrick spent four years at Northern Arizona as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant for the 2020 season and three years as the associate head strength and conditioning coach. During her time at NAU, she worked with the soccer, women’s basketball and football programs.   Before that, Emrick served as a football strength and conditioning intern at Colorado State during the summer of 2019 and a strength and conditioning intern at Louisiana Tech during the 2019 season, working with the football, baseball and softball teams.   Before starting her career in the collegiate setting, Emrick spent time working in the private sector in Golden, Colorado, at Next Level Sports Performance.   Emrick played soccer at Louisiana Tech for three years before a career-ending injury. She graduated from LTU in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise and health promotion and earned her master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona in 2021. Emrick holds her NSCA - CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and is First Aid, CPR and AED Certified.  

Kevin Griffin is in his second season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Utah State football and has four years of coaching experience. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Griffin helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Griffin on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American.   Griffin came to Utah State following a one-year stint at Tulsa as the lead track & field strength and conditioning coach. In addition to his efforts with track & field student-athletes, he assisted with football.   Before Tulsa, Griffin spent the 2023 season at Hawai'i as a graduate assistant strength coach and the 2022 campaign at Nevada as a strength coach intern.   Griffin played college football at Washington State (2014) and Cal Poly (2015-17).  

Walker Erickson is in his fourth year with Utah State’s football program as the Assistant Director of Creative Content. Erickson joined the Aggies after spending two years at Weber State, where he was a digital media intern in athletics. Within the department, his areas included the design and creation of all social media, video, digital graphics and content on the mascot’s social media page. The native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, also helped create digital content for nine of Weber State’s 16 sports teams. From October of 2022 through August of 2023, Erickson was a communications intern for the Big Sky Conference, serving as the primary contact for women’s soccer and other assigned sports. He collaborated with the Big Sky’s communications staff to promote the conference on various social media platforms. Erickson was a two-time letter winner and two-time state placer in wrestling for Idaho Falls High School. Erickson graduated from Utah State in 2024 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in marketing and communication.

Arpan Bose is in his second year at Utah State Athletics as the Assistant Director of Creative Content. In his current role, Bose is the social media admin and graphic designer for the Utah State football program and serves as a photographer for all USU sports. He works closely with the rest of the marketing and creative content team to help shape the visual storytelling of Utah State Athletics. Before joining the Aggies, Bose spent a year at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a postgraduate intern in their creative and digital department. With the NCAA, he created social and web content of student-athletes across all three NCAA Divisions and 90 sports. In this role, Bose conceptualized varying content types (photos, videos, graphics, sites) and posted from the official NCAA social media accounts. Prior to the NCAA, Bose spent four years at Indiana University and worked as a Graphic Design intern at the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media & Technology. He was responsible for designing graphics for social media, marketing, and video board use for all 24 Varsity IU sports. In addition to his role as an intern, he also served as the Captain of Hoosier Hype Crew, and worked as a ball boy for Indiana men’s and women’s Soccer games. Bose graduated from Indiana in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in informatics and a minor in sport marketing and management. A native of Kolkata, India, Bose grew up in Singapore and Tokyo, Japan before moving to the United States in Bloomington, Indiana.

Chris Dunlap is in his fourth year at Utah State as the Director of Equipment Operations for football.  Prior to joining the Aggies, Dunlap spent seven years as the football equipment coordinator at Sam Houston State, which included four years as the head student equipment manager.  Dunlap also spent over two years as a teacher with the Huntsville Intermediate School and was named the Teacher of the Year in 2020. Dunlap graduated from Sam Houston State in 2019 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies/education.

Austin Gatewood is in his second season as a senior analyst for defense at Utah State. The 2026 campaign will be Gatewood’s third year working for head coach Bronco Mendenhall. In his role, Gatewood works on practice planning, analytics and pregame scouting. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Gatewood helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Gatewood on staff, USU had six defenders earn All-MW honors as cornerback Noah Avinger and linebacker John Miller were both named to the first-team, while defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr., linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr., and safeties Brevin Hamblin and Ike Larsen were both named honorable mention. Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American. Utah State had one defender honored by the MW during the season as Hamblin was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Nevada as he had a team-high eight tackles, including a career-high-tying 1.0 sacks and a season-high 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with an interception he returned 38 yards for a touchdown. Hamblin also recovered a fumble in the red zone at the 1-yard line. Defensively, Utah State forced 17 turnovers during the season with 13 interceptions and four fumbles and limited its opponents to just 17 points during the year following 11 Aggie turnovers.   Gatewood came to Utah State after serving as a defensive analyst at New Mexico during the 2024 season. At UNM, he helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Highlighting their season was a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams.   At New Mexico, Gatewood helped mentor three defenders who earned All-Mountain West honors as the team ranked third in the conference and 29th in the nation with two defensive touchdowns.    Gatewood spent the 2023 season as the outside linebackers coach at East Tennessee State. In 2022, he was a defensive quality control staffer with Vanderbilt and worked under USU defensive coordinator Nick Howell.   At Vanderbilt, Gatewood spent four seasons, starting as a football operations intern before moving into a defensive graduate assistant role, followed by a defensive quality control role.   Gatewood played four years at East Tennessee State, starting in 42 of 45 possible games and totaling 169 career tackles with 23 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and two interceptions.   A native of Ooltewah, Tennessee, Gatewood earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from ETSU in 2017 and a master’s in liberal arts and sciences from Vanderbilt in 2022.  

Christopher Howell is in his second year as a defensive analyst with Utah State and works primarily with the safeties. Howell joined the Aggies after spending 25 years at the high school level and has 32 years of high school coaching experience. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Howell helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Howell on staff, USU had six defenders earn All-MW honors as cornerback Noah Avinger and linebacker John Miller were both named to the first-team, while defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr., linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr., and safeties Brevin Hamblin and Ike Larsen were both named honorable mention. Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American. Utah State had one defender honored by the MW during the season as Hamblin was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Nevada as he had a team-high eight tackles, including a career-high-tying 1.0 sacks and a season-high 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with an interception he returned 38 yards for a touchdown. Hamblin also recovered a fumble in the red zone at the 1-yard line. Defensively, Utah State forced 17 turnovers during the season with 13 interceptions and four fumbles and limited its opponents to just 17 points during the year following 11 Aggie turnovers.   Prior to Utah State, Howell was the athletics director at Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, and served as the school’s head football coach for five years from 2019-24. During that time, he led the Bobcats to a 49-11 record, which included a 28-game winning streak, four region championships and back-to-back state titles during the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. It was the program's first state titles in the 55-year history of the school. He was named the 2020 Utah High School Activities Association Coach of the Year in 2020 and the 2023 UHSAA Gold Star Coach of the Year.   Howell was also the head football coach at Ridgeline High School in Millville, Utah, for three years (2016-18) and served as the school’s athletics director for two years.   From 2008 to 2015, Howell served as the head football coach at Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyoming. During his time there, he led the Braves to the 2015 3A state championship and was named the conference’s coach of the year in 2012 after guiding his team to a runner-up finish in the state championship.   Howell started his professional career at Sky View HS as the head baseball coach and defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2007.   Howell graduated from Utah State with a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in secondary education endorsement in 1999. He then earned his master’s in education with an emphasis in physical education in 2006.  

Tim Harris is in his first season with Utah State as a defensive analyst and will work with the cornerbacks. Harris came to Utah State after serving the past two seasons as a defensive assistant coach at Varina High School in Henrico, Virginia.   A former collegiate defensive back at Virginia, Harris played under current USU head coach Bronco Mendenhall for three seasons from 2016-18. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (198th overall pick) of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. Harris graduated from Virginia in 2017 with his bachelor's degree in anthropology.  

Gabriel Iniguez Jr. (E-knee-gez) is in his first season with Utah State as a defensive analyst and will work with the defensive line. Iniguez joined the Utah State coaching staff after spending the past two seasons as a standout defensive lineman for the Aggies, earning honorable mention All-Mountain West honors both years. He started all 12 games in 2024 and recorded 29 tackles, then started all 13 games in 2025 and finished with 37 tackles. During his collegiate career at Hawai’i (2020-21), New Mexico State (2023) and Utah State (2024-25), Iniguez played in 40 games with 29 starts. He totaled 90 tackles, including 18 solo stops, while adding 3.5 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. Iniguez graduated from Utah State in the spring of 2025 with his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Michael Frisina (Fri-see-nuh) is in his first season with Utah State as the Aggies special teams analyst. Frisina came to Utah State after spending the past two seasons at California as an assistant special teams coach helping the Golden Bears to consecutive bowl games. During his time at Cal, he mentored punter Lachlan Wilson to a career average of 44.9 yards per punt, which is a school record. Frisina spent the 2023 season at Oregon State as a special teams quality control analyst helping the Beavers to the Sun Bowl. His punt return unit ranked fifth in the nation averaging 18.5 yards per return, while kicker Atticus Sappington ranked fifth at the FBS level with a 92.9 field goal percentage, earning honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors. Additionally, returner Silas Bolden garnered second-team All-Pac 12 accolades as he averaged 23.1 yards per kick return and returned one punt for a touchdown. Frisina was a special teams quality control coach at Boise State in 2022 as he helped the Broncos to the Mountain West Championship game and the Frisco Bowl. That year, he developed kicker Jonah Dalmas, who was a Groza Award Semifinalist and honorable mention All-MW selection, as he ranked first in the conference and fifth in the nation with 23 made field goals. He also coached punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, who was named a first-team Freshman All-American. Prior to Boise State, Frisina served as a special teams quality control coach at UC Davis as he helped the Aggies reach the FCS Playoffs in the fall of 2021. His units led the FCS in net punting in the spring of 2021 (43.5 yards per punt) and in the fall of 2021 (42.5 yards per punt) with two-time All-America punter Daniel Whelan, who is entering his fifth year in the NFL and fourth with the Green Bay Packers. Whelan holds the single season (47.9 yards per punt) and career records (44.1 yards per punt) at UC Davis for punt average. At UC Davis, Frisina also coached kicker Isaiah Gomez to All-Big Sky honors after setting the school record with 19 field goals and kick returner Lan Larison who earned Freshman All-American honors after setting the school record for kick return average at 29.9 yards. Frisina began his coaching career at UNLV in 2020 as a volunteer special teams quality control and specialists coach. He spent the 2019 season at Stanford as a recruiting intern and was a volunteer recruiting assistant at Fresno State in 2018. Frisina was a two-year letterwinner at placekicker for the Broncos in 2011 and 2012. He helped Boise State to a Mountain West title in 2012 and kicked the game-winning field goal against Washington in the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl. He was 18-for-24 in field goal attempts in his two seasons in Boise and accounted for 117 points. Frisina graduated from Boise State in 2013 with his bachelor’s degree in communications.  

Pat Hickman is in his second season as the chief of staff for Utah State’s football program. The 2025 campaign will be his 19th working for head coach Bronco Mendenhall.    With Utah State, Hickman oversees all facets of roster management for the program and works with the director of scouting in planning recruiting visits and roster management. He serves as a liaison with many of USU’s corporate partners for recruiting events. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Hickman helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Hickman on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American.   Hickman came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as the chief of staff at New Mexico. He helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Their season was highlighted by a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams. The UNM victory was its first win over a top-20 team since 1994 and its first non-conference win against a top-20 opponent since 1940.   Before his time at New Mexico, Hickman spent two seasons with BYU as the director of operations in 2023 and the director of recruiting in 2022.   Hickman worked with Mendenhall at Virginia as the director of player development (2016-17) and director of scouting (2018-21). He oversaw roster management and worked with the operations director on recruiting visits while overseeing many facets of Virginia’s community service programs.   Hickman’s first stint with BYU coincided with Mendenhall becoming the head coach, spending 10 years (2006-15) as director of operations and director of player development. Along with handling budgeting, working with scheduling, practice planning and all facets of travel, Hickman oversaw many of the developmental duties with the roster, including academics and community service.   Hickman started in college athletics administration in 2002, marking a four-year run at Boise State in facility management and operations and helping the Broncos host several NCAA events.   Hickman graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health promotion from Boise State in 2001 and earned his master’s in athletic administration from Idaho State in 2005. He is married to the former Celeste Fruean, and they have two children, Jared and Malia.    PAT HICKMAN FILE Coaching History                                                                                                                            2025-               Utah State – Chief of Staff 2024                New Mexico – Chief of Staff 2023                BYU – Director of Operations 2022                BYU – Director of Recruiting 2018-21           Virginia – Director of Scouting 2016-17           Virginia – Director of Player Development 2006-15           BYU – Director of Operations and Player Development/HS Relations 2002-05           Boise State – Facility Management and Operations Bowl Games (16)                                                                                                          Utah State (1): 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Virginia (4): 2021 Fenway Bowl*; 2019 Orange Bowl; 2018 Belk Bowl; 2017 Military Bowl  BYU (11): 2022 New Mexico Bowl; 2015 Las Vegas Bowl; 2014 Miami Beach Bowl; 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl; 2012 Poinsettia Bowl; 2011 Armed Forces Bowl; 2010 New Mexico Bowl; 2009 Las Vegas Bowl; 2008 Las Vegas Bowl; 2007 Las Vegas Bowl; 2006 Las Vegas Bowl *Not Contested   Conference Championships (2)                                                                                                                BYU (2) – Mountain West: 2006, 2007   Division Championships (1)                                                                                                                Virginia (1) – ACC Coastal: 2019 Education                                                                                                                                                 2005                Idaho State – Athletic Administration (Master’s) 2001                Boise State – Health Promotion (Bachelor’s)   Family                                                                                                                                                 Wife, Celeste, and children, Jared and Malia   

Jray Galea’i (Ngah-lay-ah-ee) is in his second season with Utah State as a junior analyst for the defense and works primarily with the linebackers. The 2026 campaign will be his fourth year working for head coach Bronco Mendenhall. In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Galea’i  helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Galea’i on staff, USU had six defenders earn All-MW honors as cornerback Noah Avinger and linebacker John Miller were both named to the first-team, while defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr., linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr., and safeties Brevin Hamblin and Ike Larsen were both named honorable mention. Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American. Utah State had one defender honored by the MW during the season as Hamblin was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Nevada as he had a team-high eight tackles, including a career-high-tying 1.0 sacks and a season-high 1.5 tackles for loss, to go along with an interception he returned 38 yards for a touchdown. Hamblin also recovered a fumble in the red zone at the 1-yard line. Defensively, Utah State forced 17 turnovers during the season with 13 interceptions and four fumbles and limited its opponents to just 17 points during the year following 11 Aggie turnovers. Galea’i came to Utah State after spending the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah. During the 2023 season, he helped the Thunderbirds win the 5A state championship. Prior to his time at Timpview HS, Galea’i was an assistant coach at Orem (UT) High School from 2020-21, working with the cornerbacks. During his time with the Tigers, he helped the program to the 2020 state championship under head coach Gabe Sewell. Galea’i played at BYU from 2009-12 and began his coaching career as a student assistant at BYU in 2012 and in 2015. Galea’i prepped at Kahuku High School in Honolulu and earned first-team All-State honors as a defensive back during his senior season and honorable mention All-State honors as a junior. He played his sophomore season at Timpview HS, as a member of the Thunderbirds 2006 4A state championship team. Galea’i also played basketball at Kahuku HS and was the Defensive MVP of the Oahu Interscholastic Association as a senior and was invited to play in the McDonald’s All-American game. Galea’i is majoring in integrated studies at Utah State and has an anticipated graduation date of spring of 2026. He is married to Sina Maile, who is the niece of former USU football player and assistant coach Frank Maile. Galea’i is the nephew of Mark Atuaia, who is the running backs coach at Utah and was at Washington State prior to that in the same role. Atuaia coached under Mendenhall at BYU and Virginia.

Summer Tujague (Two-Jay) is in her second season with Utah State as the assistant for head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The 2025 campaign will be Tujague’s sixth year working for Mendenhall. In her first year at Utah State in 2025, Tujague helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Tujague on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention.    Tujague spent the 2024 season at New Mexico as Mendenhall’s administrative assistant. Before joining UNM, Tujague worked in the Virginia football office for five years (2019-2023) in various roles, including as an assistant on-grounds recruiter.   Tujague’s father, Garett, coached the offensive line under Mendenhall at BYU from 2013-15 and then at Virginia from 2016-22, the first six of those years under Mendenhall.   The native of Santa Clarita, California, earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration and management from Utah Valley in 2021.  

Skyler Ridley is in his first season as Utah State’s wide receivers coach. Ridley came to Utah State after spending the last 10 years on staff at Weber State, including seven seasons as a full-time assistant. With the Wildcats, Ridley coached the tight ends and wide receivers and served as the special teams coordinator each of the last five seasons. In his time with the Wildcats, Ridley was part of nine-straight winning seasons, four Big Sky Championships, and six trips to the FCS Playoffs. With Ridley on staff, Weber State finished the season in the top 10 in the nation five times. During his time at Weber State, Ridley coached five all-conference players. In 2025, he mentored Sloan Calder to All-Big Sky honors as a kicker. Ridley coached a pair of all-conference wide receivers in Jacob Sharp (2024) and Tyler MacPherson (2022). MacPherson was the first 1,000-yard receiver at WSU in 15 years. He also helped develop a pair of all-conference tight ends in Hayden Meacham and Justin Malone. After three seasons (2016-18) as a graduate assistant at Weber State, Ridley was named an assistant coach in 2019 and coached the Wildcat tight ends for three seasons. Prior to the 2021 season, he was elevated to special teams coordinator, in addition to coaching tight ends. In 2022, he began coaching the wide receivers. Under Ridley, the Wildcats had tremendous success on special teams, especially in kickoff returns. During the 2022 season, Ridley coached Abraham Williams to consensus All-America honors as he broke the Big Sky record with four 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns during the season. He was the only player in all of NCAA football (all Divisions) to have more than two kickoff return touchdowns and he set an NCAA record with all four returns being 100 yards. In 2022, Ridley helped lead Weber State to another 10-win season, including an FBS victory at Utah State. He also coached MacPherson to All-Big Sky second-team honors in 2022 and Meacham to third-team honors in 2021. In 2021, he coached Rashid Shaheed who earned All-America honors as a kick returner and finished his career as the FCS all-time leader with seven kickoff return touchdowns. During the spring 2021 season, Weber State finished 5-1 and captured its fourth straight conference title, including the first outright title in school history with a perfect 5-0 Big Sky record. The Wildcats were ranked as high as second in the nation during the season, the highest ranking in school history. A native of Murrieta, California, Ridley graduated from Murrieta Valley High School. He played four years of football at BYU from 2010-13 under Mendenhall. Ridley lettered in each of his last two seasons at BYU and served as a team captain as a senior in 2013. He appeared in 26 games in his career with the Cougars and had 60 catches for 659 yards and three touchdowns. He had a career-high eight catches for 106 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown in BYU’s win at Houston in 2013. Ridley earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from BYU in 2014 and earned his master’s degree in professional communication at Weber State in 2017. He started his coaching career at Bountiful (Utah) High School where he coached the wide receivers and defensive backs in 2014 and 2015. Ridley and his wife Jasmine were married in 2012. The couple has four children. SKYLER RIDLEY FILE Coaching History                                                                                                                            2026-                   Utah State – Wide Receivers 2022-25               Weber State – Special Teams Coordinator/Wide Receivers 2021                    Weber State – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends 2019-20               Weber State – Tight Ends 2016-18               Weber State – Graduate Assistant 2014-15               Bountiful (UT) HS – Assistant FCS Playoffs (6)                                                                                                          Weber State (6): 2022 Second Round; 2020 First Round; 2019 Semifinals; 2018 Quarterfinals; 2017 Quarterfinals; 2016 First Round Conference Championships (4)                                                                                                                Weber State (4) – Big Sky: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Playing Experience 2010-13             BYU – Wide Receiver Education                                                                                                                                                 2017                       Weber State – Professional Communication (Master’s) 2014                    BYU – Psychology (Bachelor’s) Family                                                                                                                                                 Wife, Jasmine; three daughters and a son  

De’Vante Cross is in his first season as Utah State’s cornerbacks coach. It will be his second season working with USU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and third working with USU defensive coordinator Nick Howell. Cross came to Utah State after spending the 2025 season as the defensive backs coach at Utah Tech. Prior to that Cross served as a defensive graduate assistant at New Mexico under Mendenhall in 2024. Cross began his coaching career as a quality control analyst at Vanderbilt University during the 2023 campaign. As a defensive graduate assistant at New Mexico, Cross helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Their season was highlighted by a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams. The UNM victory was its first win over a top-20 team since 1994 and its first non-conference win against a top-20 opponent since 1940. At New Mexico, Cross helped mentor three defenders who earned All-Mountain West honors as the team ranked third in the conference and 29th in the nation with two defensive touchdowns. Cross played for Mendenhall for five years at Virginia, where he moved from quarterback to receiver to safety, before finally finding a home on defense. When needed, he played both sides of the ball in a single game. He closed out his collegiate career earning a spot on the 2021 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society. In his three years at cornerback and safety, Cross played in 32 games with 114 tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss, to go along with six interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He also rushed for 27 yards and caught a pair of passes on offense in his Virginia career. He led the ACC in interception return yards in 2019. After graduation, he signed a free agent contract with the Washington Commanders, and then with the Green Bay Packers. A strong proponent of education, Coach Cross earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia in 2019, a master’s in higher education administration from Virginia in 2021, and a second master’s in physical education from New Mexico in 2024. DE'VANTE CROSS FILE Coaching History                                                                                                                            2026-                Utah State – Cornerbacks 2025                 Utah Tech – Defensive Backs 2024                 New Mexico – Defensive Graduate Assistant 2023                 Vanderbilt – Quality Control Analyst Playing Experience 2016-21           Virginia   Education                                                                                                                                                 2024                New Mexico – Physical Education (Master’s) 2021                Virginia – Higher Education Administration (Master’s) 2019                Virginia – History (Bachelor’s)