Utah State’s Fall camp is in full swing as the Aggies prepare for the 2025 season with their season opener against UTEP less than a month out. There are still some questions about the depth chart, especially at receiver and at offensive line, but there are other position groups where the starters are clearer. So, who are the predicted starters and who are the backups that could make a difference and potentially see the field? Let’s get into it!
This article in the series will cover the defensive backs.
Cornerbacks
Starter #1: Dylan Tucker (Senior): Dylan Tucker is another player who is in his first year with Utah State after spending the last five years at Elon (2020-2024), where he appeared in 32 games with 23 starts. During his career with Elon, Tucker had 96 tackles, one sack, seven tackles for loss, 13 pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Dylan Tucker finished the 2024 season with 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery. During the 2023 season, Tucker played in five games due to injury and had 16 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. Dylan Tucker played high school football at Zebulon B. Vance High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and throughout his high school career, Tucker had five interceptions. His experience at Elon is going to be important for this room to keep up production from players who graduated.
Back Cornerback #1: Noah Flores (Sophomore); #2 John Shepard (Junior); #3 EJ Fisk (Redshirt Junior)
Noah Flores appeared in 12 games last season as a redshirt freshman and had nine tackles, three tackles for loss, and one interception. Flores redshirted the 2023 season and did not appear in any games. Noah Flores attended high school at Alta High School in Utah and had 28 tackles, nine interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one fumble recovery during his senior season. During his junior season, Flores had 25 tackles, two interceptions, 10 pass deflections, and one fumble recovery, returning the fumble recovery for a 92-yard touchdown. Noah Flores also played receiver at Alta High School. While he may still see more limited action this year, Noah Flores is in a position to be an impact player for Utah State soon.
John Shepard is in his first season with Utah State after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons with San Diego Mesa College. As a sophomore in 2024, Shepard had 22 tackles, three interceptions, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. As a freshman, Shepard appeared in four games and finished the season with four tackles.
EJ Fisk was with Utah State last season but did not appear in any games as he redshirted. Before coming to Utah State, Fisk played for East Central College in Mississippi and played in nine games as a sophomore, making 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, and adding two pass breakups. As a freshman, EJ Fisk played for Northeast Mississippi Community College, where he had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, four pass breakups, and an interception. Coming out of high school, EJ Fisk was a three-star recruit per 247Sports, and during his senior year at Saltillo High School, Fisk had 25 tackles, accounted for seven takeaways (seven interceptions, one fumble recovery), and 13 pass breakups.
Starter #2: Bryson Taylor (Senior): Bryson Taylor is in his first season with Utah State after spending the last three seasons with New Mexico (2022-2024). Over the course of his time at New Mexico, Taylor appeared in 31 games and had 14 starts, recording 68 total tackles, two sacks, and 11 pass breakups. During his junior season in 2024, Bryson Taylor started all 12 games and had 58 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 11 pass breakups. As a true freshman in 2022, Bryson Taylor played in nine games and had two starts. Taylor attended high school at Mill Creek High School in Georgia and finished his senior season with 47 tackles, 20 pass breakups, and one interception.
Backup Cornerback #2: D’Angelo Mayes (Sophomore); Abe Jager (Freshman); Lava Vailahi (Freshman)
D’Angelo Mayes spent the 2024 season at New Mexico, appearing in eight games and recording two tackles. Mayes played receiver in high school and had 1,086 and 15 touchdowns on 85 catches. As a junior, D’Angelo Mayes caught 38 passes for 559 yards and five touchdowns.
Abe Jager is a freshman out of Lehi (Utah) High School, who recorded 38 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and also made four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Jager was a three-star recruit per 247Sports.
Lava Vailahi is a freshman and was rated as a three-star recruit (by 247Sports) and was ranked as the 47th best recruit out of the state of Utah. During his prep career at West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, Vailahi had 226 tackles, six tackles for loss, five interceptions, 46 pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. As a senior, Lava Vailahi had 123 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, 28 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Vailahi, who had a very productive high school career, will have the opportunity to be an impact player for Utah State as he continues to learn and develop.
Safeties
Starting Safeties: Noah Avinger (Senior, Boundary Safety); Ike Larsen (Not available for six weeks) (Senior, Free Safety) NOTE: Ike Larsen has been suspended as of August 15th and will not be available for six weeks. Free safety Omari Okeke will likely take over for Ike Larsen.
Noah Avinger is in his first season with Utah State after spending time with New Mexico (2024) and San Diego State (2021-2023). At New Mexico, Avinger started all 12 games and finished the season with 91 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one interception. At San Diego State, Noah Avinger played in 25 games with eight starts and made a total of 51 tackles, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble. Noah Avinger redshirted the 2023 season, and during his sophomore season, he had 36 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, adding three pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Omari Okeke has been with Utah State from 2022 to 2024, playing in 17 career games with two starts, making 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. In 2024, Okeke finished with 12 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss as a redshirt junior. In 2023, Okeke redshirted the season due to injury and did not appear in any games. In 2022, Omari Okeke played in 10 games, finishing the season with 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. Between 2019 and 2021, Omari Okeke played two seasons at Cerritos College in California. During the 2021 season, Okeke had 15 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one pass breakup. In 2019, as a freshman, Omari Okeke had 35 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. Okeke might have big shoes to fill with the absence of Ike Larsen for the first few weeks of the season.
Ike Larsen (Not available for six weeks), during his career at Utah State, has played in 37 games with 28 starts, making 217 career tackles, two sacks, and nine tackles for loss. Larsen has also made nine interceptions, 17 pass breakups, and forced one fumble. In his career, Larsen has also scored two touchdowns. During his junior season in 2024, Ike Larsen appeared in 12 games with 11 starts and had 80 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, and one interception. During his sophomore season in 2023, Ike Larsen made 103 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Larsen also made four interceptions and added six pass breakups and one forced fumble. During his redshirt freshman season in 2021, Larsen made 33 tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss. Ike Larsen also made four interceptions and added two pass breakups.
Backup Boundary Safety: #1 D’Andre Barnes (Sophomore); #2 Courage Ugo (Junior); #3 Charget Doty (Freshman)
D’Andre Barnes spent two seasons at Nebraska from 2023-2024, redshirting the 2023 season and playing in one game during the 2024 season. Coming out of Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado, Barnes was ranked among the top 60 cornerbacks in the country by ESPN. During his senior year, he caught 37 passes for 785 yards and nine touchdowns on offense. D’Andre Barnes also played on defense, recording 55 tackles with six interceptions.
Courage Ugo redshirted last season with Utah State and did not appear in any games. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Ugo played for Blinn Junior College in Texas. During the 2023 season, Courage Ugo posted 20 tackles, nine pass breakups, and two interceptions. In 2022, Ugo appeared in nine games. Coming out of Foster High School in Texas, Courage Ugo posted 30 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, and one interception.
Charger Doty is a freshman coming out of Bingham High School and was ranked as the 32nd best prospect in Utah by 247Sports. As a senior, Doty made 47 tackles, four interceptions, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, and had one fumble recovery. As a junior, Charger had 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, and added five pass breakups and two interceptions. As a sophomore, Charger Doty had 34 tackles with two interceptions and five pass breakups.
Backup to Free Safety: #1 Jonathan Baird (Junior)
Jonathan Baird: As of right now, Jonathan Baird could very likely take over the backup role for the first five games of the season, as Omari Okeke could see starting time with the suspension of Ike Larsen. Baird came to Utah State in 2024 as a sophomore and did not appear in any games. Before Utah State, Jonathan Baird played for BYU during the 2020 season and served a two-year LDS mission. Coming out of Mead High School, Baird led the region with five interceptions in his first year playing defense and caught 34 passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns. In his high school career, Baird had 61 receptions for 842 yards and 12 touchdowns.
