Utah State Aggies Football: QB Room Discussion

Dissecting the QB room for the Utah State Aggies in 2024. 

Utah State Aggies’ QB Depth Chart

Cooper Legas

Cooper Legas was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 81.08 for On3. He is 6’1” and weighs 215lbs. Legas enrolled at Utah State in 2019 and was the 4th string Quarterback who did not see any action. In 2020, he was 3rd string and did not see any action. By the time 2021 rolled around, he saw action in two games in what was a dominant season for the Aggies. Legas’ first college throw was a touchdown pass in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. It was the first time in FBS history a quarterback’s first throw went for a touchdown.

.@USUFootball's Cooper Legas' first career pass attempt was a 62-yard TD.

What a moment 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SepF1JOxjL

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 19, 2021

In 2022, there were high expectations for Legas but the results were a mixed bag. Legas started eight games, but only after a season-ending injury to Logan Bonner. Legas threw for 1,499 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In 2023, Legas was named the starter. However, he would not be able to play the full season due to injuries and being benched. He finished the season with 1,815 yards passing with 18 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. Due to COVID eligibility, Legas is eligible for a Super Senior season in 2024.

McCae Hillstead

McCae Hillstead was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 82.90. He is 5’10” and weighs 185lbs. Hillstead finished his high school career completing 491 of 816 passes for 6,898 yards with 73 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He added 1,791 yards on the ground with an additional 35 touchdowns.

Hillstead saw extensive action in four games for Utah State (and eight total) in his True Freshman season. The Freshman came onto the scene when he was thrust into the starting job against James Madison. Hillstead completed 25 of 47 passes for 399 yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. For the season, Hillstead threw for 1,062 yards with 11 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. What we didn’t see, was his utilization as a runner. Hillstead is the best runner at the position on the roster. I believe he fits the system the best between the entire group.

Beautiful pass from McCae Hillstead to Jalen Royals for the 9 yard TD #UtahState pic.twitter.com/7F3of3cB5x

— ★★★★★ (@TSV__1) September 16, 2023

Bryson Barnes

Bryson Barnes was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 86 as a prospect and was part of the 2020 class. He is 6’1” and weighs 209lbs. Barnes filled in at Utah this past season while Cam Rising was out recovering from a torn ACL.

Bryson Barnes has seen action in 21 games in the past two seasons with 2000 passing yards (with around 60% completion) and 16 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Barnes is a capable runner and is an interesting option to win the job from the top two guys. He does have Power 5 experience and that is always important. It would appear he has the opportunity to be the dark horse to win the QB job for 2024. Barnes has two years of eligibility.

Spencer Petras

Spencer Petras was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an 89 overall rating as a prospect and 85.27 as a transfer portal prospect. He is 6’5” and weighs 233lbs. Petras has seen extensive action for the past three seasons. For his career, he has completed 468 passes out of 825 attempts, 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Petras does not bring anything to the run game and is a Super Senior with one year of eligibility.

Petras would be more of an insurance policy for Utah State. His style does not fit with what Blake Anderson wants to run on offense. He does have Power 5 experience and that is always important, but it would appear he’s fighting to be the 3rd string quarterback for 2024.

Zeke Payne

Zeke Payne was a JUCO transfer from New Mexico Highlands by way of Palomar College. He is 6’1” and weighs 215lbs.

In 2021 with Palomar, Payne completed 221 of his 390 passes for 2,795 yards with 26 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.

In 2022, Payne went to New Mexico Highlands. He completed 18 of his 33 attempts for 373 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He did not see action this past year for Utah State and was 4th on the depth chart in 2023. Payne has two years of eligibility remaining.

Ezra Harris

Ezra Harris was an unranked prospect. He is 6’1” and weighs 195lbs. Harris attended Stansbury High where he completed 303 of his 545 passes for 4,675 yards. He threw 56 touchdowns to 17 interceptions for his career where he was a two-year starter. Harris was 5th on the depth chart in 2023 and has four years remaining.

Quarterback Battle

Cooper Legas has a Super Senior season available to him. By all indication, he will use his final year of eligibility with the program. Sophomore McCae Hillstead showed flashes last year when he was thrust into action as a True Freshman. This battle is one that might go all the way into fall camp with the addition of Bryson Barnes from Utah.

We know what we’re getting with Legas. He is someone that will make tantalizing plays; and then will make a play that makes you shake your head. The coaching staff has been on record stating they do not like how reckless he is with the ball. There are times he will throw into double coverage or bracketed coverage when he should be checking down. Legas does have the most on-field experience, however, and has started many games for the program. That should put him in the lead to start Spring camp.

McCae Hillstead flashed against James Madison last year when he threw for 399 yards. It wasn’t all roses with Hillstead, though. At times the game moved too fast for him and he looked like a deer in headlights. After all, he threw 8 interceptions on 158 passing attempts. Hillstead has shown a rapport with WR Jalen Royals. With a full year under his belt and a full offseason where he doesn’t have to think and can just read and react, it is not inconceivable to see Hillstead make leaps and bounds in his progression as a quarterback. He could even become the QB to lead the program in 2024.

One thing I expect to see more of, is Hillstead’s running ability. While weighing only 185lbs, it is possible that Hillstead would not hold up to the beating. With a full offseason in the strength and conditioning program, he could add on 10 pounds of healthy weight and be able to take those hits.

The Utah State coaching staff likes both guys, they use both with regularity. The reality is, each QB has their pros and cons. The upside play is McCae Hillstead, as we know what we have with Cooper Legas. He just hasn’t progressed the past couple of seasons. For Hillstead, it’s hard for a true Freshman to step into FBS play and be effective, after being the backup where he wasn’t getting many reps during practice. And, being the 2nd string, he doesn’t run the scout team.

Hillstead’s season can be split from pre-concussion and post. Post concussion, the game just looked too fast for him. It’s almost as if the missed practice time really set him back from a ready to play perspective. The concussion did linger for a couple of weeks until the team was finally able to clear him.

It’s safe to say Legas will have the leg up, but I wouldn’t count out Hillstead to impress the coaches. The dark horse will be Bryson Barnes, who played in the Power 5 and has shown himself adequate at that level. Stepping down in competition with that experience could be the ace up his sleeve. This will be a fascinating camp battle and we look forward to seeing how it unfolds.

Positional Outlook

The Utah State Aggies are actually in a pretty good spot at the position. Bryson Barnes has a real shot at winning this job, too. He is able to extend plays and has seen better defenses. Utah turned to him and stuck with him when Cam Rising was ruled out for the year. That is a significant vote of confidence. The step down in competition will suit Barnes very well.

Spencer Petras transferring in adds a safety net for the position. As a Super Senior with 36 appearances throughout his career, the 24-year old will bring good leadership to the position. It was interesting that there were some reports that Petras would transition into a Grad Assistant with Iowa, but instead heads to Logan.

This could be more of a teaching position for Petras to take the quarterback room and give it leadership from a player perspective. If he adds to the competition, it should be viewed negatively. As a system fit Petras is the exact opposite of what the program looks for at the position. If this move is more of a mentor-type of transition and Petras does become involved with the coaching staff, McCae Hillstead should benefit the most. Hillstead will have someone to bounce ideas off of and learn from it. For Cooper Legas this should be viewed as a negative sign.

A fellow Super Senior, Legas will have someone new in the QB room. This could be viewed as the coaching staff needing to grab someone – feeling Legas has reached his ceiling and need another voice in the room. A 6-7 was not good for the 2023 season, and perhaps the coaching staff felt that they left some plays on the field that caused them to lose a game or two. If you saw any Utah State game, you know the Aggies typically got off to a slow start on offense. They also usually trailed after the first quarter and had to rely on the passing game to get them going, instead of a balance attack in that spread system.

As for now, this is anyone’s race. Whoever could become the Utah State starting quarterback will have all the opportunity to make their mark on the season.