Breaking down the WR room for the Utah State Aggies in 2024.
Utah State Aggies’ WR Depth Chart
Jalen Royals
Jalen Royals was an unranked prospect in the composites before playing for the Utah State Aggies. Royals attended Hillgrove High in Georgia where he was a “glue guy”. Royals often played both sides of the ball and did whatever the team needed him to do. Because of this, he was overlooked as a prospect and didn’t get the proper coaching and refinement. Royals was playing multiple positions (including special teams) and at times played in all three phases during a game.
Jalen Royals would attend Georgia Military College where he appeared in 10 games and compiled 7 receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Royals thought about calling it a career as he wasn’t getting any opportunities. Then one day in 2022, he found out that the Utah State Aggies were hosting a tryout. Royals flew out to Logan, Utah and would tryout with no promises of a roster spot. He measured in at 6-foot, 193 pounds, ran a verified 4.3 40-yard dash, and showed enough to earn a spot on the team.
His first year with the Aggies (2022) did not result in any statistical production, but he did see limited action. In 2023, Royals continued to work at his craft and had a breakout season, with 71 receptions 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2024, Royals projects to be the WR1 for the program and what has been a fantastic rise for someone who’s worked at his craft.
Jalen Royals 29 yard TD catch! 🔥 #UtahState pic.twitter.com/SO9trcwQGJ
— ★★★★★ (@TSV__1) October 14, 2023
It’s been publicly stated by HC Blake Anderson that Royals has tremendous work ethic, praising it constantly. When Royals first got onto campus, he struggled getting off the line, getting jammed on a consistent basis. But now that has become one of his positive traits. Royals has a nice set of moves to avoid getting pressed at the line. Royals has two years of eligibility remaining.
Micah Davis
Micah Davis was an unranked prospect in the composites. He attended Harrison High in Georgia where Justin Fields was his quarterback. As a high school recruit, Davis was a decorated baseball player and initially committed to Georgia to play baseball. Instead, Davis wound up committing to the Air Force Academy and saw very limited action in 2020. In 2021, he was used as part of the run game and short area passing game where he was given the ball in space to create. Davis would transfer out and spend a year at Iowa Western Community College where he was a returner and used in the receiving and run game.
Davis would transfer to Utah State where he earned one of the boundary positions for the Aggies. For the first time, Davis used as a true wide receiver and not a gadget option like at previous schools. Davis kept his role as a returner but expanded his role as a receiver and it paid dividends.
Real quick prediction on the eve of fall camp at Utah State: You'll hear Micah Davis' name a lot. Wouldn't be surprised at all if he's the breakout player on that Aggie offense. Playmaker pic.twitter.com/M7zzK6EC5d
— The Aggship (@TheAggship) August 4, 2023
Davis could occupy the slot position this season, which was vacated by Terrell Vaughn (who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft). Davis is 5’11” 185lbs and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Colby Bowman
Colby Bowman was a 4⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 90.99. He is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds. Bowman was part of the 2019 recruiting class and initially attended Stanford. In 2023, Bowman transferred to Utah State and saw limited action. He appeared in seven games and proved to be a good deep threat for the Aggies. Bowman would have 11 receptions for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Jackson Olsen
Jackson Olsen was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 81.21. He is 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds. Olsen attended Ridgeline High in Utah where his Senior season was cut short due to injury. Olsen is an all-around threat, finishing his Senior season with 25 receptions for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a runner, Olsen had 13 rushes for 136 yards and 1 touchdown. He also completed 13 of 14 passes for 94 yards – and was used in the return game. Olsen did not appear in any games with the Utah State football team and still has four years of eligibility remaining.
Grant Page
Grant Page was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 85.47. He is 6-foot-3 and weighs 200 pounds. Page was part of the 2022 class and initially committed to Colorado before transferring to Utah State in 2023 where he did not see any action. Page was the 3rd ranked recruit in the state of Colorado and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Otto Tia
Otto Tia was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 79.77. He is 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds. Tia was part of the 2020 class and was a redshirt in 2021. In 2022, he saw action in every game on special teams. This past season, Tia caught 5 passes for 62 yards. Otto Tia has two years of eligibility remaining.
Kahanu Davis
Kahanu Davis was an unranked prospect in the composites. He attended Kapa’a High and then attended Southwestern Community College in California. There, he played quarterback in his first season before going back to WR full-time. In his final year, he compiled 25 receptions for 498 yards and 5 touchdowns. In his first year with the Utah State Aggies, Davis saw very little action, catching 2 passes for 10 yards in four games. Davis is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Kyrese Rowan
Kyrese Rowan was an unranked prospect in the composites. He attended Roy High in Utah before walking on with the Utah Utes, where he was from 2019-2021. Over the past two seasons at Utah State, he has 3 receptions for 8 yards. Rowan is 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
USU Wide Receiver Battle
Terrell Vaughn has graduated, and that opens up the slot position. Micah Davis does have experience in the slot and Utah State could move him inside. After all, the remaining members in the Aggies WR group do bring some size. Utah State could diversify the room and use one of their taller players outside to help out their quarterback. It will be interesting to see what they do.
Colby Bowman saw action for the Aggies last season and is more of a boundary receiver. He also brings experience to the room, spending the majority of his time at Stanford before coming over this past season.
Jackson Olsen is perhaps the biggest question mark for the Aggies. Before his injury as a Senior in high school, he was an all-around player and a good athlete. He didn’t see any action last year but could be someone to watch just because of his athleticism.
If Utah State chooses to keep Micah Davis outside, two players to watch for in the slot are Kahanu Davis and Kyrese Rowan. Both receivers are 5-foot-10 and saw limited action last year.
Grant Page and Otto Tia are two that are just a mystery bag. Page was a coveted recruit who initially enrolled at Colorado, but hasn’t been able to get on the field. Meanwhile, Tia was someone who saw limited action but is more of a possession receiver than a slot receiver. In the end, the coaching staff will need to decide what they want to do with Micah Davis.
It makes the most sense to move Davis to the slot and use one of the bigger body receivers as the other boundary receiver to stress the defense with different body shapes. You have Davis who is a twitchy player with a traditional slot build, Royals is the alpha (X) and then Utah State could use one of the taller receivers in the group as their jump ball receiver.
Aggies WR Positional Outlook
I believe that Jalen Royals keeps one boundary position in the offense. I think Micah Davis moves into the slot and Colby Bowman takes the final outside role, as he has the most playing experience. This will allow Jackson Olsen additional time to get up to speed. Grant Page won’t be rushed into a prominent role, Otto Tia can continue to learn the position, and this will allow Kahanu Davis and Kyrese Rowan to be depth at the slot position and continue to develop.
Without a doubt, this room will be looking to Jalen Royals and Micah Davis to be the leaders in the wide receiver room. The Aggies will go as far as Royals and Davis can carry.
Andy Pham
Andy is the creator of the Devy Digest. His passion is devy and C2C. Andy's Devy Diguest articles provide insightful, yet thoughtful commentary to give you a leg up on the devy prospects so you know how to approach your devy and C2C drafts. With The Devy Digest podcast, Andy provides episodes of interesting and exciting topics and when he invites guests, you get to be a fly on the wall, listening in on two people having a conversation where they give you a different perspective. Come, join the journey that is Andy's Devy Digest.