It’s another offseason of major change at Utah State and things are more different than usual in Logan. The Aggies are fresh off significant success, winning 29 games and an MWC title before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They’re also starting anew with a new head coach after Jerrod Calhoun moved on to Cincinnati, with longtime Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson taking over this season. There’s also the little tidbit about the Aggies moving into the newly returning Pac-12.
Things are a little different
Even with several coaching changes in recent years, Utah State just keeps putting together fantastic teams and successful seasons and Jacobson is hoping to keep that momentum strong into this new league. The Aggies lose plenty of talent from last season but get star scorer Mason Falslev back in the backcourt while Karson Templin returns at forward after showing brilliance last season as well.
The new coaching staff has been working quite a bit in recent months and has a unique mix of freshmen and transfers filling out this roster. Among a talented transfer class, Utah State adds a familiar face in Will Hornseth, a rising junior forward who played under Jacobson at Northern Iowa. The backcourt gains two more rising juniors in AJ Bates from Louisiana Tech and Solomon Callaghan out of Wright State, while Chattanooga forward Collin Mulholland adds depth in the frontcourt.
You could easily point to one of those names as the team’s most important addition but we’re instead shining a light on Connor Turnbull. A 6-10 forward out of Missouri, Turnbull began his collegiate career with limited run across a pair of seasons at Butler before transferring to Evansville in 2024. He would become MVC Defensive Player of the Year in his first year before averaging 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds across an injury-shortened season last year.
They know each other
There’s certainly familiarity here with Jacobson and Turnbull both coming from the MVC but his importance lies in his position. He’ll have every opportunity to be the starting center for the Aggies with the hopes that he can stay healthy. At his best, he’s an efficient scorer and defender around the rim, averaging 2.1 blocks across those two seasons with the Purple Aces. He’d fill a definite need in a frontcourt that’s largely been rebuilt this offseason.
It’s easy at this point to look at the names and not be quite sure exactly how everything will play out for Utah State this season. There’s a great combination of incoming talent paired around a returning Falslev and a new head coach that’s already a proven winner. The Aggies keep nailing these head coaching moves and we’ll see if that continues in the Pac-12. Turnbull certainly needs to be a reliable weapon on the court and will certainly be tested this season.
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