Alabama offensive lineman Darrian Dalcourt (71) blocks Utah State linebacker AJ Vongphachanh (10) in the course of the first half of an NCAA faculty soccer recreation, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vasha Hunt, Related Press
Lower than per week earlier than spring practices begin, the Utah State Aggies have reportedly misplaced one in every of their finest and most skilled defenders.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, senior linebacker AJ Vongphachanh has entered the switch portal, turning into the most recent in a protracted line of Aggie defenders to depart USU this offseason.
Utah State’s main tackler in 2022 — he completed the season with 101 tackles — Vongphachanh was the group’s most skilled participant, having performed greater than 2,500 snaps in his profession and having began 33 of 37 video games performed.
A local of Pasco, Washington, Vongphachanh turned an everyday contributor in the course of the abbreviated 2020 season, and in his USU profession, he racked up 222 whole tackles.
Vongphachanh was anticipated to begin alongside linebacker MJ Tafisi in 2023 and assist an inexperienced Utah State protection discover its approach.
Earlier than Vongphachanh, Utah State misplaced key defensive linemen Daniel Grzesiak, Byron Vaughns, Patrick Joyner, Phillip Paea and Tavian Coleman this offseason.
These departing transfers weren’t solely surprising, however left the Aggies in want of replacements.
“We helped a handful of fellows that weren't going to play quite a bit and needed to get on rosters the place they might play extra. We helped these guys transition, portal to these areas,” Utah State head coach Blake Anderson mentioned on Nationwide Signing Day. “I feel that quantity (of switch portal defections) could have been a bit greater (due to that).
“We didn’t actually get exploded by the portal. We had some key gamers go away, however we anticipated them leaving and have changed all however a few them.”
Vongphachanh could or could not fall in the identical class as a graduate switch, however the Aggies must work exhausting to interchange him.
The most certainly candidate is Washington State switch Gavin Barthiel. A former 3-star recruit out of Lakeland, Florida, Barthiel signed with the Aggies in the course of the early signing interval.
Popping out of Lake Gibson Excessive in 2021, Barthiel had presents from Georgia Tech, Boston Faculty, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.
The switch portal is at the moment closed for soccer gamers apart from graduate transfers. NCAA guidelines state that graduate switch can enter the portal at any time, however non-graduate transfers should anticipate the switch portal window to open once more on Might 1.