Utah State Football 2014 Depth Chart

UPDATED 7/22: The original article was published prior to the release of the Aggies' Media Guide. It has been updated to account for the depth chart shown therein.

USU comes into the 2014 season with plenty of momentum after the success of the past couple years. With expectations high, the Aggies have a lot to live up to. There are definitely holes in the Aggie ranks this year, however, and experience will be a factor for a team that has lost not only a plethora of starters, but also a large portion of backups.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the lineup:

Most of the questions for this year's squad come on the offense. QB Chuckie Keeton is undeniably one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country, and one of the best players in the game right now. He'll need every bit of talent and poise he can muster this year as he has only one returning offensive lineman (Kevin Whimpey). To add to the Aggies' offensive woes, lead receivers Bruce "JoJo" Natson and Ronald Butler have run into legal problems, and may be ineligible to play and/or kicked off the team. It's only partly a joke to put Fackrell as a backup receiver (my touch, not the Aggies' Media Guide's), since he actually caught a TD reception last season, and the Aggies might need him to pull out a repeat performance this year if the other receivers are found lacking. Another option the Aggies may employ is the power run game, using two TE's and two RB's, leaving Swindall as the lone receiver target downfield. With Joe Hill returning to field action this year, and with Keeton's running ability, an option attack may be in the cards for Aggie fans' viewing pleasure this season.

This year's edition of the Utah State defense may be their best to date. The starting front seven are, to be perfectly frank, a ridiculous combination of speed and size that should cause nightmares for opposing offenses all year long. The starters in the secondary are also a solid group, including Gray, who had starting experience while playing for none other than the Tennessee Volunteers. The issue for the defense is the same as for the rest of the team: depth. The lack of experience shows itself throughout the roster, and will be a talking point should any further injuries or problems appear before or during the season.

Special teams should continue to be a strong point for the Aggies. Natson's possible disappearance will impact the punt return game, where he excelled last year. And USU lost both kick returners from last year. That being said, the likely replacements are solid, and should perform admirably.

Overall, the team has a wealth of talent in the 1^st layer, but lacks experience going two or three deep. As long as players remain healthy, USU should have another very successful season. If anyone else goes down, however, we will find out just how good Matt Wells' recruiting has been the past couple of years.