Deseret News | Utah State football: Aggies land Cache Valley duo

Reader comments
Utah State football: Aggies land Cache Valley duo

Caden Andersen | 10:59 a.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Congrats Eric! Good luck in basketball this year.

Tanner | 11:14 a.m. Dec. 18, 2008

The tides are turning! Go Aggies!!!!!

Aggies | 11:16 a.m. Dec. 18, 2008

This is a step in the right direction. There is a lot of talent in Cache Valley. There is also a lot of talent in south-east Idaho. I hope Anderson can take advantage.

Recruit local kids who bring a local fan base and who will take a little more pride in playing for a local team.

Comments continue below

MJB | 11:28 a.m. Dec. 18, 2008

GO AGGIES!!!!!!!

true blue | 11:26 a.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Good for USU. The excitement will most likely end once football season starts.

Sportsfan | 12:00 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Putting the words "secure" and "verbal commitment" in the same sentence is oxymoronic. He's already said he intends to serve a mission before enrolling anywhere. A lot can happen in two years. Who knows, Bronco's daughter may be corresponding with him during his mission. I hope you can keep him, Coach Andersen.

iluvaggies | 12:03 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I think when the 2009 season gets rolling us Aggie fans will be VERY happy with how the program is turning around thanks to the work of Coach Andersen, his staff and the players. That is my prediction. Wait and see.

Now | 12:17 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Get some players from the best high school in the valley, Mt. Crest.

Problem | 12:19 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Coach Andersen should be working on the Sugar Bowl right now. This is a real issue.

new priority | 12:42 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

it's nice that ute fans want andersen to focus on the sugar bowl, but he's only going to be coaching the d-line. he's got a much greater obstacle on his hands now.

so what | 12:54 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

The article says that Bernston is a life long aggie fan. Wow, sounds like recruiting him was a real tough sell. What a coup Coach A.

And Bronco will be expecting a call from Manning's parents when he has about 6 months left on his mission. Of course, the aggies and utes will cry foul when that happens again but that's just because they're a bunch of whiners who don't understand the world around them.

Re: so what | 1:04 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

You can boast all you want about stealing all the Aggie and Ute recruits all you want, but who's playing in the Sugar Bowl? If the Utes can make it to the sugar bowl without the recruits that BYU steal than it sounds like the Utes are better for it.

Fact is, all the recruits with any sense no Utah reigns supreme for college athletics in the state of Utah.

Go Utes!

PS. Good job USU, hopefully these recruits will help your team.

usu | 1:16 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

usu needs to beef up the roster so we dont lose to weber in 2010.

Coachable Kids | 1:21 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I think most BYU and U fans are correct when they say better recruits will choose their schools. This is true even fore the dearly loved bball program at USU. When comparing the recruits the U and BYU wins hands down in the talent department. But what Stew Morrill does well is find hardworking and coachable kids. The kids learn his system and play hard and the they fair well year in and year out. The football program can do the same. The kids won't be as good talent wise but if they're good kids and highly coachable then I think USU can build a competitive football program. USU will never reach the status of BYU or Utah but they can get better with the right strategy.

JOHN | 1:26 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Hey So what: we don't ever want to hear about Bronco and byu getting any in state recruits from timpview or any athlete that is LDS because wow what a job recruiting an LDS player to an LDS school congrats. Also book your tickets for Las Vegas Bowl 2009 because that is where you'll be once again. Besides if BYU could have gotten Berntson you would have been telling us what a steal he was. HE is 6'4 and 225 pounds. You can't teach size. GO AGGIES!!!

Farm Club | 1:48 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Aggie Blue, BYU Blue it's all the same!

RE: Coachable Kids | 1:50 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Give me a break....Of course BYU and Utah get better recruits at the moment for the most part. They have winning programs. But you cant tell me that BYU wouldnt give anything to have Tai Wesley. There are other basketball players and football players that play for Utah State that I think Utah and BYU would want as well. To say that USU will NEVER reach the "status" of BYU and Utah is ridiculous. I think we have been there for awhile in Basketball and the Football program is on the upswing. NEVER! say never!

ha | 1:56 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

i know jeff and there is no way he would pull a "riley". he hates ybu than i do... and that's saying something.

Congrats to Valley Boys | 1:56 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Eric and Jeff, we are proud of you and your accomplishments. Your commitment to stay in the valley means alot. To "so what"!!!! where are you playing now? I know both of these young men, they will stand behind their commitment to Anderson and USU They both were recruited by the Y and neither were interested in "The Quest". Although both are great young men and planning to serve their missions out side of BYU they never were interested. So don't expect the parents to instigate a 'bailout". FYI BYU does not reign supreme.

To Farm Club | 2:42 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I think the farmer has just closed the doors.
GO AGGIES!!!!!

RE: Farm Club | 2:48 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

BYU got rid of their Ag program so what are you talking about? Caused a lot of students who were going to BYU to switch and attend Utah State because of it. There are no farm boys at BYU just your regular city kid that doesn't know much about hard work.

SKy view and Aggie Fan | 3:04 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Congrats Eric! Way to represent Sky View! You will be a good addition to USU's program!

Anonymous | 3:21 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I think I now understand why BYU fans consider 'farmer' an insult. It's because of farmers and agriculture that the Cougar coeds are so chunky.

Think about it, food is the natural enemy to a male BYU student.

BYU and UTAH | 4:51 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Thier "status" is a joke! This is BYU's best basketball team in years and they squeaked by USU on a neutral court. It was a good game! As for Utah they'll lose to USU on the 22nd. Don't be jealous of our fans, school, and now our recriuts, have some pride! hahaha

Anonymous | 6:38 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Not bad gets for a cold weather cow school. I envision these 2 secure verbal commitments (conflict in terms), are super excited to sport their FFA ï¿½ letterman -jackets and cruse for Logan gals! Utah State is a regular surreal Napoleon Dynamite type of establishment!! Just think down the road, after another expected wide-margin loss, they can swing by one of the local cheese factory outlets and bury their disappointments by filling up on cheese curds and unpasteurized milk ï¿½ oh the good times to come!!

re: anonymous | 6:57 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I see you are using your ybu education again..."cruse"? Now go ahead and play your LV bowl AGAIN while the UTES collect the big money and once again take care of the MWC. GO ARIZONA!

re: re:anonymous | 7:34 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Relax on the spelling lesson.... You know us Utah Men are annoyed by: "quests for perfection!"

why | 8:42 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

are people now making fun of GA recruiting local talent? People said brent guy needed to do that and now that someone is, its not right either. weird

There's better | 9:45 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

I've seen them both play, and Manning is not even the best quarterback in Utah. That honor goes to Spanish Fork's Breck Lewis. He has a stronger arm, is a far better runner and just more athletic. Lewis throws a pretty ball. The Aggies will not be moving forward with Manning. I bet he never earns the starting job, ever.

Reality Check | 10:00 p.m. Dec. 18, 2008

Say what you want. You don't have to do a lot of homework to see that both of these guys are top recruits in Utah. Check out Berntson's stats. Tell me the last time someone in Utah has had 20 sacks in a year. This is after playing only the first half of most of the games because they play for coaches who don't run up the score to pad stats. The same is true for Manning. Their stats are legit. They are both tall and quick (2 things you can't coach). I'm happy for both of them. They are great players with a lot of talent. Any Utah school would be happy to have them.

By the way. A verbal commitment is all anyone can give at this point in the current recruiting year. That's as secure as any U of U or BYU recruit is either.

RR | 5:45 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Wonder what the first game of next season will be like? It will be a totally depleated Utah team vs. a supposed vamped up USU team. However, few coaches or teams do well their first game or season. USU has to totally relearn everything about a new team and program. I'm afraid all this hype is going to frustrate many USU fans next year, especially since they play at Utah and a very senior BYU team next year. Let's hope they schedule Weber.

Win the Utah recruiting wars | 7:31 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Then you Aggies can thump your chest. If BYU or Utah would have wanted these players, they would already have them. But I guess getting Utah's leftovers is still better than ignoring all of Utah's kids for troublemakers from Southern Cal.

to AF fans | 7:33 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

If Lewis is so great how come i didn't see AF at Rice Eccles this year? That's what i thought. See you at Snow.

BYU | 7:34 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Quest for Rejection is more like it.

Dallas Aggie | 7:37 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

I think this is great news! I am a realist, that we will probably need a few years to compete with Boise State, but I also saw what a new coach can do with Ole Miss and Houston Nutt. Look at ESPN's bottom 10 list from the preseason week of the year. Ole Miss was on the waiting list and was 3-9 last year. They went on to beat Florida at home. Yeah, that Florida. The ones going for a national "championship". So things can turn much faster with the right personnel. Thanks to coach guy, we are in a much better position, and I look forward to seeing us light some of our competition up this year.

Rocky Mesa Zube | 8:19 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Don't worry. Bronco will show interest once these guys go on their missions and they'll come home to play for a real program in Provo.

Aggie Fan | 8:37 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Why does every article about Utah State bring out the Ute and Cougar fans to bash. A little insecure?

If you really don't care about USU, and you don't think we will be signing good players unless you guys didn't want them anyway, then don't make the effort to comment about every article on USU.

Trash talking makes you look small and immature.

Re: Rocky Mesa Zube | 10:55 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Bronco is a hypocrite and a slime ball for recruiting missionaries! Like the most important thing these missionaries should be doing is worrying about where they will play football while they are out serving God??? C'mon, If one school on earth should respect that you'd think it would be BYU, but unfortunatly it is meaningless to them... I hate that school and the poor refection it has on my church!

Bronco | 11:16 a.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Bronco preaches what the masses want to hear. Like any other football program in the nation it's a business. BYU makes football out to be a missionary tool, but it's a business. That's why Bronco is recruiting missionaries. Job security for himself.

Dallas Aggie | 12:10 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008

In regards to the other Utah schools, I suggest all Aggies just focus on the positives about our school and let the others live in their own little worlds. In the end, it only matters what happens on the field.

Go Aggies!

To:There's Better and RR | 1:04 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Sorry you didn't get the offer that Eric and Jeff got. FYI, Manning IS the best QB in the state and Bernsten is a stud. This group of USU commits will be a part of something great down the road. Who cares what Utah and BYU games are like next year? BYU will still have their QUEST for their perfect team and perfect year, and Utah will be working through their adjustments to new coaches as well as extending their perfect record. USU has nowhere to go but up with alot more upside than either the U or the Y. They will do no worse than BYU did at Utah this year(OUCH) We will enjoy the ride. It will be great!!!
GO AGGIES!!!!!

Way to go Aggies! | 1:57 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008

It is exciting to see the quality of recruits that Utah State has commitments from in the state of Utah. With GA and the new and battle proven coaching staff, USU has nowhere to go but up! Look out WAC, in a few years USU will be the next bowl buster!

Congratulations Eric, Jeff, DJ and Tyler. Cache Valley and true Aggies are excited and Utes and BYU are running scared.(If you don't believe me just read the previous posts.)

Go Aggies!!

Boston Aggie | 3:12 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008

Way to go Coach. Now lets keep the momentum going.

Go Aggies!!

BCS & FINAL 4 | 1:46 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Places BYU and USU has never been before!

Nuff said...

"GO BIG UTES"

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.