Something I thought might be fun and may very well be a sign as to who is staying and leaving is examining a players social media bio. Players now more than ever have to make sure their social media pages of updated and engaging now this isn't an exact science and could very well mean nothing, but I need something to keep me busy while we are in the hiring process. This thread can also be used to share any info about the players entering and exiting transfer portal as well as other Utah State transfer business .
(All bio's are from Instagram)

Mentions USU:
Sean Bairstow: "Hooper @USUBasketball" (Transferred)
Steven Ashworth: "Utah State Basketball three" (Transferred)
Szymon Zapala: "Utah State" (Transferred)
Mason Falsev: "Utah state Basketball"
Garrison Phelps: "@usubasketball"
Karson Templin: "@usubasketball"
Dallin Grant: "@usuaggiebasketball"

DOES NOT mention USU:
Max Shulga: *No mention of USU* (Transferred)
Zee Hamoda: *No mention of USU*
Isaac Johnson: *No mention of USU*
Kalifa Sakho: *No mention of USU*

So we're relying on Gen Z to keep their Instagram updated?

can anyone confirm whether any of the last 4 ever had mention of usubasketball in their bios?

ShowMeAggie wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 2:34 pm

can anyone confirm whether any of the last 4 ever had mention of usubasketball in their bios?

I believe Max did at one point. However, I am not sure when he changed it.

Could be that Max has bigger things to worry about rather than what his Instagram bio says.

thrashsoundly wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 2:39 pm

Could be that Max has bigger things to worry about rather than what his Instagram bio says.

Maybe, like I said this isn't an exact science.

Look it’s not easy to lose a coach. True for fans and especially players. Reading too much into what you aren’t reading may or may not be the move here

I can still remember Byron Vaughns posting something on social media that would have led us to believe he was staying if it wasn't for aggies22 telling us that he would announce he was going.

Back to basketball, maybe New Mexico was supposed to be even worse news than if it were Utah or BYU as they are on our schedule.

Imakeitrain wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 2:54 pm

Look it’s not easy to lose a coach. True for fans and especially players. Reading too much into what you aren’t reading may or may not be the move here

I can't imagine too many players that are 100 percent either way as they are likely waiting on the new coach.

Yikes! That’s alot of money!

I hope they get reported.

The fallout could be fun.

cval wrote:I hope they get reported.

The fallout could be fun.

How often does this happen and something is actually done about it though?


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No. I doubt the NCAA would do anything, but I would like to see the media give them some attention over it.

Yikes. Will really be a kick to the junk to see Steven go to BYU who was in their minor league system (Lone Peak) and they thought he wasn’t good enough for them now their donors who have all this money can just throw it at kids.

I mean how would it be to have enough money you can pay a kid 200k to play basketball at your school

NIL has ruined college basketball along with the new transfer rules.

FootballAgg wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:27 pm

NIL has ruined college basketball along with the new transfer rules.

Hell yes it has.

How fun is it going to be whenever we have a star lds player byu offering them a ton of money. So fun!

If this is true or even a rumor, no wonder his social accounts are blowing up. Probably some negative (I can't express myself without swearing) thrown in with the begging to stay. Everyone needs to leave him alone.

I have no clue if it is true. I love Ashworth but this would be extremely discouraging if it happens. NIL is absolutely destroying college sports.

Maybe this brings the end of BYU sports sooner rather than later. The Brethren clearly don't want to encourage this type of blatant dishonesty. Time to remove the temptation.

stwinward wrote:Maybe this brings the end of BYU sports sooner rather than later. The Brethren clearly don't want to encourage this type of blatant dishonesty. Time to remove the temptation.

One can dream


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stwinward wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:43 pm

Maybe this brings the end of BYU sports sooner rather than later. The Brethren clearly don't want to encourage this type of blatant dishonesty. Time to remove the temptation.

Maybe NIL for BYU is why they're hoarding hundreds of billions of $.

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:40 pm

I have no clue if it is true. I love Ashworth but this would be extremely discouraging if it happens. NIL is absolutely destroying college sports.

But would you blame a kid to take $200k? I certainly wouldn’t.

slcagg wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:49 pm

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:40 pm

I have no clue if it is true. I love Ashworth but this would be extremely discouraging if it happens. NIL is absolutely destroying college sports.

But would you blame a kid to take $200k? I certainly wouldn’t.

Certainly not but to go to one of our rivals would be a kick to the nuts. I certainly would not wish him any good fortune there.

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:51 pm

slcagg wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:49 pm

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:40 pm

I have no clue if it is true. I love Ashworth but this would be extremely discouraging if it happens. NIL is absolutely destroying college sports.

But would you blame a kid to take $200k? I certainly wouldn’t.

Certainly not but to go to one of our rivals would be a kick to the nuts. I certainly would not wish him any good fortune there.

Oh I don’t disagree.

FootballAgg wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:14 pm

Yikes! That’s alot of money!

Does this NIL deal include a Cabriolet convertible and romantic trips to Disneyland and Las Vegas?

Oh BYU. They think they are completely above us. Has the most smug fan base on the face of the planet and yet wants to poach one of our players. Rollie and Marco to Utah was one thing. I absolutely couldn’t stomach Ashworth to BYU.

Same thing happened in football. At least 5 USU players were offered $50k by BYU before our season was over. Lapuahu was the only taker. They pulled you offer to another kid (can’t say the name) after he entered the portal with the intent of going there. Kid now does not have a place to play and was a starter here.

Blatant violation of rules, not to mention the ethics/honesty around this. Hate that place more than ever!!!

At least the church will get $20k (tithing) in dirty money if Ashworth does decide to go there.


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Kevincurtisforlife wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 10:14 pm

Oh BYU. They think they are completely above us. Has the most smug fan base on the face of the planet and yet wants to poach one of our players. Rollie and Marco to Utah was one thing. I absolutely couldn’t stomach Ashworth to BYU.

The difference for me would be seeing Ashworth at byu would make me physically ill and not just annoyed.

not sure what is newsworthy of the NIL offer from byu? this is how it is being done all over the country now - pool money together, send pay-to-play offer to target player through secondary channels, hope that you can convince enough high end players to jump ship to keep pace with your peers.

I heard the Ashworth offer is 3x his current NIL which would put it around 180k so the "closer to 200k" reports are probably accurate.

I have faith that Ashworth is an Aggie in heart and mind now and sort of revels in the fact that by staying he is sticking it to byu. his family is also pretty well to do so the $$ might not have the same pull it may with other players. we shall see....

is it worth enough to go play for a program that just finished middle of the wcc? and is now joining a conference they will surely place last? doesn't sound like an enjoyable senior season to me.

IdAggie wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 10:29 pm

Same thing happened in football. At least 5 USU players were offered $50k by BYU before our season was over. Lapuahu was the only taker. They pulled you offer to another kid (can’t say the name) after he entered the portal with the intent of going there. Kid now does not have a place to play and was a starter here.

Blatant violation of rules, not to mention the ethics/honesty around this. Hate that place more than ever!!!

At least the church will get $20k (tithing) in dirty money if Ashworth does decide to go there.


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For sure! Cause if there’s one thing the LDS Church is lacking, it’s money!

For some of us, that’s just an additional kick in the nuts.

ineptimusprime wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 11:19 pm

IdAggie wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 10:29 pm

Same thing happened in football. At least 5 USU players were offered $50k by BYU before our season was over. Lapuahu was the only taker. They pulled you offer to another kid (can’t say the name) after he entered the portal with the intent of going there. Kid now does not have a place to play and was a starter here.

Blatant violation of rules, not to mention the ethics/honesty around this. Hate that place more than ever!!!

At least the church will get $20k (tithing) in dirty money if Ashworth does decide to go there.


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For sure! Cause if there’s one thing the LDS Church is lacking, it’s money!

For some of us, that’s just an additional kick in the nuts.

All you suckers paying tithing are helping destroy our programs

The ncaa is fine with BYU offering anyone $200,000 because they don’t want to blow up the system for UNC being able to offer someone $2,000,000… $200k is a lot of money especially if he’s a scholarship player and the money is on top of the scholarship. It would be hard to turn down. Just know that makes BYU the John.

jprism wrote: ↑

March 30th, 2023, 9:17 pm

cval wrote:I hope they get reported.

The fallout could be fun.

How often does this happen and something is actually done about it though?


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It has been mentioned previously that the reason coaches WON'T report violations is cause they all know that they will be looking for other jobs some day, rather it's a promotion directly from Utah State, being forced to beg for anything if it doesn't work out at Utah State, down the road after they leave USU for something better but it doesn't work out there, or even after three or four other stops, and being known as a narc would make schools mad at him and not want him.

As an example, maybe Ephraim Banda will do a good job as the Browns secondary coach and get promoted to being their DC and does a good job there and is willing to go back down to college to be a head coach. The University of Cincinnati head job opens up. Well, good thing for Banda he didn't report them for tampering cause why would UC hire the guy responsible for them getting the bowl ban and loss of 5 scholarships that one year. Or Northwestern goes downhill, causing Pat Fitzgerald to be let go and LaMarcus Hicks out of work having to beg anyone to take him. Florida International gives him another shot, but after a season with the coach on the hot seat, he wants a job with a more prestigious program than FIU and with a coach more secure. UC's secondary coach position opens up, but why would they hire the coach responsible for them getting in trouble.

Kyle Whittingham will report violations cause he knows he will have the Utah head job as long as he wants it and plans on retiring from there so he knows he won't ever again be in a position having to beg another school for a job.

That said, if there is ANY school we can get one of our coaches to report, it's BYU with a non-LDS coach. As if we bring in a non-LDS head coach, he would be able to piss off BYU all he wants and not care if they are unhappy with him cause of his inability to be the BYU head coach. But even that would only work with a coach relatively secure, in a position where they know they won't be having to beg for an assistant job.

The media is more powerful than the NCAA.

Get the word out to them.