Why Jalen Royals remained true to the Aggies

Jalen Royals could be a very rich man right now.

How rich?

Well, per USU co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Cooper Bassett, Royals has received multiple NIL offers during the last six months that — on their own — were worth more than what Bassett has made in his entire coaching career.

Just as a note, Bassett made $150,000 last season, per USA Today . And he has been working as a coach in college football since 2017.

“I mean, I have not made in my lifetime as much money as Jalen has been offered for the last six months,” Bassett said.

There’s a reason Royals has been offered so much.

The wide receiver — about to start his senior season in Logan — was one of the best pass catchers in all of college football last season, but especially in the Mountain West Conference.

Royals finished the 2023 season with 71 receptions for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Break it down further and Royals averaged 15.2 yards per catch and 83.1 yards per game.

Those 15 touchdowns? That was a new Utah State record.

Royals led the entire country in touchdown receptions that went for 50 yards or more, with seven.

He ranked in the top 10 in the MW in receiving touchdowns, receiving yards per game, receptions per game, scoring and yards per reception.

He was a top-50 wideout overall in three of those categories.

Pro Football Focus rated Royals as the 69th best receiver in America last year , but if you focus solely on receiving grades, Royals finished in the top 45 overall.

For a wide receiver, who in the previous year didn’t record a single stat — playing mostly on special teams — it was a major leap. And when you consider that in 2021 Royals was primarily a special teams player for Georgia Military College, a junior college based in Milledgeville, Georgia, it was an astounding leap.

Current draft projections put Royals squarely in the mix for the 2025 NFL draft, with Jim Nagy, the director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, calling Royals a legitimate Day 2 prospect.

“Tough, explosive, sturdy touchdown-maker (15 TDs last year) plays bigger than his size (5114v, 193v, 31 arm, 9 1/4 hand) and will be able to play inside and outside at next level,” Nagy wrote in a social media post . “Liked him the more we watched him.”

Given all that, how is Royals still in Logan? The current college football landscape almost demands that players like Royals end up at a bigger school.

Well, it comes down to relationships that have been built, primarily the one Royals shares with USU co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Kyle Cefalo.

“Definitely relationships, especially between me and Coach Cefalo,” Royals said. “We’ve built that over the years and him just trusting me and knowing he can get me to the next level is probably the biggest thing (that kept me at Utah State).”

Royals isn’t a big talker, but his respect for Cefalo shines through.

Cefalo will call plays for the Aggies this season for the first time in his career and Royals lit up when discussing the change.

“It is definitely going to be pretty fun,” Royals said. “He knows our weaknesses and our strengths. What we like, so it is going to be unique.”

“We might throw the ball a little more,” he added with a chuckle.

For Cefalo, holding onto Royals is one of the biggest accomplishments of the offseason.

“Nowadays in college football, the greatest compliment a coach can get is when your kids turn down opportunities and stay and play for you,” Cefalo said. “Especially when it is their last year.”

Developing Royals has been a feather in Cefalo’s cap, though the coach has proven adept at finding and developing elite talent at wide receiver in his career, going back to his days at Arkansas State.

Royals isn’t done developing either.

He has clear areas he wants to improve on, including blocking (PFF wasn’t all that impressed with Royals’ ability to pass block last season) and route running.

“I want to be more consistent on my routes,” Royals said. “More crisp, more direct.”

Most importantly to him, though, Royals wants to eliminate drops completely. He had three last year and he is set on that number being zero this season.

“I want to be more consistent,” he said.

There is a lot of belief in Royals at Utah State. Interim head coach Nate Dreiling hasn’t been shy about saying he believes Royals will be a first- or second-round NFL draft pick and has talked about how there has been little that his defense has done that has slowed Royals down.

And after his breakout season, Royals shares a lot of that confidence, too.

“Last year helped me know that I can compete with anybody,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what conference they are in.”

Royals could’ve — many would say should’ve — been playing in a different conference this season. A more high-profile one than the MW for sure.

But despite all the offers and pull to leave, he remains an Aggie.