Utah State WR Jalen Royals to miss remainder of 2024 season

Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, multiple sources tell On3. The first-team All-Mountain West selection has 1,914 career receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.

Viewed as one of the top NFL draft prospects out of the Group of Five this year, Royals averaged 15.2 yards per catch and 83.1 yards per game in 2023. The wide receiver is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury.

In seven games this season with the Aggies, Royals posted 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns. Utah State head coach Blake Anderson was fired over the summer. The Aggies are 1-6 this season and play at Wyoming on Saturday night.

With Anderson’s departure, he had the option to enter the portal this summer but decided to stay at Utah State.

“I mean, I have not made in my lifetime as much money as Jalen has been offered for the last six months,” Utah State co-offensive coordinator Cooper Bassett said last summer.

Royals played in last week’s 50-45 loss to New Mexico, tallying 11 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown. Entering Saturday, Royals ranked second in the Mountain West in receiving yards. He was also averaging 119.1 receiving yards per game.

“Definitely relationships, especially between me and Coach [Kyle] Cefalo,” Royals said when asked about his decision to stay with the Aggies. “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).”