RECRUITING: Utah State Commit Considers Weber State Scholarship Offer
Updated: Feb 16, 2021
(Photo Credit: Larsen's personal photo library)
NAME: Isaac Larsen
HIGH SCHOOL: Sky View High School (Smithfield, UT)
POSITION: Athlete (WR, CB, KR, PR)
TOP SCHOOLS: Utah State, Weber State, Arizona*, Cal*, Oregon State*, Oregon*, Eastern Washington*
*Indicates he has not received a scholarship offer
Isaac Larsen, a three-star athlete from Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, grew up just a short drive from Utah State University’s Maverik Stadium. He was raised going to Aggie games and cheering for Gary Andersen and Matt Wells’ squads as Big Blue competed for division titles and in bowl games. When Utah State offered a scholarship in 2019, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
Then things changed.
Drastically.
In April of 2020, Weber State gave Larsen a scholarship offer to come play for the Wildcats, becoming the only other school to offer the 4A first team athlete.
Even more recently, there has been a seismic shakeup in Logan, as Andersen was removed as head coach at USU in November 2020, and the Aggies announced on December 11th that Blake Anderson, the former head coach at Arkansas State University, would be filling the void.
“The coaching change was a little weird,” Larsen told Weber State Weekly. “USU said I’m their number one guy. If a new coach comes in, what’s going to happen?”
Larsen went on to tell us, “Weber State’s been saying that I’m their guy and they want me.” With the changes that COVID-19 has made in college football recruiting, Larsen hasn’t taken an official visit in Ogden, but mentioned, “I went to their camp and that was good. I’ve been there for football games, too.” He went on to say, “(Weber State’s) coaches are way dope and I have a great relationship with them. The (football) facility is dope, too.”
Larsen – the state of Utah’s 23rd highest-ranked player, according to 247 Sports – is a player who does it all on the football field. He was a deep threat in the passing game, using his 4.4 speed to blow by defenders.
In the rushing game, he frequently picked up first downs on fly sweeps and reverses.
On defense, where Weber State likes him the most, and where he made the Deseret News’ 4A First Team, he would create havoc as a hard-hitting, sure-tackling, fumble-causing powerhouse. The speedster also had four interceptions and returned a couple of them for a touchdown.
He’s a playmaker on special teams, too. On field goal defense, he can come off the corner so fast that the kicker doesn’t even have time to kick the ball before Larsen is wrapping up the holder. As a returner, he had several long kick and punt returns for Sky View.
Larsen compares himself to Kam Chancellor, saying, “I want to be like him and make my mark wherever I can.” The comparison that WSW thought of was Deion Sanders, with a smaller frame than Chancellor and the ability to make plays in every aspect of the game.
Off the field, Larsen likes hanging out with his friends and is a talented musician. Several of his rap songs are available on Apple Music.
He hasn’t decided where he’s going to sign yet, making it very clear to Weber State Weekly that his mind is far from made up. Although he committed to the Aggies over a year ago, he still doesn’t plan on signing with Utah State – or anywhere else – until February, at the earliest.
WALDO’S MAGIC 8 BALL PREDICTION
Waldo’s Magic 8 Ball has proven to be extremely generous at times, and it can occasionally be overly harsh. When we brought Larsen’s case to the 8 Ball, the answer we got was, “Cannot predict now.” There are currently so many moving pieces with Utah State’s coaching staff that, at the time this post was written, it is nearly impossible to predict where Larsen will go. There’s the FBS-FCS aspect and the involvement of his hometown team, but Weber State offers him the chance to win at the highest level in FCS and has a proven head coach. We know that Larsen’s relationship with Frank Maile, who was Utah State’s interim head coach and Larsen’s primary recruiter, is very good. Whether or not Maile stays at Utah State could be the key in what happens with Isaac Larsen’s recruitment.