Utah State football fans have had little to cheer about in 2024. A bottom-tier defense continues to bury the team and put undue stress on the offense and fans alike. The one guarantee the city of Logan could bank on was that it would be treated to a sensational effort by Jalen Royals. But unfortunately for the star wide receiver, the team and the entire Aggies community, that will no longer be the case this year.

Royals will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury, per ESPN's Pete Thamels. This is a gut-wrenching blow for a player who was impressing NFL scouts through the first seven games of the campaign. Going into Saturday's slate of competition, he ranked fourth in the country with 834 receiving yards and was tied for sixth with 55 receptions. Although his excellence has not correlated with success for the team, Royals means a great deal to Utah State.

Jalen Royals surprisingly stuck with Utah State football

Following a 2023 season in which he totaled over 1,000 yards and scored a whopping 15 touchdowns (trailing only then-LSU WR and current Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr.), the All-Mountain West First-Team selection could have jumped to a more prestigious program. Few people would have blamed him for attempting to raise his NFL Draft profile and NIL revenue, but Royals did not enter the transfer portal.

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The 21-year-old pledged his loyalty to an Aggies team that went 6-7 the last two seasons and is presently a brutal 1-6, valuing the bonds he forged instead of the razzle-dazzle he could regularly enjoy elsewhere. Royals' commitment to Utah State football makes it even harder for fans to accept his setback.

The squad is already languishing in the abyss, surrendering the second-most points per game in the nation (43.9). Without their best talent, what hope does it have of getting back in the win column? Saturday night's road matchup versus Wyoming, which was initially a possible candidate to end the dry spell, will now present a much more grueling challenge.

One thing is for sure, though. The Aggies and their supporters will be thinking of Jalen Royals when they step into War Memorial Stadium.