'Stanford's cool, but it's not Utah State,' NFL veteran Bobby Wagner tells USU graduates

Levi Sim, Utah State University

LOGAN — Faces brimming with optimism and excitement filled the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Wednesday as over 6,300 students graduated from Utah State University.

Marking the first commencement ceremony of new USU President Brad Mortensen’s tenure, graduates got the chance to hear from a true Aggie legend in NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Throughout a career that has spanned 14 seasons, Wagner has experienced immense individual and collective success, being named a 10-time Pro Bowler, a six-time First-team All-Pro and Super Bowl XLVII champion.

Additionally, Wagner was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s and, in 2025, was named as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, a prestigious award given annually to one player in the league whose impact reaches beyond the gridiron and into the community.

But before he went on to become a four-year starter, tie the all-time school record in tackles and lead USU to its first bowl appearance in 14 years, Wagner was close to not being an Aggie.

He described being hesitant to commit to Utah State — a feeling that was exacerbated on his visit to the school — mostly because of the snow.

With USU being the only school to offer Wagner a scholarship, his mom gave him an ultimatum.

“She told me that I either accepted the scholarship or I wasn’t coming back home,” Wagner said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “I accepted the scholarship, and one of the things that that taught me was, sometimes the place that you least expect to be is the place that you (are) exactly supposed to be. And ever since then, when I first stepped on campus as an Aggie, everybody, the students, the teachers, my coaches, they accepted me as one, and I felt the love and I felt the energy from Utah State.”

To this day, Wagner said he takes pride in being a Utah State product, even saying he felt offended when people around the NFL would assume he went to the University of Utah or Brigham Young University.

He also took some time to espouse a bit of professional wisdom on the graduates, emphasizing the importance of networking — no matter the career field.

“I walked into the locker room one day ... and Richard Sherman and were talking about how great Stanford was, and they were talking about the connection they made at this event,” Wagner said.