AJ Vongphachanh grew up in Washington state’s Tri-Cities area which is a collection of small cities at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in Eastern Washington.  His father, Chith, is originally from Savannakhet, Laos.

 
AJ played football at Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington, where during his senior season he recorded 113 tackles, 8.0 sacks and led his team to a first-place district finish. He was a three-star recruit and ranked as the 122nd best linebacker in the class of 2019 by 247 Sports.  Being from a small town it was difficult to get noticed by the large Power Five conference schools but AJ caught the eye of several schools in the Mountain West Conference including Colorado State, Airforce, and Utah State.  At 6’3” and 230 lbs AJ played a variety of defensive positions in high school including defensive end and all linebacker spots.  AJ decided to accept an offer from Utah State University and plays inside linebacker for the Aggies.

AJ made his first start as a freshman when Utah State played Fresno State on November 09, 2019.  He played seven games and finished out the season with seven tackles and academic all-Mountain West honors.  The 2020 season was shortened due to the Covid-19 pandemic but AJ still racked up 50 tackles and 3.0 sacks including 17 tackles and 1 sack in the game against Nevada. AJ is early on in his football career so be sure to check back for updates after the 2021 season. He is considered to be an NFL prospect. AJ is the son of Chith and Mireya Vongphachanh