Utah’s 2026 Recruiting Class Could Shake Up the Big 12 — But One Surprise Signing Could Change Everything

The Fremont star had 800 yards and 10 touchdowns on 58 receptions and also played safety, with two interceptions and 40 tackles.

A busy official visit season has paid off for the Utes, which now have received commitments from 17 players and have risen up the Big 12 and national recruiting rankings.The Utes also received a commitment from three-star wide receiver Perrion Williams, who tallied 757 yards and nine touchdowns on 52 receptions.Hinchen had offers from Cal, Nebraska, Missouri and BYU before deciding to play for Morgan Scally’s unit. He had 21 tackles, a tackle for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and a forced fumble last season.Bear Fisher, from Queen Creek High in Arizona, chose the Utes over Arizona, North Carolina and BYU.

Kennan Pula, a three-star prospect, checks in as the No. 68 receiver nationally, and also displayed exciting potential at safety last season for Timpview. If tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu live up to expectations, they could move onto the NFL next season, and Michael Mokofisi, Tanoa Togiai and Jaren Kump — the other starters — are all seniors.A month ago, the University of Utah had just two commits in its 2026 football recruiting class.Last season, Johnson threw for 2,700 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 618 yards and 10 scores. He chose the Utes over Big 12 foes West Virginia, UCF and Cincinnati. Moa will choose from a final list of Utah, Tennessee, Michigan, Washington and Michigan State soon.Local product Aisa Galea’i, from Timpview, headlines the group. The three-star safety had offers from BYU, UCLA, Miami, Oregon and Washington but decided to stay home and commit to Utah.Texas Tech, which over the weekend landed five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, currently sits in first place in 247’s rankings. BYU, which landed five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, is in second place, and Kansas, which has three four-star talents, is in third place.Recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, of Rivals, recently placed a prediction for the Utes to land athlete Salesi Moa. The son of former Ute tight end Ben Moa, Salesi Moa is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 44 overall prospect in the entire country and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Utah.He was named Deseret News 5A All-State honorable mention.Obot has the size, athleticism and skill to start right away at tackle for the Utes, much like Fano did in his freshman season.Utah also added two interior three-star linemen around Obot — 6-foot-4, 280-pound Moses Sparks and 6-foot-3, 280-pound Rowdy Pearce. Last season for Timpview, Galea’i totaled 82 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, six interceptions, seven pass deflections and two forced fumbles. The 247Sports composite system, which takes into account ratings by 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN, tabs Jaron Pula — 6-foot-3, 185 pounds — as the No. 7 prospect in the state of Utah and the No. 61 receiver nationally. 247Sports itself has him as the No. 35 receiver in the country.Last year, he had 77 receptions for 1,209 yards and eight touchdowns and was named to the Deseret News 2024 5A All-State first team.LaMarcus Bell filled Utah’s 2026 need at running back, as the Utes landed the talented ball-carrier from Oregon. Rated the No. 63 running back in the nation according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Bell rushed for 1,538 yards and 25 touchdowns, with eight games of 100 yards or more.The Utes made a splash earlier this week with the commitment of four-star offensive tackle Kelvin Obot, whom 247Sports ranks as the No. 9 offensive tackle nationally. My, how much things can change.He has real two-way potential in college, but told 247Sports’ Blair Angulo that “(Utah) they want me to play receiver first and help out on the offensive side.”If the Utes can land Moa, it would rocket their 247Sports recruiting ranking to No. 3 in the Big 12 and into the Top 30 nationally.Rivals rates him as the No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Utah, while 247Sports has him at No. 10.With a 0.9723 composite rating, Moa would become the second-highest-rated player in school history, behind only cornerback Clark Phillips III, who was part of back-to-back Pac-12 championship teams at Utah and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. As of July 6, 247Sports has the Utes No. 46 in the nation and No. 8 in the Big 12 Conference, with room still to grow.Utah checked off the quarterback box with the addition of three-star Michael Johnson, who fits the dual-threat mold that new offensive coordinator Jason Beck relishes in his quarterbacks. On the defensive side of the ball, Utah has loaded up on cornerbacks and safeties.Obot’s pledge was a significant win for Jim Harding, as the 6-foot-5 and 300-pound Obot picked the Utes over other finalists Michigan, Oregon and Nebraska. Pitts had offers from TCU and Oklahoma State. He had 116 tackles, an astounding 27 tackles for loss and nine sacks, plus one interception. Ramon had an offer from Baylor, but opted to venture out of Texas to Salt Lake CityThe Utes have also added two along the defensive line — Texas three-star edge rushers Preston Pitts and Javion Ramon. Just a month ago, the University of Utah’s 2026 football recruiting class was barely off the ground, standing at a mere two commitments. Fast forward to today, and the scene is almost unrecognizable. The Utes have turned the tide impressively, gathering 17 pledges amid a whirlwind official visit season that’s put them firmly on the map—not only climbing to 46th nationally but also staking their claim at No. 8 within the fiercely competitive Big 12 Conference. This surge isn’t just a fluke; it’s a buzzworthy rise fueled by strategic recruiting wins, including top-tier offensive tackles and standout wide receivers, signaling a promising future for Utah’s program. With the national eyes watching, the question now is: how high can the Utes really go? The groundwork’s laid, the momentum’s rolling, and there’s palpable excitement about the recruits yet to come. It’s a game-changer season for Utah’s roster building. LEARN MORENext, the Utes got two of the most significant wide receiver commits in school history, landing Lone Peak High twins Jaron and Kennan Pula after they had previously been committed to UCLA.The Utes’ recruiting fortunes started turning in June, when they got a string of commitments to start building out their class.Rounding out Utah’s offensive pickup are a pair of three-star tight ends — one from the junior college ranks and one from the high school ranks. He became not just Utah’s highest-rated player in this class, but one of the highest-ranked players ever to commit to Utah. With a 247Sports composite rating of 0.9406, he ranks No. 9 all time for Utah, just behind offensive tackle Garett Boles, who had a composite rating if 0.9462 out of Snow College.He was named to the Deseret News 2024 5A All-State second team as a safety.Next on the agenda was the offensive line, a position group that will need to be restocked both through high school commits and the transfer portal. Josiah Jefferson, from Southwestern College near San Diego, picked the Utes over Oklahoma and Arizona. As a freshman at Southwestern last season, Jefferson had 23 catches for 213 yards in nine games played, and is ranked the No. 1 junior college tight end and the No. 4 junior college player overall by 247Sports.At cornerback, the Utes received commitments from a pair of three-stars — Dylan Waters and Major Hinchen. Waters, who had 20 tackles and three pass deflections while playing eight games, took official visits to Utah, UCLA and UNLV before deciding on the Utes.Fellow three-star safety Carter Stewart, from Texas, chose the Utes over offers from Arizona State, Baylor, SMU, Michigan State and Oklahoma, among others. He notched 21 tackles and six pass deflections last year for Shadow Creek High in Pearland, Texas.The Utes aren’t done on the offensive side of the ball, and could soon receive a commitment from one of the best players in the state of Utah.Rounding out the defensive side, Utah added three-star linebacker LaGary Mitchell Jr. from Meridian High in Idaho. Mitchell, who was originally committed to Boise State before flipping to Utah, was one of the Utes’ early commits back on June 2.