Disturbing Trend for The ’26 Recruiting Class

[Tyler Henry]

Assuming Helaman commits to Texas A&M (essentially a done deal at this point,) Utah would have missed out on four of the ten best players in the state of Utah. Normally Utah missing out on in-state talent would not bother me, but the ’26 in-state class is LOADED! I cannot recall the state of Utah having this much high school talent in one class.

I am aware of the current state of college football, but I do not and will not entertain the opinion that high school recruiting does not matter anymore. If Utah really wants to secure their future, they need to swing for the fence and recruit the local kids. I will attach the 247-player rankings below, if anyone is interested.

*247 has not updated all player developments yet, the Pula twins for example committed to UCLA yesterday.*

https://247sports.com/season/2026-football/RecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=UT

[Ute Dub]

How many times do we need to say this: most states lose half or more of their top 10 kids to out of state schools. The end.

[Tyler Henry]

For the states with larger pools of talent, for sure. However, Utah needs to land on a higher percentage of them to stay successful. Does that mean landing a five-star? Of course not, but repeatedly missing out on near or current in-state four-stars cannot happen for our Utes.

[Ute Dub]

I think you’re wrong on this one. Utah needs NFL guys. Most of Utah’s NFL guys come from out of state. Reverse engineer the recruiting and if Utah gets half or 40% of the top 10 Utah kids, that’s about at or above the average nationwide and historically. Of course there have been some up years where they’ve grabbed 50% or 60% but those are the outlier years. And I would say they can recruit just fine for success without landing all top Utah kids at the rate of your expectation. In other words, your fretting over something that’s been dispelled that is not a necessity for success, although it is preferred to cater to the local recruits for ease and low cost recruiting.

[Central Coast Ute]

Sure. But Utah’s recruiting out of state talent is also getting worse, not better.

[Ute Dub]

Utah has made it clear that they value the portal and late announcing high star recruits. Therefore, looking at the early recruiting rankings isn’t going to tell the full story. Also, Utah has a very upper class man team at the moment. It’s tough to recruit to spots that aren’t open.

[Utesbyfive]

Welcome to life in a non power conference. Our recruiting is going to fall back to closer to MWC level unless we’re getting to the playoff every year. 1. There are really only two power conferences, and we’re not in one, and 2. We can’t compete monetarily with them.

[The Miami Ute]

And Utah’s problem is that it’s not the most attractive program in the Big XII. I would submit that schools like Texas Tech, Arizona, ASU, and Colorado have higher ceilings if run competently.

[Rick Walker]

I agree for the most part. I think all those schools have higher ceilings than they consistently achieve, but I wouldn’t say that all have higher ceilings than Utah. All those schools and Utah seem to me to be teams that should consistently be good not great and everyone once in a while have a special year. But honestly who knows with the way college football is heading, anything is possible.

[The Miami Ute]

Rick, I say that those schools have higher ceilings for several reasons. One, they all have a longer history of football success (i.e. national brand) than Utah. Two, they’re all as big (or bigger) and deep-pocketed in the student body and alumni base. Lastly, they’re all located in locations that have larger population bases and access to higher-level recruits. Utah’s secret weapon has been Whitt, and his presence ensures almost guaranteed success. I sincerely hope that trend continues when the keys are handed over to Scalley.

[MacKidsAlumn]

@TheMiamiUte the states of Arizona and Colorado have a larger population than Utah, but they don’t have more high school recruits than the state of Utah. Typically, Utah has more D1 recruits than both Arizona and Colorado. There are some years that’s not the case but on average Utah High school produces more D1 players.

The Big 12 is a middle-class conference. No one really has the resources to really pull ahead and leave everyone in the dust. The conference is made of teams who have at different points put together good and even great years but there is no traditional power in the conference.

[Stone]

You say this:

“If Utah really wants to secure their future, they need to swing for the fence and recruit the local kids.”

Is Utah not recruiting these local kids? Or is Utah just not getting commitments from them. I assume Utah is swinging for the fences and trying to recruit them (maybe I am wrong), but recruiting them only goes so far, there also needs to be a kid interested in going to the U. Some will, but some will find appeal in leaving “the nest” and going away to school. There is also now the NIL factor.

[Red Son]

Exactly. What does “swing for the fences” even mean when it comes to recruiting? I would assume they are doing everything possible to get all of the in-state players. The only thing we can’t necessarily swing for the fences on is NIL, which is the problem for a lot of programs.

[Anfernee]

I can say for certain Utah is trying hard as hell for these kids.

[Rick Walker]

Helaman could very likely commit to Texas A&M but I don’t think he’s very sure where he wants to play and will be the first to tell to you lots can happen between his junior and senior years.

*side note* I’ve heard rumors he might transfer to Mater Dei, don’t know how likely that is but if he does I’d think he’s very unlikely to go to school in Utah.

[The Miami Ute]

If he goes to Mater Dei, he’ll go to Oregon or USC guaranteed.

[RoboUte]

I thought us losing top local talent was pretty much a given. We get a few here and there but between them leaving the state altogether and BYU competing as well there really aren’t a lot to go around.

[Utah]

Look, when we were in the MWC, we’d lose half the top 10 to schools in power conferences. When we were in the PAC-12, we got to the point where we could keep a lot of those kids at home.

Now that we are in the Big 12…well, the Big 12 sucks rocks. And the kids know this. They don’t want to play Big 12 teams. So we are losing them again.

As long as we are in the MWC…I mean Big 12, this is just reality. Why would any kid want to play Kansas St and Baylor and Cincinnati and Houston when they could play Big 10 or SEC teams?

[The Miami Ute]

The only reasons why I could think that a great local kid would want to stay at home are:
1. He wants to stay close to home. Not everyone wants to be away from their family when they turn 18.
2. Guaranteed playing time and a path to the NFL. Utah has put enough guys at the top level for that to be a legitimate selling point.
3. The Big XII is not the MWC. It’s a conference that has a guaranteed spot in the CFPs for one and possibly two teams. If Utah is one of those teams consistently, they’ll get much better recruits than say, a Rutgers or Mississippi State that has zero chance of ever making it to the playoffs.
4. NIL…if the money’s the same, or close to the same, why leave?

Anyways, all is not lost…

[Ute Dub]

Meh. In 2019, Utah took 2 of the top 10 Utah recruits. Utah is loaded with upperclassman. There’s not a lot of open starting opportunity across the board. I think that factors in. It ebbs and flows.

https://247sports.com/season/2019-football/CompositeRecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=UT

[cobraute]

I’ve been a Utah football fan since attending my first game in 1971 Utah vs UTEP. I’ve witnessed first hand the growth of the football program. I’ve been to 42 college stadiums including Kyle field in College station Texas. WOW what traditions. WOW of a campus. Wow of a stadium. Far more impressive than RES. Not even close.
Money is the only thing that separates Utah from blue blood top 10 programs. Utah has good coaches that provide a great environment. They have a history of high graduation rates. They have dedicated fans. The only thing they don’t have that blue bloods have is big money. Utah has a handful of big time whale donors. Blue blood programs have bus loads of big donors. Imagine having 2 dozen or more Spence Eccles in your booster club. This is what Utah competes with. When Utah used to publish a football program and sell them at the games, you were able to see all the donors names and the level of money they donated. Those who donated over $100,000 to the crimson club were on a very short list. Many of the blue blood programs have as many $100,000 donors as Utah has $500 donors.

My first season tickets cost me $30 a seat for the season. Today, I’m over $1000 a seat for the season. I have 4 seats. I spend on average $200 on concessions each game between corn dogs, nachos, drinks, and dip dots for me and my grown kids. We also hit the bookstore every first game and drop $700-800 in under armor gear for 4. That’s not hard to do. As I get older, Saturdays become a chore. With grandkids on the way, it’s going to get more busy. I truly don’t see myself being so invested in Utah football when I could easily watch every game at home and pay for a 2 week vacation in Jamaica.
The game has been changed by all this money. It’s only going to get more expensive for every fan. The Utes have changed as well. I remember the days of attending every day of spring and fall camp. Going to every scrimmage. I have fond memories of camp carbon in Price. Today, if you even walk by the the stadium during a practice, you don’t last 10 seconds at the fence without some telling you that you have to leave.

I also remember the days of following recruiting like an addict. I’d get disappointed when certain players went somewhere else. Today, I don’t follow recruiting as diligently. It was a tough habit to break, but I’m a better fan for cutting back. The thing I’ve learned by watching kids commit to a school is they always choose what’s best for them. They have their reasons and that’s what matters most. Utah does their best to attract players. To say Utah didn’t recruit hard enough, what does that even mean. When coach whit says he wants you, he means he wants you. Coach throws out the red carpet for every recruit and shows genuine interest and love for each recruit. I don’t know of many or even one that said they weren’t treated well or recruited poorly. Kids have very little life experience. All of them want more experiences. Sometimes, that means leaving their home state to gain a different life experience. I do not fault the coaches. I do not resent the players. You have to let that stuff go. The thing that upsets me the most about todays game is the money side of recruiting. More and more kids are going for the paycheck in the same way I did in my career. I followed the money path to get me where I am today. These kids are no different and I don’t fault them. It’s not a wrong choice.
I guess If you want to change any program, donate program changing money. That’s today battle.

[Crazyforu]

Well said! I’m as loyal as they come, they last 1.5 years have been about as mentally draining and unenjoyable as I can imagine. I say that realizing Utah went 8-4 last year, that was a rough 8-4, with the never ending injury games throughout, and the worst bowl game I can remember to top it off.

Now this year, we all know what has happened. The financial aspect 100% plays into some of it, I also am getting to a point where watching the game from home truly sounds more appealing. I have loved having tickets, I didn’t attend multiple games last year because I just lost the give a s**t. That is a slippery slope with a fanbase, and hard to quantify, I know a lot feel it though.

[Central Coast Ute]

Good post, Cobra. I remember buying season tickets at the old rice stadium for $45 each. Even if I currently lived in Utah, I don’t think I would be willing to pay the prices they are now.
It seems all sports are moving away from cheap seats and going towards more luxury seating. I just went to a concert at The Forum where the Lakers used to play up until the 90’s. It was all chairs, no luxury suites at all. Every team in every sport is getting rid of the cheap seats and replacing them with suites. The suites cut out a lot of room for seating, which in turn drives the price for seats up. It’s a kind of sad, some dads won’t be able to afford to take their kids to games but that’s the way of the world now. Unfortunately, it’s not just college football. I get your point though, college football has been changed more drastically by money than the other sports and it is sad.

[pedro]

Most of the in state talent isn’t all that great. The Fano brothers are great. Who else do we have on the roster that is lighting things up? The great in state talent almost always leave Utah. Always have, always will. The great ones we get, I’m grateful for. But this isn’t a trend. In fact, you take away the last three years, and Utah has traditionally not done well w recruiting the state.

But we get it, it’s all about Whit hate. Enjoy that while you can.

[BSC8]

Copying this list from another thread. Not sure if they’re all “lighting things up,” but I would say all of them are making very positive contributions. And the list does not include a bunch of future starters (guys like Ike Garcia, Cash Dillon, John Henry Dailey, etc).

– Smith Snowden
– Nate Ritchie
– Tao Johnson (Utah-north lol)
– Karene Reid
– Lander Barton
– Levani Damuni
– Junior Tafuna
– Simote Pepa
– Dallas Vakalahi
– Sione Fotu
– Tevita Fotu
– Logan Fano
– Van Fillinger
– Dallen Bentley
– Carson Ryan
– Spencer Fano
– Michael Mokofisi
– Johnny Maea
– Jaren Kump
– Tonia Togiai (utah- north)
– Issac Wilson

[Ute Dub]

11 of the 21 listed are not Utah Top 10 guys, or are not from Utah, or didn’t sign with Utah out of HS.

[BSC8]

I could be wrong, but pretty sure all them played high school in Utah. But you’re right several are not top 10 or didn’t sign with Utah out of high school. The OP says in-state recruiting is in the decline… as pointed out, I don’t think that’s true. But several comments were made that in-state talent isn’t that great and not important. I don’t think that’s true either.

[BSC8]

I could be wrong, but pretty sure all them played high school in Utah. But you’re right several are not top 10 or didn’t sign with Utah out of high school. The OP says in-state recruiting is in the decline… as pointed out, I don’t think that’s true. But several comments were made that in-state talent isn’t that great and not important. I don’t think that’s true either.

[Author]

Posts