That was a nice get by the Utes tonight. So does it foreshadow anything?… Over the last two days I’ve had multiple people familiar with the situation tell me that Utah has a shot to keep JJ, but that it still might be an uphill battle. Sounds to me like there’s around a $200k NIL difference. What JJ needs to weigh out is the role he’d have at each place and if that difference justifies that kind of gap. Oklahoma State just had a RB commit from South Carolina, so they might be out now. TCU could still be an issue and a potential surprise with SMU.

If JJ comes back, there are zero questions that he’s THE guy next year for Utah. Buckle up, but I still lean towards it being an uphill battle for Utah.

I know some of you are underwhelmed, but there is some really good talent in this class as well as some intriguing under-the-radar guys.

Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts… I’m on my way to Vegas right now.

Utah had a very good non-conference performance. 9-2 against a very strong strength of schedule and a NET ranking in the 30s.

The PAC as a whole underperformed in non-conference, especially UCLA and USC. Sucks for Lazar Stefanovic who is doing his thing (shooting like crap with a FG% in the mid-30s) in Westwood.

So, a real opportunity for the guys to finish top 4 (Arizona, Colorado will probably finish 1-2)

We start off league play with home games against the Washington schools. WSU has a very good coach and outperforms every year. They've played a fairly weak schedule so we'll see if they're legit or not. Washington seems to underperform but not for lack of talent.

BC has been everything we've hoped for so far.
Lovering played great last night but remains at risk of losing minutes to Keiba
Keiba is a a force but fouls have limited his minutes. Last night he stayed out of foul trouble but had 3 TO's which limited his minutes.
Ben Carlson is much improved on the offensive end and is a tough defender and rebounder.

Our front line is very good.

Madsen is a force this year.
Bajema has been up and down but will want to play well against his former team and WSU.
Rollie is better than he gets credit for.
Hunter has been up and down
Deivon Smith looked good last night and adds a needed dose of athleticism .

Those are the guys in the rotation. Make your March Madness plans now.

Jeilani Davis’ NLI is in:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-jeilani-davis

Post thoughts and comments on the game here!

The big fella in the trenches is locked in:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-ike-garcia

Another 4-star is locked in. There a lot to be excited about with Williams:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-zacharyus-williams

This is the slowest signing day I think I’ve ever done. Plus I’m running on fumes with 3.5 of sleep and then riding to Vegas in about 5 hours.

When all is said and done, I do think there will be some good bumps in this class that’ll help with the final team rankings. As you all can tell from the evals, there’s a lot of excitement.

I’m told that there’s no concern yet that 3-star WR Zacharyus Williams hasn’t sent in his letter. The USC push isn’t the cause for any delay.

It’s finally official. After signing last night, Utah now has Wilson’s signed NLI. I’m eager to see the growth he can make in one year learning under Rising. There’s so much potential here.

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-isaac-wilson

Team has done quite well in pre-season.

Interested to see how Deivon Smith does tonight and how the minutes are divided among Lovering, Keita and Ben Carlson up front and Bajema, Erickson and Smith in the backcourt.

Keita's minutes have been limited because he gets into foul trouble. Neither Bajema nor Erickson have consistently played at a high level yet.

Kash Dillon is now officially. Is he the future Mayor of Sack Lake City?

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-kash-dillon

Such a damn intriguing prospect. Helluva offensive player, but the sky is also the limit when he only focuses on linebacker under Colton Swan.

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-hunter-andrews

One of my favorites of the whole class right here:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-quimari-shemwell

Bryant is in. I’m really intrigued to see what the staff can do with him after his mission. He’s still a bit raw, and only scratching the surface, but has so much potential.

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-luke-bryant

I’m working on stuff with this right now, but Elijah was 2A First-Team All-State at Layton Christian Academy.

More to come. There’s no Rivals recruiting profile for him currently.

At this moment, Signing Day should be pretty uneventful tomorrow. Here is everyone anticipated to sign, between committed, uncommitted (1), and returned missionaries:


Isaac Wilson
QB
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LaTristan Thompson
CB
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Maurice Evans
S
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Luke Bryant
S
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Davis Andrews
S/LB depends on post-mission size
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Sammie Hunter
CB
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Quimari Shemwell
CB
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Jeilani Davis
S
https://www.hudl.com/profile/13696276/Jeilani-Davis

Zacharyus Williams
WR
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David Washington
WR
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Kash Dillon
DE
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Isaiah (Ike) Garcia
OL
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Ashton (Kana’i) Kekahuna-Lopes
LB
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Hunter Andrew
LB (position projection. Could force hand for offense though)
http://www.hudl.com/v/2ML7Y7


Uncommitted and will announce late Wednesday night between Utah and BYU…

Kinilau Fonohema (Visited Utah last weekend)
DE
http://www.hudl.com/v/2MEyzL


Returned missionary
Dallas Vakalahi
DT (part of 2021 class)

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13219578/617770cd4ba9820e3c83c263

The Georgia Tech transfer is official and ready to provide needed depth to the Utes’ secondary:

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The BYU transfer has officially signed:

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Here’s one that could really do well just focusing on linebacker:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-ashtin-kana-i-kekahuna-lopes

The UCLA transfer officially signs:

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A long-time Utah lean right here:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-david-washington

Sammie Hunter is now in:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-sammie-hunter

And we’re off!

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-signed-nli-davis-andrews

He's not on the 2-deep for Vegas (unlike Broughton and Barnes, who are both in the portal), but he just released the following video on TikTok. It’s very likely nothing and he’s fulfilling a NIL paycheck obligation for the semester, but it’s worth noting.

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