Pop quiz: Who has the most underrated recruiting class in the PAC-12 for the 2023 class? MY answer, without a doubt has to be what Kyle Whittingham has done with the Utah Utes.
Utah has never been “splashy” when it comes to recruiting compared to schools like Oregon or USC, but when it comes to development they have been one of the best in the conference year after year, if not the entire country.
In the 2023 class, Utah currently has the No. 26 class in the country and the No. 5 class in the PAC-12 which is made up of four transfers and 16 high school prospects.
Note: All individual player rankings, star ratings, class rankings, etc. will be based on the 247Sports composite rankings which will also combine recruit and transfer portal additions.
Utah, fresh off back to back Rose Bowl appearances, has won multiple high profile recruiting battles against not only other PAC-12 opponents, but nationally recognized programs as well who routinely finish in the top 10 in recruiting year after year.
Provo (Utah) Timpview four-star offensive tackle Spencer Fano is the definition of a “come from behind” victory for the Utes on the recruiting trail.
Early on it seemed inevitable that Fano would be playing his college career out of state with schools such as Oregon, USC, and Michigan being linked to him throughout the process. After a hard fought battle, and impressive results on the field, the in-state product ended up choosing Utah.
Gilbert (Ariz.) Highland four-star offensive tackle Caleb Lomu was another example for Utah fans to feel good about similarly to Spencer Fano’s recruitment. Early on, there were a number of other programs that seemed to be the favorites for Lomu instead of Utah including Arizona, Cal, Michigan, USC, and others. Landing his commitment was another huge recruiting win for Kyle Whittingham.
American Fork (Utah) American Fork four-star EDGE Hunter Clegg was a late flip in the recruiting cycle after he decommitted from Stanford following the departure of David Shaw. He had previously been committed to Stanford since last July and despite a late push from UCLA, the Utes were able to win out in the end and secure another big in-state recruiting battle against some heavyweight contenders.
Their lone remaining high school prospect on their board is Folsom (Calif.) Folsom four-star tight end Walker Lyons. Another former Stanford commit will be making his decision in a few weeks on National Signing Day, however, this one may have Utah fans worried about their chances. Right now, Georgia and USC seem to be the other contenders for Lyons, but Utah hasn’t given up and can certainly sell the opportunity to be highly productive in their offense.
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