Recruiting: A look at who has committed to Utah football for the 2022 recruiting class

SALT LAKE CITY — Recruiting is the lifeblood of any collegiate program, and it's no different for the University of Utah football program.

This year's recruiting class may look different than in year's past, though, as the coaching staff balances the scholarship limits put in place with incoming freshmen and that of the ever-expanding transfer portal where Utah has done well recently. Last year, the NCAA granted all athletes an extra year of eligibility and upped the scholarship limit to 105 — up from its normal 85 — for the 2021-22 season.

Utah may get close to the 105 full-time scholarships this year, but the football program will be required to get back down to 85 in subsequent seasons, which could get tricky. It's a tightrope balancing act to project the number of athletes that will leave the program and those they can bring in to stay under the NCAA requirement.

Below is a brief look at who has already committed to Utah, as well as some players to be on the lookout for in the coming months.

Check back often to see how the recruiting class takes shape.

Recently, Utah had three athletes — four-star defensive lineman Aisea Moa and three-star wide receivers Zion Steptoe and Adarrius Harshaw — decommit from the program.

Note: Although there are several recruiting services to pull from, KSL.com partners with 247Sports to identify a recruit's ranking (namely the 247Sports Composite, which factors in other services). As such, embedded profiles for each athlete are found below, with more info found on the recruiting service's website.

Committed recruits

Lander Barton, LB (Brighton HS — Salt Lake City, UT)

Nate Johnson, QB (Clovis HS — Clovis, CA)

Brandon Rose, QB (Murrieta Valley HS — Murrieta, CA)

Jaylon Glover, RB (Lake Gibson HS — Lakeland, FL)

Carson Tabaracci, ATH (Park City HS — Park City, UT)

Jocelyn Malaska, CB (Bethany HS — Bethany, OK)

Sidney Mbanasor, TE (Pflugerville HS — Pflugerville, TX)

Ryan Peppins, WR (Thompson HS, Alabaster, AL)

Chris Reed, WR (Wekiva HS — Apopka, FL)

Tao Johnson, ATH (Thunder Ridge HS — Idaho Falls, ID)

Elijah Davis, S (Auburndale HS — Auburndale, FL)

Tyler Knaak, OL (Brighton HS — Salt Lake City, UT)

Players to watch

While not all of the following athletes will be signed by Utah, many have taken an official or unofficial visit to Utah, or have at least a moderate interest in the program. This list will continue to expand and shrink as we get closer to signing day and as the athletes release more details about their future.

Dallas Vakalahi, DL (West HS — Salt Lake City, UT)

Related topics