Recruiting: A look at who has committed to Utah football for the 2023 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.

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 2023 recruiting class takes shape.

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

Overall Rank: 21st
Pac-12 Rank: 3rd
247Sports Avg. Recruit Rating: 88.17

Spencer Fano, OT, Timpview HS (Provo, UT)

Spencer Fano made an official visit to Utah on June 24, the first official visit for the highly sought after offensive tackle from Timpview High. The four-star Fano is considered the second-best prospect from the state of Utah, according to 247Sports' Composite ranking, and has offers from 25 schools. Fano committed to Utah on Dec. 6 after narrowing his decision down between Clemson, Michigan and Oregon.

Caleb Lomu, OT, Highland HS (Gilbert, AZ)

Caleb Lomu took an official visit to Utah on June 17 and officially committed to Utah on Nov. 27. The four-star offensive tackle had 22 offers and took four official visits, including Arizona, California, and Michigan.

Hunter Clegg, DE, American Fork HS (American Fork, UT)

Hunter Clegg is a four-star defensive end that is considered the third-highest ranked recruit from the state of Utah. Clegg held 21 offers from around the country and took an official visit to Utah on June 10. He committed to Stanford on July 18, but then flipped his commitment to Utah on Dec. 8.

CJ Blocker, CB, New Caney HS (New Caney, TX)

CJ Blocker is a four-star cornerback from New Caney, Texas, who took an official visit to Utah on June 24 and committed to the program four days later. Blocker decommitted from Utah on Nov. 23 but renewed his commitment to Utah on Dec. 13. The highly-coveted cornerback had 28 offers, including Alabama, Oklahoma and USC.

Michael Mitchell, RB, Middleburg HS (Middleburg, FL)

Michael Mitchell is a three-star running back from Florida that announced his committment to Utah on Twitter on June 30. The state of Florida has been good to Utah at the running back position in recent years, starting with current NFL running back Zack Moss. Mitchell is ranked the 51st-best running back in the country, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings.

Smith Snowden, CB, Skyridge HS (Lehi, UT)

Smith Snowden made an official visit to Utah on June 17, and announced his commitment to Utah on Dec. 12. Snowden is no secret in the state of Utah and is considered the fourth-best recruit out of the state, according to 247Sports. Snowden is listed as a four-star cornerback by 247Sports, but only a three star in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Carlos Wilson, ATH, Inderkum HS (Sacramento, CA)

Carlos Wilson has not made any official visits as part of his recruitment, but the four-star athlete announced his commitment to Utah on July 8. Wilson, who primarily played wide receiver, has offers from 13 schools, including many in the Pac-12.

Mikey Matthews, WR, Mission Viejo HS (Mission Viejo, CA)

Mikey Matthews is a three-star wide receiver who had 21 offers from around the country. Matthews took an official visit to Utah on Oct. 15, which was the third of four scheduled official visits, and announced his commitment to Utah on Dec. 1.

Owen Chambliss, LB, Centennial HS (Corona, CA)

Owen Chambliss is one of many linebacker recruits Utah targeted in its current recruiting class. The three-star recruit by 247Sports made an official visit to Utah on June 3 — the first of three official visits for Chambliss — before committing to the program on June 20.

Roger Alderman, OT, Sonora HS (Sonora, CA)

Roger Alderman made an official visit to Utah on June 17, the second of three scheduled official visits, before committing to Utah on Sept. 2. The three-star offensive tackle from California had 13 offers from schools and considered Colorado and Oregon State, his two other scheduled visits.

Johnathan Hall, S, Katy HS (Katy, TX)

Johnathan Hall made an official visit to Utah on June 24, his second of the recruiting season — he visited Missouri on June 10. Hall is a three-star defensive back with offers from 26 schools. The safety announced his commitment to Utah on July 2.

Dijon Stanley, ATH, Granada Hills HS (Granada Hills, CA)

Dijon Stanley committed to Utah on June 14, the three-star running back announced on Twitter, after taking an official visit to Utah on June 10. Stanley, who also ran track, had offers from 11 schools, including BYU, Colorado and Michigan.

Mack Howard, QB, Oxford HS (Oxford, MS)

Mack Howard, a quarterback out of Oxford, Mississippi, committed to Utah on March 26. He took an official visit to Utah on June 10. The three-star quarterback holds seven offers, with Utah being one of only two Power Five offers.

Brock Fonoimoana, S, Kahuku HS (Kahuku, HI)

Brock Fonoimoana made an official visit to Utah on June 10, the third of four official visits scheduled, and committed to the program late on Aug. 15 in a tweet. The three-star safety out of Hawaii holds 10 offers and is considered the fifth-best prospect out of Hawaii, according to 247Sports' Composite rating.

C.J. Jacobsen, TE, Rocky Mountain HS (Meridian, ID)

C.J. Jacobsen made an official visit to Utah on June 24, which was his second official visit this year — he visited N.C. State on June 16. The three-star tight end, who is considered the second-best prospect out of Idaho, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings, held offers from 16 schools before he committed to Utah on Oct. 13.

Mateaki Helu, ATH, Tooele HS (Tooele, UT)

Mateaki Helu re-committed to his hometown school of Utah on April 25 and plans to take an official visit on June 24. The three-star athlete was committed to Utah at one point but decommitted in April; however, he quickly committed again to Utah after he said he made a "mistake."

Kainoa Carvalho, WR, Kahuku HS (Kahuku, HI)

Kainoa Carvalho committed to Utah on Aug. 2 when he announced on Twitter that "Utah I'm home." The 5-foot-7, 165-pound wide receiver from Laie, Hawaii, and a legacy recruit, is the reigning offensive player of the year in Hawaii and a top 100 receiver, according to 247Sports.

Jonah Leaea, DE, Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas, NV)

Jonah Leaea committed to Utah on Sept. 26 in a tweet, following an official visit he made on June 17. The three-star edge rusher, who previously play basketball, picked the Utes over other Pac-12 offers from Arizona and California.

Daidren Zipperer, WR, Lakeland HS (Lakeland, FL)

Daidren Zipperer is a three-star receiver that took an official visit to Utah on Sept. 30 before committing to Utah on Oct. 31. The wide receiver from Florida had 23 offers and took four official visits before ultimately deciding upon Utah.

🎃🎃
1000% Committed ⚫️🔴 pic.twitter.com/7pIIQEjEHe

— Daidren Zipperer 🦍 (@daidrenz) October 31, 2022

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 it gets closer to signing day and as the athletes release more details about their future.

Thursday, 08:49 pm

John Randle Jr., RB, Heights HS (Wichita, KS)

Thursday, 08:40 pm

JeyQuan Smith, ATH, Cajon HS (San Bernardino, CA)

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