Utah Football Recruiting Round-Up: September 5th, 2024

Sep 5, 2024, 12:02 PM | Updated: 12:03 pm

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – After a successful summer of recruiting for Kyle Whittingham’s program, Utah Football has entered its in-season mode.

Up to this point, the Utes have secured 18 commitments in their 2025 recruiting class. The class checks in at No. 43 in the overall class ranking, and No 6 in the Big 12 Conference.

Though the heavy lifting is complete, there is still work to be done on the recruiting trail for Utah. Part of the focus has shifted to future classes but Utah is still working hard on a handful of targets in the current cycle.

In this week’s Recruiting Round-Up, we provide the list of expected visitors for the Baylor-Utah game, as well as updates on a handful of in-state prospects.

We’re on a bear hunt this 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

🏟️: Rice-Eccles Stadium
⏰: 1:30PM MT
📺: FOX
📻: ESPN 700 AM / 92.1 FM#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/J8pjcqncIv

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 2, 2024

Visitors for Baylor-Utah game

Utah is expected to welcome a good collection of prospects to this weekend’s game. The list will include a couple of commits in the 2025 class, several ’26 prospects, and a few ’27 in-state kids as well. The list is expected to grow some between now and Saturday but here is who is confirmed so far:

Aaron Dunn, OT, Spanish Fork – 2025 commit
Soren Shinofield, OT, Cherry Creek (CO) – 2025 commit
Helaman Casuga, QB, Corner Canyon – 2026 prospect
Esun Tafuna, OT, Corner Canyon – 2026 prospect
Kai Meza, WR, Corner Canyon – 2026 prospect
Derrick Johnson, CB, Murrieta Valley (CA) – 2026 prospect
Kai Wesley, TE, Orem – 2026 prospect
Kaue Akana, LB, Orem – 2026 prospect
Bode Sparrow, ATH, Davis – 2027 prospect
Jag Ioane, ATH, Maple Mountain – 2027 prospect
Tytan Dejong, ATH, Mountain Ridge – 2027 prospect
Sam Ngata, ATH, Olympus – 2027 prospect

In-state recruiting updates

Paxton Naegle, Corner Canyon, DL – A key cog to the machine that is Corner Canyon, Naegle has led the way for the Chargers defense. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive lineman has played good ball through the first few games of the season. His recruitment has seen Washington State and Oregon State emerge as top options for him, while Utah State and UNLV are also making a push to land him. There are schools at the Power Conference level that are monitoring him closely, including Utah. Naegle is one of the top remaining uncommitted 2025 prospects in the state.

Lopeti “Junior” Moala, Davis, DL – A promising 2026 defensive line prospect, Moala has gotten off to a solid start for his junior campaign. Moala is an athletic 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive lineman who could play on the edge or move inside to tackle. His communication has primarily involved Utah, BYU, and Iowa State. However, he is starting to talk with Oregon and Arizona State. The Utes have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack at this early stage in his recruitment.

Esun Tafa, Corner Canyon, OT – Tafa cemented his status as the top lineman in the state in 2026 after a stellar performance against IMG. Up to this point, Arkansas, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington, and Utah have stood out to him in his recruitment. However, interest has grown nationally as Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, and others have recently opened lines of communication with him.

Bode Sparrow, Davis, ATH – Emerging as one of the top prospects in the ’27 class. He is a fantastic dual-sport athlete who is just starting to see his recruitment get started. He already holds offers from BYU, Cal, Washington State, and Utah- Sparrow is on a trajectory where his recruitment will grow nationally.