Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham greets fans as he makes his way into Rice-Eccles Stadium with the rest of the team before an NCAA football game against the Kansas State Wildcats in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret NewsJoe ColesThu, December 4, 2025 at 12:52 AM UTC·8 min readFive-star offensive tackle Kelvin Obot signed with Utah on Wednesday morning, becoming the program’s highest-rated high school prospect ever.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle from Fruitland, Idaho, officially signed at 8:12 a.m., delivering offensive line coach Jim Harding his most significant recruiting win yet. Obot was named the 2025 MaxPreps Idaho Player of the Year and has simply dominated high school defensive linemen in Idaho’s 4A classification.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementObot is ranked as Rivals/On3’s No. 3 overall player in the class of 2026, while 247Sports ranks him as the No. 34 overall player in the class. The Utes beat out a final list of Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State for the talented offensive lineman’s services. Ohio State, Florida, USC and Tennessee also offered Obot.
Obot is the first five-star prospect to ever sign with the Utes.
Former Utah offensive lineman, first-round NFL draft pick and three-time Pro Bowler Jordan Gross is the head coach at Fruitland, and partly as a result of Gross’s guidance, Obot arrives at Utah ready to start from Day 1.
“He’s played the position, played it at the highest level, All-Pro. He knows kind of the ins and outs of the position and the game and, I mean, it means the world,” Obot said of Gross in a BYUtv feature on Gross’s Fruitland coaching experience.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Utes are slated to lose at least four of their five offensive linemen this offseason, so Obot’s commitment is key for an offensive line that will be rebuilding next season. With a good spring and fall camp, Obot could start at tackle, something that’s rare for a freshman.
“There’s so much that he’s taught me. Not only has he been a great football player, but just a great person. So much I’ve learned from him, just to be becoming a young man and the mentality required for it,” Obot said.
More than two decades after Gross graduated from Fruitland and became one of Utah’s greatest offensive linemen, Obot is following in his coach’s footsteps.
The five-star phenom is one of four offensive linemen that signed with Utah on Wednesday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith at least four starters graduating or heading to the NFL, signing offensive linemen was one of Utah’s top priorities with the 2026 class.
Four-star Lehi offensive tackle Mataalii Benjamin, ranked as the No. 9 prospect from the state of Utah by 247Sports composite, was another major pickup for Harding.
The 6-foot-7, 315 pound Benjamin is the No. 21 offensive tackle in the nation, according to 247Sports composite, and is another intriguing offensive line prospect that could see time early in his career. Utah also signed three-star interior offensive linemen Moses Sparks Jr. and Rowdy Pearce to beef up the class.
After signing Obot, Utah wasn’t done yet.
Fremont’s Salesi Moa (8) drives through a tackle by Weber’s Brock Dean (8) at Fremont High School in Plain City on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret NewsFremont high athlete Salesi Moa, who has long been one of Utah’s top targets, committed to Tennessee on July 31. That didn’t stop Utah from continuing to push for the son of former Ute tight end Ben Moa.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUtah made its final push Wednesday night and that persistence paid off as Moa flipped his commitment from Tennessee to the hometown Utes.
Moa is ranked as the top prospect from the state of Utah, the No. 45 overall prospect in the nation and No. 3 in the nation at the athlete position by 247Sports composite.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Moa can contribute immediately at wide receiver for the Utes next season, but also has two-way potential. He had 63 receptions for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior season at Fremont, according to the Deseret News prep stats database.
Moa’s composite ranking of 0.9781 makes him the second-highest-rated commit ever landed by Utah. Obot (0.9872) is the highest-rated all-time commit for the program. Moa will put pen to paper and officially sign his scholarship agreement with Utah on Thursday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement(Moa’s junior season highlights are below)
Three-star running back LaMarcus Bell is another offensive addition that has generated some buzz. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound back from Lake Oswego, Oregon, ran for 1,517 yards and 25 touchdowns on 144 carries in his senior season.
University of Utah commit LaMarcus Bell carries the ball for Lake Oswego High in Oregon. | OSAA, Northwest Sports PhotographyBell committed to Utah back in June and has quickly shot up the recruiting rankings to become the No. 35 running back in the nation, according to 247Sports composite.
Utah running backs coach Mark Atuaia first recruited Bell back when Atuaia was still with Washington State and was able to finish the deal, even as Bell’s hometown Oregon Ducks entered the picture.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOregon offered Bell five weeks ago, but Bell was firm in his commitment to Utah, signing with the Utes Wednesday morning.
Utah also stockpiled more quarterbacks despite efforts to bring back both junior quarterback Devon Dampier and freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin for the 2026 season.
Kane Archer, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound three-star quarterback from Arkansas, has impressive high school film. He checks in as the No. 51 quarterback in this year’s class after throwing for 3,212 yards and 30 touchdowns with four interceptions and a completion rate of 76%. Archer also rushed for 1,157 yards and 26 touchdowns on 131 carries.
Michael Johnson, a 5-foot-11.5, 165-pound three-star QB, was the second Ute QB to sign on the dotted line. The dual-threat Georgia signal-caller threw for 2,331 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions on a completion rate of 64% and rushed for 544 yards and 11 touchdowns on 78 carries.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the defensive side of the ball, Utah engineered a signing-day flip. Three-star edge rusher Fameitau Siale switched his commitment from Michigan State to the Utes on Wednesday, though he has yet to officially sign as of publishing.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end from Seattle is ranked as the nation’s No. 66 edge rusher, according to 247Sports composite.
PJ Takitaki, the nephew of former BYU star and current Minnesota Viking Sione Takitaki, flipped his commitment from BYU to Utah last week. Takitaki totaled 34 tackles, two sacks and an interception in his senior season and is ranked as the No. 15 prospect from Utah.
Three-star linebacker Preston Pitts — 6-foot-4, 213 pounds — is another notable get for the Utes. He’s ranked the No. 54 linebacker in this class and totaled 116 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, nine sacks and one interception in his junior season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnother intriguing player is Orem safety Aisa Galea’i, who totaled 51 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions his senior year. He helped Orem win the 5A state championship with a pick-six and a kickoff return touchdown, plus a rushing score.
Is there more to come?
As of Wednesday night, two notable Utah commits had not signed — Lone Peak twins Jaron and Kennan Pula. Jaron, a 247Sports composite four-star receiver, had 62 receptions for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Kennan, a composite three-star receiver, had 44 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns.
Kennan had one of the most spectacular plays you’ll ever see — a ridiculous backhanded, one-handed interception — in the 6A semifinals.
“That was very impressive for whoever that guy was,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham at a November press conference. Coaches are prohibited from talking about specific recruits until they officially sign. “It’s as good a play as I’ve ever seen at any level. I don’t think I can get in trouble for saying that. We still don’t know who the guy is.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn Wednesday, the Pula twins did not sign with any school — likely a negative sign for Utah. BYU and Colorado have been in hot pursuit of the talented twins, and Kennan was wearing BYU gloves during Lone Peak’s state championship game vs. Corner Canyon.
Where is Utah’s class ranked?
Right now, with the Pula twins still committed, Utah’s class is ranked No. 28 in the nation, according to 247Sports. If the Pula twins de-commit and go elsewhere, Utah’s class rank would drop to around No. 37 in the country, according to 247Sports’ class calculator, but still far above where the Utes’ class would have been without the Moa commitment.
For the second straight year with Whittingham deliberating over his retirement decision, Utah did not hold a signing day press conference.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham looks to the field during an NCAA football game against the Kansas State Wildcats held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret NewsAdvertisementAdvertisement
