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Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
Though high school recruiting took a backseat at the end of January, the Utah football program continued to lay more groundwork with its top targets in the 2027 class over the past weekend.
At the very least, the current “dead period,” in which coaches are barred from in-person contact with recruits, didn’t stop the Utes from reaching out to to versatile three-star 2027 prospect Dylin Bruce.
The Huntington Beach High School (California) product shared via social media Saturday that he’d received an offer from Utah, which became the most recent power conference program to express interest in the soon-to-be senior.
Northwestern, Stanford and UCLA were among the schools that had offered on Bruce by the time Utah entered the recruiting picture. He received offers from Montana, New Mexico, Washington State and Oregon State during the January contact period, indicating the race for his signature was heating up going into the spring.
According to a recent article from 247Sports, it appeared that UCLA had gained traction in Bruce’s recruitment after the Bruins re-offered in January. The previous regime under former UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster originally extended an offer in June, and with Bob Chesney taking over the program as of early December, the Bruins remain in contention to land Bruce’s services.
Bruce playing for Team Toa — a seven-on-seven team that’s owned by UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava — during the offseason probably doesn’t hurt the Bruins’ cause either.
In addition to stepping up at cornerback, Bruce was a productive receiver for Huntington Beach this past season. In nine games, he hauled in 31 receptions for 434 yards and six touchdowns from Ohio State-bound quarterback Brady Edmunds, on top of reeling in two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.
Utah, and Bruce’s other pursuers, will have an opportunity to host the No. 83-ranked cornerback recruit on campus visits starting March 2, when the next “quiet period” opens up.
The Utes also joined the mix for another three-star cornerback recruit from California in Johnny McNeil III. The two-sport athlete from St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey, California, was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 76 cornerback recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 88 player from the state of California
Blessed to say the University of Utah has offered‼️ #AGTG #utes @UteReef33 @Hatch89 @HBHSFootball@1FletchMoBB@BlairAngulo @247Sports @GregBiggins@adamgorney @BrandonHuffman@On3 pic.twitter.com/m4jn1cPDk7
— ⭐️ Dylin Bruce ⭐️ (@Dylinnn_1k) February 15, 2026
Three-star wide receiver prospect Kingston Parks remains Utah’s only commit in its 2027 recruiting class.
Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks, verbally committed to the Utes in late November over competing offers from Arizona, Middle Tennessee, North Texas and Sacramento State. Kingston has recently been ranked by 247Sports as the No. 116 wide receiver in the 2027 class.
Whether Parks follows through on his verbal commitment and signs with the Utes during the early signing period next winter remains to be seen. Parks told On3 in January that Kyle Whittingham was the reason he was drawn to the Utes in the first place. With Whittingham and most of Utah’s former staff with him in Michigan, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Wolverines joined the mix at some point.
Source: Utah News
Devin Brown, a former backup quarterback at Ohio State and Cal, has done the unthinkable in this era of NIL riches. Brown had offers from big-time football schools. Indiana wanted him to compete for the starting job vacated by the Heisman Trophy winner. Boston College wanted him as a potential starter. Ohio State wanted him to return as a backup. BYU wanted him as a backup. There were other suitors, Washington among them. Some were offering Brown NIL deals worth $800,000.
He turned them down.
He chose Weber State.
He chose an FCS school with a 17,000-seat stadium.
He chose a huge pay cut.
He chose $2,000 instead of $800,000.
“It’s a crazy story,” says Eric Kjar, Weber State’s new head football coach.
What Brown really chose, over money and prestige, was Kjar, his former high school coach.
“I want to go back and have fun and play football and do what I did last time I played for Coach Kjar,” he says.
Kjar, a rare mix of charisma, toughness, warmth and wit, made a name for himself as a high school coach in Utah. He won seven state championships — six in eight years at Corner Canyon High and one at Jordan High — one short of the all-time state record for coaches. All of this by the age of 46. He also produced two quarterbacks who were taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
Colleges had previously tried to lure him to the next level of coaching, but he chose to remain in high school, largely so he could coach his four children. But the offer of a collegiate head-coaching position is rare for a high school coach and he decided to make the big jump this winter (he’ll still be able to coach his children — sons Noah and Tate are Weber State wide receivers).
After Kjar accepted the job, Brown texted him congratulations. They joked back and forth about Brown coming to Weber. But then Brown decided to make an official visit to Weber State, mostly to see his former coach and mentor.
“I had never considered Weber,” he says. “A lot of big schools were still recruiting me. I thought I might as well visit Coach Kjar. He never thought I was serious about coming to Weber State until I actually told him I wanted to come check it out.
“We sat in his office, looking at the stadium and the mountains. We chopped it up for about an hour, one on one. We cracked jokes and talked football. We talked about what I had done (in college football) and the offense that we had run in high school and that it was going to be similar at Weber State. Once I saw the place and talked to Kjar …. It’s impossible to tell him no, because of who he is as a person, dad and coach. There’s not a better person.”
Brown took a couple of weeks to ponder his future — specifically, his education (he plans to pursue a master’s degree) and football — and talk to his family. When he was certain, he called Kjar from his apartment in California. “He asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m packing, so I can drive to Weber tomorrow.’”
Kjar was ecstatic.
For the second time they will pair up for one season.
Brown grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, and played football for Queen Creek High under Coach Joe Germaine, a former Ohio State and NFL quarterback. He was widely recruited, and, following his junior season, Brown committed to USC. Everything was set for his senior season until Germaine took a job at another high school. Brown tried to follow him, but he was ruled ineligible because it was considered illegal recruiting. He had to leave the state if he wanted to finish his prep football career.
Brown consulted the coaches at USC. As he recalls, “They said I had two options: Move to a California high school or go to Utah — there was a great coach there, Eric Kjar. They said, ‘He runs a good system.’”
Brown, who had family living in Utah, called Kjar and, as he tells it, “Kjar didn’t want to talk to me. He wanted no part of it. He couldn’t recruit. He said if I wanted to come, this is (the date) when they would start, but he made it clear he was not bringing me in or guaranteeing me a job. I had to prove myself.”
Brown decided to go to Utah, following the same route as Jaxson Dart, who had transferred from Roy High to Corner Canyon in 2020 to play his senior year under Kjar. Dart threw for 4,683 yards and a state-record 67 touchdowns to lead Corner Canyon to a state championship and was the Deseret News’ Mr. Football recipient. He went on to play for USC and Ole Miss. He started for the New York Giants last season.
A year later, Brown replaced Dart in the Corner Canyon lineup and passed for 4,881 yards — still a Utah state record (Kjar’s quarterbacks — Brown, Dart and Zach Wilson — rank 1-3-4 in that category) and 57 touchdowns, completing 70% of his passes. The Chargers won another state championship and Brown was named MaxPreps Utah Player of the Year.
After USC coach Clay Helton was fired, Brown withdrew his commitment to that school and signed with Ohio State. He redshirted his freshman season and appeared to be the heir apparent to C.J. Stroud, but while competing for the starting job with Kyle McCord he required surgery to repair a broken finger.
McCord was given the starting job to start the 2023 season, but head coach Ryan Day stated that it was still an open competition. Then Brown tore ligaments in his right ankle. He healed enough to get the starting job for the Cotton Bowl — this time it was McCord who was sidelined by injury — but in the first quarter Brown tore a ligament again, this time in his left ankle.
McCord transferred to Syracuse in the offseason after Day announced the competition for the starting job was open again. This time Brown lost the starting job to senior Will Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship.
Brown transferred to Cal for the 2025 season. He lost a close competition with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was named to the true freshman All-American team.
Brown hit the transfer portal again, this time landing at, of all places, Weber State, passing up the chance to pocket a big paycheck. The quarterback will receive a little more than $2,000 in NIL money to play for the Wildcats, according to two sources (and confirmed by Brown himself).
“He’s saved up his NIL money,” says Kjar. “He’s been smart with it.”
“I haven’t spent anything,” Brown says. “It’s all been put away. It’s been saved and invested. I’ve had good people in my corner who helped me. I set myself up pretty good. That was a big part of my decision (to go to Weber). If I take this money at these other places, I’m set for a long time, but I’ve done that. I want to go back and have fun.”
Brown has already begun to throw to the Weber State receivers in regular, informal training sessions as a prelude to spring practice. He should feel at home. Several former Corner Canyon players are on the roster, including Tate and Noah Kjar, who were record-setting, all-state receivers at Corner Canyon.
Brown will finish out his college career at Weber State, a school of 31,000 students tucked up against the Wasatch Mountains. His former quarterback-teammates — Stroud, McCord and Howard — are all in the NFL. Brown might yet have his turn. A total of five FCS quarterbacks have been taken in the last five NFL drafts. Over the years FCS schools have sent Trey Lance, Carson Wentz, Tony Romo, Joe Flacco and Steve McNair to the NFL.
The upcoming season will give Brown the opportunity to build on a limited résumé. He has thrown just 55 passes in four years of college play, completing 31 of them for 379 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Brown met with NFL scouts last week in Ogden. Who knows, maybe his financial gamble will pay off, but meanwhile he’s happy to be reunited with his high school coach.
Source: Utah News
A preteen Utah girl and her mother were found dead Sunday inside a hotel room in Las Vegas in what authorities are investigating as an apparent murder-suicide, police and community officials said Monday.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded Sunday to a hotel near West Flamingo Road and South Valley View Boulevard for a welfare check after the pair failed to arrive at a scheduled cheer competition and could not be contacted, according to police.
When officers made entry into the room, they located two people deceased. Preliminary information from investigators indicates the mother shot her daughter before turning the gun on herself. A note was recovered from the room, police said. Authorities have not released details about its contents.
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Utah Xtreme Cheer, a competitive cheer organization based in Utah, confirmed Sunday night that one of its athletes had died.
“With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post. “We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.”
Earlier Sunday, the organization had posted that the athlete and her mother were missing after they did not arrive at competition and could not be reached, stating that police had been contacted.
Utah Fusion All-Stars also identified the athlete who died as Addi, writing on social media that she “was absolutely loved in our gym” and “will always be remembered for her sweet smile and light that she brought to her teams.”
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The Utah Cinderella Pageant expressed condolences to the family, saying Addi’s “bright smile and kindness will never be forgotten.”
Police said the investigation remains ongoing. No additional details have been released.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Crisis hotlines
Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
SafeUT Crisis Line: 833-372-3388
988 Suicide and Crisis LifeLine at 988
Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386
Online resources
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
With 1:56 remaining, it looked like Utah was on its way to winning its second Big 12 Conference game of the season despite a rough shooting day.
The Utes crashed the boards, were showing improved defensive effort (even with some breakdowns) and had found a way to overcome a nine-point first-half deficit, even as they struggled to shoot in the second half.
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The ending, though, fell apart.
Utah stumbled in the final two minutes, as Cincinnati scored the game’s last nine points in a 69-65 win.
“We got a little tentative, and it’s a shame,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said in his postgame interview on ESPN 700 AM.
The Runnin’ Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) went up a game-high five points, at 65-60, when Keanu Dawes hit a fadeaway jumper with 1:52 remaining.
From there, though, Cincinnati made the plays to win.
First, Day Day Thomas scored to make it 65-62 after Cincinnati extended its possession with an offensive rebound.
Then, Terrence Brown missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Baba Miller made two free throws for Cincinnati to trim Utah’s lead to 65-64 with 1:06 to play.
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Don McHenry missed a running jumper, and the Utes’ transition defense gave up a Miller dunk with 40 seconds left, putting the Bearcats ahead 66-65.
While Utah still had its opportunities to win, the Utes couldn’t capitalize. Dawes missed a 3, McHenry was off target on the front end of a 1-and-1 as well as a 3-point attempt and Cincinnati (14-12, 6-7 Big 12) made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch.
The missed free throws, on a day where the Utes went 12 of 15 from the line, and giving up the go-ahead dunk on a fast break stood out among the plays Utah couldn’t make in clutch moments.
On the fast break, Jizzle James threw ahead to Jalen Celestine, and with Dawes trying to protect the paint in a 2-on-1 situation, Celestine passed to Miller along the baseline at the last second, leading to the bucket.
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“We missed the front of the 1-on-1 and then … transition D, we had a couple guys fall down,” Jensen said “Seydou stopped and stabbed at the ball, and then KD, as hard as 2-on-1 (is), we talk about fouling them and not letting him have it.
“I think we fought hard. I think down the stretch, they got a little tentative, but again, it’s hard to win when you have more turnovers than assists on offense.”
Utah’s turnover-to-assist ratio — the Utes’ gave it away 13 times and had only 12 assists — was part of a frustrating day where Utah only shot 36.1% for the game, and 30.3% in the second half.
While Utah hit more 3-pointers, with nine to Cincinnati’s four, the Utes were outscored 32-16 in the paint and 12-4 in fast break points.
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Jensen has often talked about how the Utes’ margin for error is small with his first-year group — there was so much turnover on Jensen’s first roster, and Utah has had injuries impact its plans time and again.
Against the Bearcats, the Utes were making the plays to overcome those adversities — until the end.
Jensen noted that his squad is still learning to work through letdowns and not suffer ups and downs throughout games.
“We did a good job defensively. You’re gonna make mistakes, just gotta eliminate (mental errors). … I think we tend to get sped up sometimes, that’s partially something I could help them with,” Jensen said.
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“I thought we played hard, and it’s a shame, because I told them all along, we’re good enough to win these games and they’ve done a better job. You got to forget yourself and figure out how you fit into the team and do that job, and we’ll be fine.”
Despite facing a team that had a significant size advantage, thanks to the 6-foot-11 Miller and 7-2 Mousthapa Thiam, Utah scraped its way to a 40-30 rebounding edge, including 16-8 on the offensive glass.
As a result, the Utes held a 16-11 advantage on second-chance points.
That helped close the gap against a Cincinnati team that shot 44.4% from the field and 17 of 22 at the free-throw line.
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McHenry led four Utah players in double-figures, as he had 18 points, five rebounds and three assists. He also made a team-high three 3-pointers.
Dawes added 16 points and 14 rebounds to continue his recent string of standout games, while Brown (11 points) and Traore (10 points, five rebounds) also scored in double-figures.
“He’s had a great three-game run. I think he’s played really hard,” Jensen said of Dawes. “I think he’s being more aggressive. It was great on him. Again, we continually want him to keep doing that, and hopefully others can play off of him and use that to better their game.”
On Cincinnati’s side, Miller put up 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Thiam had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
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Thomas (16 points) and Keyshaun Tillery (10 points, three assists) also scored in double-figures.
The effort was there for Utah, the execution was not — not enough to win, anyway.
The Bearcats still have aspirations — even if it’s long odds — to make the NCAA tournament, while Utah is seeking to build momentum at the end of a trying season.
It’s moments like these that can be frustrating as the losses pile up — Utah lost its seventh straight with Sunday’s setback — but are a part of a learning curve as Jensen works through the process of rebuilding the Utah program, all while competing in the ultra tough Big 12.
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For now, the Utes will try to rally quickly away from home. Utah will continue a two-game road trip when they face West Virginia on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. MST, FS1).
“We’ll probably take tomorrow (and) watch this game. That’s the one nice thing about the road is you get to spend time together,” Jensen said. “None of us get a chance to go to the people around us to tell us what we want to hear.
“We can go and watch the game by ourselves. And hopefully we can, like I told them after the game, get better individually and collectively.”
Source: Utah News
Updated Feb. 15, 2026, 6:41 p.m. ET
Make it three Big 12 wins in a row for the Cincinnati Bearcats as they beat the Utah Utes in the Sunday, Feb. 15 brunch special 69-65.
Down 65-60 with 1:56 to go, the Bearcats scored nine straight points for the victory in front of 9,988 fans at Fifth Third Arena. This season, UC had been 0-11 when trailing with two minutes left. Under Wes Miller, it’s just the second such win (2-60 overall).
Source: Utah News
After 22 years of coaching the Canyon View swim team, with multiple runner-up finishes, coach Kirt Brown finally had his moment in the pool.
Moments after it was announced that the Canyon view boys and girls had won 3A team titles at the Utah state meet, Brown and his fellow coaches joined the teams with a fully clothed leap into the pool.
“This feels really good,” Brown said. “We really looked at the numbers for the boys and decided to let the kids swim what they wanted to. The strategy there is ‘what do you want to swim and what do you feel like you are a state championship swimmer in’, not what do I want you to swim for the team and it worked out well for the team.
The Canyon View boys racked up 353 points, ahead of Union (317) and Emery (272).
In the first event of the day the Canyon View foursome of Sean Cannon, Ryker Poulos, Ty Lauer and Jaxon Bleak won the 200-yard medley relay (1:42.01).
In the next boys race, Cannon, who tied the 3A meet record during Friday’s preliminaries, won a second gold medal in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.01).
“It still felt good today,” Cannon said. “I didn’t get much rest in between the medley relay and the 200 freestyle but I’ll take the title.
Cannon’s day was far from over.
He set a meet record in the 100-yard backstroke (:51.19) and teamed with Poulos, Lauer and Mason Carter to win the 400-yard freestyle relay.
“One of my biggest keys is getting plenty of sleep,” Cannon said. “That and having good people and coaches around me helps our team do what we do.”
Other event winners for Canyon View came from Lauer in the 200-Yard IM (2:01.50) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:48.54) and Poulos in the 100-yard butterfly (:51.43).
Richfield’s Lincoln Hansen won two events capturing the 50-yard freestyle (:21.90) and 100-yard breaststroke (:58.43).
Like their male counterparts the Canyon View girls scored big early points when the foursome of Gracie Taylor, Lucy Tanner, Sydni Lauer and Soleil Grimshaw won the 200-yard medley relay (1:56.86).
That relay win was the launching pad for a girls team that amassed 509 points, ahead of Union (248.5) and Carbon (241).
Grimshaw was named the meet’s outstanding female swimmer winning the 50-yard freestyle (:25.30) the 100-yard freestyle (:55.01) and teaming with Taylor, Lauer and Sydney Lovell to win the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:50.93).
Winning her races and a team title meant everything to Grimshaw.
“It was definitely God’s will,” she said. “We put a lot of hard work in and the whole team worked together. It’s amazing that all this work we put in culminated in a state title.”
Other event winners for Canyon View came from Lauer in the 100-yard butterfly (1:03.66), Lovell in the 500-yard freestyle (5:40.78), Taylor in the 100-yard backstroke (1:04.06) and Tanner in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:14.49).
Even with perennial 3A power Judge Memorial moving up to 4A Brown approached this season like he has each of the 22 he’s coached at Canyon View.
“It’s always the same and that’s how I treat everyone,” he said. “Every year it comes down to what you want to swim and what’s best for individual times. When it comes down to it it’s just about the kids and the individuals and our kids worked their tails off this year.”
At BYU
Team scores
Individual results
200 medley relay
200 freestyle
200 individual medley
50 freestyle
100 butterfly
100 freestyle
500 freestyle
200 freestyle relay
100 backstroke
100 breaststroke
400 freestyle relay
At BYU
Team scores
Individual results
200 medley relay
200 freestyle
200 individual medley
50 freestyle
100 butterfly
100 freestyle
500 freestyle
200 freestyle relay
100 backstroke
100 breaststroke
400 freestyle relay
Source: Utah News