Utah basketball lands commitment from local standout

The Utah men's basketball secured a commitment Saturday from American Fork High School (Utah) standout Bryce Mella.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard and former Utah State pledge will reportedly join the Runnin' Utes roster after he completes his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Mella, who announced his commitment to Alex Jensen's via Instagram, is ranked by On3/Rivals as a three-star, the No. 338 recruit nationally, the No. 85 shooting guard and the No. 11 player from the state of Utah in the 2026 class. He doesn't have a grade on 247Sports or ESPN100.

Utah State announced the signing of Mella in November, though after former Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun left to take the Cincinnati job in March, Mella's recruitment was reopened.

Mella recently wrapped up a decorated high school career highlighted by a couple of all-state honors and a pair of honorable mention nods during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah.

Mella transferred to American Fork ahead of his junior season. He received Utah 6A all-state second team honors from the Deseret News after putting up 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game for the Cavemen in the 2024-25 campaign, culminating with an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the 6A state playoffs.

American Fork went on another deep postseason run during Mella's senior season, as he captured first-team all-state honors while guiding his squad to the semifinal round played at the Huntsman Center. The Cavemen ended up bowing out to Bingham High School despite 19 points and nine rebounds from Mella, who averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals across 26 games played.

Mella ended his high school career with 1,475 points, 357 rebounds, 214 assists and 94 steals. His highest-scoring game came during his freshman season, when he dropped 37 points in a loss to West Jordan High School.

Though the Utes will have to wait a couple years to see Mella take the Huntsman Center floor again (this time in Utah threads and not in an American Fork uniform), it's worth noting Jensen and his staff have assembled a diverse 2026 recruiting class featuring international prospects, junior college products and players returning from mission trips. Plus, Utah brought in a four-man transfer portal class and managed to return two players from the 2025-26 squad.

It's hard to project what the roster will look like two years down the road, but it seems like Jensen and company plan on making Mella part of their future plans.

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