Utah basketball makes final cut for 4-star recruit

Ahead of his official visit with the Utah basketball program, Herly Brutus, a highly-touted recruit from the 2026 class, has narrowed down his potential college destinations.

The Runnin' Utes were among the six schools to make Brutus' final cut, along with Gonzaga, Kansas State, LSU, Saint Louis and South Florida, according to a report Wednesday from On3/Rivals reporter Joe Tipton.

Brutus, who shared his offer from Utah earlier in the week to social media, will reportedly be in Salt Lake City for an official visit from Sept. 19-21, per Tipton. The Utah football program will host Texas Tech in a top-25 showdown on Sept. 20.

It was previously reported that Brutus would visit the Runnin' Utes in October, though it would make sense if his plans changed after the Utes' football game against the Red Raiders was moved to Big Noon Kickoff.

Brutus also has plans to see three of his other finalists (Saint Louis already hosted him in late August). Per Tipton, the 6-foot-5 prospect will visit Kansas State (Sept. 25-27) during a Wildcats' home football game against UCF; followed by a trip out to Gonzaga (Oct. 3-5) for the Bulldogs' annual Kraziness in the Kennel preseason event; then, down to South Florida for potentially an early glimpse at the Bulls' basketball team as it plays an exhibition game against Division II constituent, Saint Leo, on Sept. 24.

Brutus, who recently made a move to play for The Villages Charter (Villages, Florida) after suiting up for Umatilla High School (Umatilla, Oregon), is ranked by 247Sports as a four-star and the No. 141 recruit nationally in the 2026 class. Houston, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Penn State and TCU were among the schools to offer on him before he cut down his list to six.

Brutus shared some insight into his recruitment process with Tipton, and had perhaps given his best review to Alex Jensen and his first-year staff.

“Really been recruiting me hard," Brutus said to Tipton regarding Utah. "I want to be a reason they say Utah has done a great job in just 1-2 years.”

As for the Runnin' Utes, they'll officially usher in the Jensen era with a home game against San Jose State on Nov. 3. Fans will get an early glimpse at the 2025-26 squad when it hosts Nevada in an exhibition contest on Oct. 17, followed by another friendly at Oregon on Oct. 24.

4⭐️ Herly Brutus is down to six schools, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-5 shooting guard breaks down each of his finalists: https://t.co/bkE2qC7iPZ pic.twitter.com/ZsSONfAmcv
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 10, 2025

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