3-star QB recruit decommits from Utah due to coaching changes

Utes lose a commitment from a top-40 quarterback prospect in the 2027 class

Morgan Scalley earned his first win as the Utah Utes head coach with a 44-22 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Las Vegas Bowl. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Utah assistant coaches aren't the only ones rethinking their future in the wake of Kyle Whittingham's decision to become the next Michigan head coach.

Thaddeus Thatcher, a talented quarterback recruit in the class of 2027, has also taken the staff changes going on with the Utes as an opportunity to reevaluate his college options.

As a result, Thatcher has decided to back off his pledge to Utah.

"First, I would like to thank the Utah football program and fan base for all the love and support you have shown me," Thatcher said in a post to X. "That being said, with the change in coaching staff, I would like to announce my decommitment to the University of Utah."

Thatcher had been committed to the Utes since March. His older brother, Christian, played his freshman season with the Utes in 2025 before making plans to enter the transfer portal.

Christian's departure hinted that Thaddeus could reconsider his options as well. The recent coaching changes going on in Utah, headlined by Whittingham's expedited take over in Ann Arbor, Michigan, evidently pushed Thaddeus to seek other opportunities.

Not even 24 hours removed from Morgan Scalley's first win as a head coach — a 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl — several reports indicated that Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, along with tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr., wide receivers coach Micah Simon and offensive line coach Jim Harding were set to follow Whittingham to be part of his first coaching staff with the Wolverines.

Thaddeus is ranked by 247Sports as a three-star and the No. 37 quarterback recruit in the 2027 class. He holds offers from Colorado, Kansas, Purdue and UNLV, among others.

The latest developments in Thaddeus' recruitment brought Utah's 2027 recruiting class down to one commitment: three-star wide receiver prospect Kingston Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks. Kingston verbally committed to the Utes in late November over competing offers from Arizona, Middle Tennessee, North Texas and Sacramento State.

Utah joined the mix for a couple of highly-touted prospects after the 2026 class had put pen to paper during signing day, making their commitments to the Utes official.

Jon Ioane, a four-star lineman from Tustin High School (California), put the Utes in his top 10 list in early December, shortly after Carson White, a 6-foot-1 quarterback prospect out of Iowa Colony High School (Texas), included Utah in his top eight.

Time will tell how Utah's coaching changes impact Ioane and White's respective recruitments.