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High-priority Utah football recruit sets commitment date

Utes hoping to land blue-chip offensive tackle prospect in 2027 class
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley.
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Utah Utes

Morgan Scalley and his Utah football staff will soon find out whether they're the big winners of the Jake Hildebrand sweepstakes.

Hildebrand, a four-star offensive lineman in the 2027 class, will decide among his four finalists — Utah, Texas A&M, Arizona State and Oregon — on May 19, according to On3/Rivals.

The Basha High School (Arizona) standout has been a high-priority recruit for the Utes throughout his recruitment process. First-year offensive line coach Jordan Gross paid him a home visit in Janaury during the contact period, leading to an official visit to campus being arranged for June 15.

Utah made Hildebrand's final cut in early April, shortly after his Salt Lake City trip came to light.

Of course, Scalley and company haven't been the only ones heavily invested in the blue-chip prospect. Hildebrand hosted and met with some of his other finalists in the winter as well, including Oregon's Dan Lanning and Arizona State's O-line coach, Saga Tuitele. The 6-foot-6 rising senior has also lined up an official visit to check out the Sun Devils for June 12.

Several other high-profile programs have courted Hildebrand, including USC, Ohio State, Miami, Alabama, Texas and Indiana.

Hildebrand is a consensus top-20 offensive tackle in the 2027 class, ranking as highly as No. 8 at his position on On3/Rivals. He's tabbed as the No. 11 offensive tackle on 247Sports and No. 16 on ESPN. 247Sports (No. 83) and On3/Rivals (No. 92) tab him as a top-100 player in the class.

Hildebrand is regarded by 247Sports as the No. 1 player from the state of Arizona, which is also the home of four-star quarterback Will Mencl, a fellow Chandler, Arizona, native who's committed to Oregon. Mencl, who plays at Basha's rival, Chandler High School, is On3/Rivals' No. 1 player in the state.

Time will tell if Utah's history of developing pro-caliber offensive tackles leads to Hildebrand picking the Utes over his other finalists. Having Gross, who's part of Utah's successful track record with offensive lineman, lead the program's recruiting efforts should give Utes fans and coaching staff optimism in the days leading up to Hildebrand's commitment date, considering he already has a big recruiting win under his belt with Kelvin Obot, a promising freshman tackle who arrives to campus as the highest-rated recruit in program history.

Currently, Utah's 2027 recruiting class consists of commitments from three-stars Jack Henderson (No. 80-ranked edge rusher), Tiki Teeples (No. 122-ranked defensive lineman) and Kingston Parks (No. 170-ranked wide receiver).

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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