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Utah beefs up its offensive line with transfer portal commitment

Utes signed a former Buckeyes' offensive lineman out of the portal
Cole Forsman|
The Utah Utes have landed their first offensive lineman commit of the 2026 transfer cycle.
The Utah Utes have landed their first offensive lineman commit of the 2026 transfer cycle. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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With all five starters of one of the best offensive lines in the country set to either graduate or go pro, it was presumed that Utah would bring in outside talent to help plug the holes it faced up front in the offseason.

The Utes' potential O-line for the 2026 campaign began to take further shape Wednesday, as Ohio State transfer Isaiah Kema reportedly signed with Utah out of the portal.

On3's Pete Nakos reported that Kema, a former three-star recruit who originally signed with Oklahoma State in the 2023 class, would be joining the Utes. The 6-foot-3 Lubbock, Texas, native became the first offensive lineman to commit to Utah in the 2026 portal cycle.

The acquisition could prove to be an important one for Utah, considering Kema could either fill in at center with Jaren Kump and his backup, fellow senior Alex Harrison, set to graduate in the spring.

Along with Kump, the Utes are losing tackles Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano to the NFL draft, in addition to guards Tanoa Togiai and Michael Mokofisi to graduation. Those five players paved the way for one of the top rushing attacks in the country, helping the Utes set a single-season program record of 3,462 rushing yards while averaging 266.3 per game (No. 2 in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind Navy). Utah, which ranked No. 4 in scoring offense with 41.6 points per game, also recorded 41 rushing touchdowns and allowed just 14 sacks, the third-fewest among Big 12 teams.

Kema projected as a center coming out of Wolfforth Frenship High School (Texas), where he developed a reputation as one of the best high school interior linemen in the state. He was ranked by 247Sports as a three-star and the No. 55 interior lineman nationally in the 2023 class, garnering offers from power conference programs such as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, BYU, Illinois and Nebraska, among others.

Kema's recruiting profile earned him opportunities to play in the Polynesian Bowl and the U.S. Army All-Star Bowl. He also wrestled in high school and finished No. 4 at the district 2-6A tournament in 2020.

Kema arrived to Ohio State's campus in June along with several other prospects and and walk-ons as a late addition to the Buckeyes' 2025 recruiting class, and was coming off a two-year mission trip in New Zealand.

The Cowboys previously landed Kema's commitment in 2022, but he never enrolled at the school after signing his letter of intent.

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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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