Utah cornerback reportedly enters transfer portal after initially re-signing with the Utes

Utes have reportedly lost a fifth cornerback to the transfer portal

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley has reportedly lost another cornerback to the transfer portal. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The harsh reality of college football in 2026 is that the word "commit" doesn't exactly hold the same weight as it once did.

In the age of revenue-sharing, the action of "committing" to a program doesn't necessarily mean it's a done deal between a player and school.

Instead, the keywords everyone ought to be looking for when scrolling through social media and message board feeds in hopes of getting caught up on the transfer portal are "re-signed" and "signed." That kind of language is more synonymous with the revenue-sharing deals that are negotiated behind closed doors.

And even then, it's not always guaranteed the player will be on the roster for spring camp.

A recent example of a team re-signing a player who would then enter the portal not long after involved Utah and cornerback Jason Stokes Jr.

It appeared that Stokes was set to return to the Utes for his sophomore season after he posted a graphic of him wearing his Utah uniform with the word "re-signed" across the front on Jan. 8. Less than a week later, though, his name appeared on transfer portal trackers at both 247Sports and On3, indicating he'd at least test his value on the open market before the window to enter the portal closes.

That is, if the recruiting services prove to be accurate. Stokes hasn't shared any update on his future plans through his social media accounts, nor has there been any report on his activity by any other reputable sources.

According to On3, Stokes officially entered the portal on Jan. 13; the same day his former Utah teammate, Smith Snowden, committed to Michigan out of the portal. Stokes would be the fifth Utes cornerback to enter the portal since the season ended, joining Jaylen Moson, LaTristan Thompson, Don Saunders and Snowden. An additional departure in Blake Cotton, who ran out of eligibility at the end of 2025 season, created a wider void in Utah's secondary unit going into the offseason.

Morgan Scalley and his first-year coaching staff got right to work revamping the cornerback room, signing cornerbacks Elijah Reed (Akron), Nicholas Brown (Lamar), James Chenault (South Florida) and Earl Parker (Hutchinson Community College) over the course of the two-week transfer period. They also added a safety in Oklahoma transfer Marcus Wimberly.

Stokes signed with Utah as a three-star recruit in the 2025 class from Weiss High School (Texas). He appeared in all 13 games as a freshman, recording three total tackles and defending one pass while spending most of his time on special teams.