Utah football acquires more cornerback depth through the transfer portal

Utes bring in more secondary help through the portal

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley added a second cornerback transfer to his secondary group on Monday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The secondary for the Utah football team received a boost Monday, as the Utes signed Lamar transfer Nicholas Brown for the 2026 season.

Brown, a native of Cypress, Texas, will join Utah with three years of eligibility remaining after utilizing his redshirt year in 2024. The 6-foot-tall defensive back appeared in two games for the Cardinals as a redshirt freshman this past season.

Though his playing time was limited, Brown still managed to record his first career interception in a 31-7 victory over Texas Southern in September. He logged nine total tackles on the season, including six solos and three assisted.

Brown became the third defensive back to put pen to paper with Utah during the transfer portal cycle, joining a revamped unit that'll also include transfers Marcus Wimberly (Oklahoma) and Elijah Reed (Akron). The Utes are also set to bring in a freshman class that includes four-star prospect Salesi Moa and three-star corners Aisa Galea'i, Dylan Waters and Major Hinchen.

Morgan Scalley and his coaching staff were expected to target defensive backs on the open market with Smith Snowden entering the portal and Blake Cotton out of eligibility, creating a couple of holes in a secondary that was stout against the pass in 2025. Utah, which allowed the lowest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks among Big 12 teams (49.4%) and the second-fewest passing yards per game (177.8), also lost depth pieces to the portal in LaTristan Thompson and Don Saunders.

That being said, Brown will have an opportunity to compete for serious playing time during spring and fall camp. The Utes will have Elijah "Scooby" Davis back in the fold, along with Rock Caldwell, Jason Stokes Jr. and JC Hart.

Brown originally committed to Lamar as a talented two-way athlete out of Cy Springs High School (Texas), where he was a first-team all-conference selection and two-year letterwinner. In two seasons on the offensive side of the ball, he hauled in 35 passes for 638 yards, finishing his career with 936 all-purpose yards. Brown also played on defense, helping Cy Springs to a district title in 2023 with a 7-0 record.

Brown was the sixth defensive player overall to sign with Utah in the 2026 transfer cycle when including defensive linemen Lucas Samsula (Wyoming), Ethan Day (North Texas) and Jamal Wallace (Tennessee).

As of Monday, Utah's 2026 transfer portal class ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 and No. 44 nationally, according to 247Sports.