Utah football among finalists for Arizona's top-ranked 2027 recruit

Jake Hildebrand, a highly-touted recruit who ranks as a top-25 offensive tackle prospect in the 2027 class, is considering Utah as his potential college destination.

The Basha High School (Arizona) will also consider Arizona State, Oregon and Texas A&M after his list of four finalists were revealed by Brandon Huffman of Rivals. USC, Ohio State, Miami, Alabama, Texas and Indiana — the other six schools included in his top 10 — have seemingly been cut from consideration.

The Utes made the final cut for Hildebrand, the No. 1-ranked 2027 prospect from Arizona, after first-year offensive line coach Jordan Gross paid the 6-foot-6 rising senior a home visit in January.

As 247Sports' No. 11 offensive tackle in the class, Hildebrand hosted and met with several other coaches from high-profile programs during the January contact period for high school recruiting, including Oregon's Dan Lanning and Arizona State O-line coach Saga Tuitele.

Hildebrand will check out Salt Lake City for himself when he takes an official visit with Utah on June 15, three days after he visits Tempe, Arizona, to see the Sun Devils staff.

Hildebrand's had his pick of prestigious schools throughout his recruitment process. He's the No. 83 prospect nationally, according to 247Sports, with the versatility to play either guard or tackle at the collegiate level.

"He has a good frame and length, moves well in space and looks on-balance and fluid in his movement," wrote Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, in his evaluation of Hildebrand. "He can play high at times and needs to continue to improve from a technical standpoint but he has plenty of time to do so. He has a nice edge in his game and is a finisher."

Utah's had a history of recruiting and developing offensive tackle prospects — from class of 2023 recruits, Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, to Denver Broncos tackle Garrett Bolles, who was a four-star recruit in the 2016 class and an all-conference selection for the Utes before moving on to the NFL.

Gross is part of Utah's successful track record with offensive lineman as a former All-American and top-10 NFL draft pick in 2003. He's now responsible for finding the next group of Utah tackles.

Gross has already helped secure the highest-rated recruit in program history, Kelvin Obot, the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2026 class who played for Gross when he was the head coach at Fruitland High School (Idaho), and was able to retain some experienced talent upon being hired by Morgan Scalley in January.

Three-star wide receiver prospect and The Oakridge School (Texas) product, Kingston Parks, is the only 2027 recruit to commit to Utah at this point. Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks, verbally committed to the Utes in late November.

🚨NEWS🚨 4-star OT Jake Hildebrand is down to Oregon, Texas A&M, Arizona State and Utah, @BrandonHuffman reports‼️

Read: https://t.co/OjM5D1vF8Q pic.twitter.com/XRm2hAeoMt
— Rivals (@Rivals) April 1, 2026