Utah football among top choices for 4-star lineman recruit

The Utes are in contention for a top 10 athlete in the 2027 class

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham and his program are among the top 10 options for four-star lineman recruit Jon Ioane. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah football team's ability to maintain its tough and rugged identity in the trenches will likely come down to how well the Utes navigate the recruiting trails over the coming months.

Bringing in a player of Jon Ioane's caliber would likely help continue the trend of big, physical maulers headlining the Utes' offensive and defensive lines. But landing the four-star recruit's commitment will probably require a lot of legwork out of Kyle Whittingham's coaching staff.

The good news for the Utes is that Ioane, a 6-foot-3 lineman who plays on both sides of the ball at Tustin High School (California), has Utah in his top 10 list of schools that he revealed Dec. 10.

However, it doesn't appear Utah is in the lead for the No. 8 athlete in the 2027 recruiting class. That distinction — based on what Ioane told Rivals — could very well go to Washington, the school he says is recruiting him the hardest at the moment.

Ioane has been on multiple visits with Washington, as well as North Carolina, USC and UCLA. Oregon, Arizona State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame round out his top 10 options. He's received nearly two dozen offers in total, according to his 247Sports profile.

Ioane didn't discuss his relationship with Utah's coaching staff in-depth with Rivals' Greg Biggins, though he did share more about the other schools recruiting him, as well as his desires to go on official visits to Washington and USC. He also wants to see Notre Dame, Miami and Oregon before he makes his decision.

It would appear Utah has some catching up to do if it wants to see Ioane playing on either side of the front line while wearing Utes' crimson and white. He doesn't sound close to a decision, giving Whittingham and company time to lay some groundwork over the next few months.

Ioane is being recruited mostly for his skills as a defensive lineman, though he's versatile enough to be considered as a really good offensive lineman prospect as well. He's rated as a four-star and the No. 179 player in the 2027 class on 247Sports.

Utah has two commits in its 2027 recruiting class: three-star quarterback recruit Thaddeus Thatcher and three-star wide receiver prospect Kingston Parks.

Thatcher's older brother, Christian, announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal shortly following his freshman season at Utah. Christian arrived to Salt Lake City as a three-star and the No. 46 linebacker recruit in the 2025 class.

Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks, verbally committed to the Utes in late November over competing offers from Arizona, Middle Tennessee, North Texas and Sacramento State. Kingston has recently been ranked by 247Sports as the No. 111 wide receiver in the 2027 class.

Carson White, a 6-foot-1 quarterback prospect out of Iowa Colony High School (Texas), is also considering Utah. White's top eight that he revealed Dec. 8 include Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, Kentucky, UCF, Utah and Virginia Tech. He's the No. 20 quarterback in the 2027 class according to 247Sports.