Utah football extends offer to speedy 3-star cornerback recruit in 2027 class

Utes join recruiting race for top 80 cornerback recruit in the 2027 class

The Utah Utes have targeted three-star cornerback and multi-time track and field All-American, Johnny McNeil III, in the 2027 recruiting class. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah recently joined the handful of Football Bowl Subdivision programs interested in landing a commitment from one of the fastest high school prospects in the state of California.

BYU, Arizona, California, Kansas and Syracuse were already in the mix for Johnny McNeil III by the time he shared his offer from the Utes to social media over the weekend, though it'd appear the race to land the two-sport athlete out of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey, California, was just beginning to heat up.

McNeil's recruitment began to take off following his sophomore year and continued to amp up through his junior season, warranting a three-star grade from 247Sports. A few coaches from the power conference level visited him during the January contact period, including representatives from Oklahoma and Cal, as he continued to wade through a dozen offers from Division-I schools.

And based on his track and field background, football might not be the only sport he competes in at the collegiate level.

In addition to his pedigree on the gridiron, McNeil is a four-time USA Track and Field All-American and one of the top 400-meter dash runners in California. He placed among the top four in the 400-meter in each of the past two California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section finals, including last May when he recorded a personal best 49.66 seconds and finished fourth in the event. That was after he took first at the Santa Fe League finals and the West Coast Classic Invitational earlier that spring.

McNeil also competed in the 200-meter dash, the 4x100 relay and the high jump as a sophomore. He claimed first at a Santa Fe League Meet in April with a personal best of 5 1/2 feet in the high jump, and helped his relay team win the Santa Fe League finals a few weeks later with a time of 42.68 seconds in the 4x100. As a freshman in 2024, he won four 400-meter dash events in total, was part of a couple of 4x400 relay teams that captured first in two high school meets.

As one would expect from an athlete of his caliber, McNeil excelled at two different positions on the gridiron this past fall, as he lined up at cornerback and free safety for the 7-7 Warriors.

McNeil was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 76 cornerback recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 88 player from the state of California. He also holds offers from Oregon State, Colorado State and UNLV, among others.

After a great conversation with @UteReef33 I’m blessed to receive an offer to the University of Utah! #GoUtes #AG2G @GregBiggins @adamgorney @PGregorian @ChadSimmons @TomLoy247 @BrandonHuffman pic.twitter.com/1SYejhxOaR

— Johnny McNeil III (@Johnny3McNeil) February 16, 2026

Utah's 2027 recruiting class

Three-star wide receiver prospect Kingston Parks remains Utah's only commit in its 2027 recruiting 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. 115 wide receiver in the 2027 class.

The Utes had a commit from three-star quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, the younger brother of former Utah linebacker, Christian Thatcher, though he backed off his pledge in January amid the staff changes going on with the program. The Arbor View High School (Nevada) product announced his decision after Christian opted to enter the transfer portal 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.