Utah football finalist for 3-star cornerback transfer

Utes will host top-50 cornerback transfer on visit in January

Morgan Scalley takes over as the Utah Utes head coach after spending the past decade as the program's defensive coordinator. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

With its attention split between bowl game preparation and roster building, Utah has positioned itself to land perhaps its first transfer of the 2026 cycle.

Kanye Thompson, a defensive back who played at Slippery Rock, a Division II school located in Pennsylvania, is reportedly considering Utah and Arkansas.

Thompson has lined up visits with both schools. The Razorbacks will have him on campus Jan. 3; the Utes will bring him to Salt Lake City on Jan. 6.

Thompson is rated by 247Sports as a three-star transfer prospect, checking in as the No. 43 cornerback and No. 343 player nationally as of Dec. 26. He's spent the past four seasons at Slippery Rock, appearing in 24 games between 2024 and 2025 after not seeing the field in 2022 and 2023.

Thompson, who committed to Slippery Rock as an unranked recruit out of McKeesport High School (Pennsylvania) in the 2021 class, took a redshirt year as a freshman and didn't play in a game as a redshirt freshman in 2023. The following year, though, he made seven starts across 14 appearances, totaling 25 tackles, three pas break-ups and one blocked kick. He also served as the team's primary punt returner.

In 2025, Thompson had 60 total tackles, including 5.5 for loss, plus 3.0 sacks and four forced fumbles in 10 games.

For Utah, bringing in cornerback depth through the portal would help make up for the impending departure of senior defensive back Blake Cotton, as well as any outgoing talent that leaves via the portal. Based on eligibility, the Utes are expected to bring back most of their secondary, including Smith Snowden, Don Saunders, Scooby Davis, Rock Caldwell and Jason Stokes Jr. at cornerback.

How Kyle Whittingham's departure to Michigan impacts the Utes' roster outlook for 2026 remains to be seen. It's expected the transition to Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will provide the Utes with some sense of continuity moving forward, though Whittingham's connections with his players and Michigan's wealth of resources could lure some Utes to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Whittingham's decision to take over the Wolverines will most likely have a ripple effect on the high school recruiting landscape as well, though it remains to be seen whether any of Utah's 2026 signees back out of their letter of intent to join Whittingham instead.

Whittingham isn't expected to coach the Utes for their matchup against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Breaking: Slippery Rock transfer CB Kanye Thompson (@ThompsonKanye) is down to two schools— Utah and Arkansas, he tells @CFBRalb and I.

Thompson has visits scheduled with both schools in January:

🏈 Arkansas: January 3
🏈 Utah: January 6 pic.twitter.com/b6lHYrp4GL

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) December 26, 2025