Utah football joins crowded recruiting mix for 3-star athlete from California

The last few waves of conference realignment have made it so Utah and its former Pac-12 counterparts hardly see each other on the field anymore, aside from the rare nonleague game in August or September.

Out on the recruiting trails, though, it's a different story.

A look at the list of schools targeting Junipero Serra High School (California) athlete Jeovanni Henley would give great insight into how the autonomy schools out West are still battling it out for top-end high school prospects. UCLA, Cal, Washington, Arizona and Arizona State are among those interested in the three-star recruit's services.

If Utah is to seriously compete for Henley's signature, it's going to have to go toe-to-toe with a few of its former conference rivals over the coming months. The Utes recently joined the mix after extending an offer to the Paolo Alto native, who shared the news with a post to his X account.

"Thank you GOD!! Blessed to receive an offer from Utah!!" Henley wrote in his post, which also included a tag for Utah safeties coach Derrick Odum.

Odum, who enters his first season on Scalley's coaching staff, has plenty of reason to be interested in the rising senior's skillset. Henley's got the speed and recognition to make plays in the run game, as well as the ballcarrier skills to serve in a gadget wide receiver role on offense.

A productive junior season, in which he recorded 65 tackles, eight touchdowns, five sacks and two interceptions, boosted Henley's recruiting profile and his visibility on a national scale. He's ranked by 247Sports as a three-star, the No. 100 athlete and the No. 129 player from California in the 2027 class.

Since his 2025 season ended, Henley's offer sheet has grown to feature more Power 5 schools. UCLA, BYU, Penn State, Washington, Northwestern, Minnesota and Georgia Tech have joined the mix since January, while a few of Henley's other suitors paid him home visits during the contact period.

Looking ahead in Henley's recruiting process, he's got a few campus visits lined up with some of his top schools. UCLA will host him on June 5, Cal will have him on June 11 and Washington will bring him to Seattle on June 19.

As for Utah, Scalley and company are in the middle of building out its 2027 class. Right now, the Utes' lone 2027 commit is from The Oakridge School (Texas) product, Kingston Parks. Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks and a three-star receiver prospect, verbally committed to the Utes in late November.

Thank you GOD!! Blessed to receive an offer from Utah!!@CoachOUTAHUTES @coachwalsh20 @coachmons @Ogthetruth @ActivatedSP @Samchung_4 @BrandonHuffman @adamgorney @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/8QEjTYecow
— Jeovanni Henley⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@JeovanniHenley) March 31, 2026