Utah football joins other Power 5 schools in race for 3-star O-line recruit

Utah recently joined several other programs along the West Coast in the race for 2027 offensive line recruit Rashaun Lavata'i.

Lavata'i, a standout from Curtis Senior High School (Washington) who shared to X on Monday that he's received an offer from the Utes following a conversation with the team's offensive line coach, Jordan Gross, got to add to an already lengthy list of suitors that included the likes of Big Ten, Big 12 and future Pac-12 schools.

The soon-to-be senior has garnered such attention as 247Sports' No. 59-ranked interior offensive line recruit nationally and the No. 10 overall prospect from the state of Washington. Lavata'i is also a three-star and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in his state behind Puyallup-based recruit Gecova Doyal, another Utah target with several Power 5 schools attached to his name.

As for Lavata'i, he's fielding interest from Washington, UCLA, Cal, Arizona, Oregon State and Washington State, among others, and has visits lined up to check out the programs of first-year head coaches JaMarcus Shephard (Beavers), Kirby Moore (Cougars) and Bob Chesney (Bruins). His first stop will be Los Angeles to check out UCLA from May 15-17; then, a trip out to Pullman, Washington, to see Washington State from May 29-31; followed by a trek to Corvallis, Oregon, to meet with Oregon State from June 18-20.

Given the resources and successful track record Gross has to work with, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Utah firmly established its position in the mix in due time. The Utes have a history of developing offensive lineman into pro-caliber players, with Denver Broncos tackle Garrett Bolles and potential 2026 first-round picks, Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, underscoring how effective Utah's developmental program can be.

The Utes' O-line for the upcoming college football season might not feature a couple of future NFL tackles at the bookend spots, but blue-chip prospect Kelvin Obot could soon fit that mold within a couple of years. The Idaho native is regarded as the highest-ranked recruit in program history and could find himself starting at one of the tackle spots as a freshman.

Beyond the 2026 campaign, Utah might get put in a situation where it has some gaps to fill on the interior of its O-line. The Utes brought in a couple of three-star prospects who might develop into starting-caliber guards in Moses Sparks Jr. and Rowdy Pierce, but the volatility of the transfer portal makes it hard to project the year-to-year turnover at any given position.

As such, acquiring as much depth as possible through the recruiting trails and portal is something Utah will have to prioritize for the foreseeable future. Currently, the Utes have one commit in the 2027 class in three-star wide receiver Kingston Parks.

After a great call with @J2theGross I am blessed to receive an offer from the University Of Utah!! @CaliDQ @BrandonHuffman @247Sports @Rivals @Utah_Football @RSNBUtes pic.twitter.com/1N7aK8tfL7
— Rashaun Lavata'i (@Rashaun_2) April 7, 2026