Utah football lands its first commit of the 2026 transfer portal cycle

Utes have added depth to their secondary via the portal

Morgan Scalley has landed his first transfer portal commitment as the Utah Utes head coach. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A couple years after being recruited by Morgan Scalley and Utah out of high school, Marcus Wimberly has decided to join the Utes after all.

Wimberly, who spent the past season at Oklahoma, announced via social media Tuesday that he's committed to Utah, becoming the Utes' first transfer portal addition of the 2026 cycle.

The move came roughly 19 months after Utah hosted Wimberly, a former three-star safety prospect coming out of Bauxite High School (Arkansas), on an official visit during his recruiting process, though he decided to stay with his original commitment and signed with Oklahoma in December 2024.

Wimberly didn't play a snap for the Sooners after having shoulder surgery, which forced him to use a redshirt year. He could, however, compete for playing time in Salt Lake City.

Utah was put in a position to seek out more depth at defensive back with Jaylen Moson, LaTristan Thompson, Smith Snowden and Tao Johnson in the portal, and Blake Cotton set to graduate in the spring. Nabbing a few prospects who could play cornerback, such as four-star athlete Salesi Moa, during the early signing period helped in that regard, though it probably didn't prevent the Utes from approaching the portal cycle with the goal of bringing in more talent to their secondary group.

UTE NATION! I’m ALL IN!!! #Committed #ThankYouGod @Utah_Football @RSNBUtes pic.twitter.com/tL0sJ2pgqP

— Marcus Wimberly ✞ (@Marcus1Wimberly) January 6, 2026

The Utes received confirmation that Rabbit Evans and Nate Ritchie will be back for the 2026 season after both suffered season-ending injuries in 2025. Jackson Bennee, who stepped in a big way for the Utes, is expected to be back in the fold as well. Bennee led Utah with four interceptions and finished second on the team in total tackles (64), earning All-Big 12 honorable mention honors at the end of his sophomore season.

Utah's 2025 secondary played a pivotal role in making the Utes defense among the best in the Big 12 against the pass, allowing the second-fewest yards through the air (177.8) and the lowest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks (49.4%) in the league.

In addition to being 247Sports' No. 2-ranked safety in the state of Arkansas, Wimberly played quarterback and running back as a senior at Bauxite, accumulating 1,852 total yards, 22 touchdowns and 55 tackles. He logged snaps at wide receiver during his junior year and rushed for 533 yards and 15 touchdowns (7.2 yards per carry) while hauling in 28 receptions for 302 yards and two scores.

As a transfer, Wimberly was ranked by 247Sports as a three-star and the No. 107 safety available in the portal.