Utah football lands one of the top JUCO cornerbacks in the transfer portal

Utes land pledge from a top-10 JUCO cornerback

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley landed a commitment from three-star JUCO transfer cornerback Earl Parker. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah went into the junior college well Monday night as the Utes looked to further their retooling of their secondary unit.

Earl Parker, one of the top-rated cornerbacks at the JUCO level, announced Monday on social media that he has committed to Utah for the 2026 season.

Parker became the fifth defensive back to sign with the Utes during the 2026 transfer cycle, joining safety Marcus Wimberly (Oklahoma) and cornerbacks Elijah Reed (Akron), Nicholas Brown (Lamar) and James Chenault (South Florida).

Morgan Scalley and his first-year coaching staff were expected to target experienced players to fill the voids created by Smith Snowden deciding to enter the portal and Blake Cotton running out of eligibility at the end of 2025.

Utah, which allowed the lowest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks among Big 12 teams (49.4%) and the second-fewest passing yards per game (177.8), also lost depth pieces to the portal in LaTristan Thompson, Jaylen Moson and Don Saunders. Not to mention, starting safety Tao Johnson left via the portal as well.

Parker was a three-star, the No. 84-ranked JUCO player nationally and 247Sports' No. 6 cornerback among JUCO transfers at the time of his commitment to Utah, which followed a visit out to Salt Lake City to meet with the coaching staff.

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Parker spent the past two seasons playing for Hutchinson Community College (Kansas), helping guide the Blue Dragons to back-to-back national championship game appearances in 2024 and 2025. Hutchinson won the 2024 title over Iowa Western Community College, but couldn't pull off a repeat in a 28-10 loss to the Reivers in the 2025 championship game.

Parker appeared in 11 games for the Blue Dragons in 2025, recording 18 total tackles and an interception after playing in six games as a freshman.

As Parker continued to help Hutchinson win, he fielded offers from several Division I schools interested in his services. Hawaii, Colorado State and Central Michigan were among the programs that extended offers in the fall, as well as Coastal Carolina, which hosted him on an official visit in late November.

Parker decided to go with Utah instead and provide the Utes another lengthy defensive back with a winning pedigree. Whether the 6-foot-3 prospect sees the field often in 2026 will hinge on what Scalley and company accomplish in the portal over the offseason, as well as Parker's play in spring and fall camps.

#AGTG IM HOME🏠⭐️ @CoachDrewDallas @BallcoachKrause @CoachCross1 @coachroberson42 @coachHAWK19 @erineasterellis @UteReef33 @Utah_Football #BLESSED pic.twitter.com/wA5bQ9U5tD

— Earl Parker (@ak_hooper) January 13, 2026