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Utah football locks in visit with 3-star QB in 2027 class

Utes hosting top-15 quarterback recruit on visit in April
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley and his program will host several 2027 and 2028 recruits on visits this spring.
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley and his program will host several 2027 and 2028 recruits on visits this spring. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Utah Utes

Utah isn't reserving the spring visit window for its top targets in the class of 2027.

It's expected that a few soon-to-be high school juniors will be coming in and out of Salt Lake City over the coming months as well, including talented quarterback prospect Jamar "JJ" Howard Jr.

Howard, a standout from West Clovis High School (California), has arranged a visit with the Utes for April 2, according to his X account. The three-star recruit will also check out BYU's campus in Provo that same day.

Utah and BYU are among the schools featured on Howard's spring visit tour, which includes dates to Arizona (March 6), Oregon (March 12) Tennessee (March 26), Kentucky (March 29), Cincinnati (March 30), Ohio State (March 31) and UCLA (May 2).

Howard's recruitment has picked up recently. In addition to the interest he's garnered from some of the top power conference programs in the country, the class of 2028 prospect has received offers from, Nevada, Idaho, UNLV and Cal Poly in recent weeks. He's also completed a Jan. 31 visit with Cal and reeled in an offer from Washington.

Howard is coming off a sophomore season in which he totaled 2,800 yards and 37 touchdowns for the Golden Eagles, who made it all the way to the semifinal round of the CIF Central Section playoffs before bowing out to Clovis High School. West Clovis finished the 2025 season 3-2 in Tri-River League play and 8-4 overall.

Howard checks in on the 247Sports composite rankings as the No. 149 recruit nationally, the No. 11 quarterback and the No. 10 prospect from California in the 2028 class. He's the top-ranked quarterback in the state as well, though that could change if Rancho Bernardo High School two-way star and fellow Utah target, Gaige Weddle, ever decides to play the position full-time.

Weddle is slated to visit Utah at some point in the near future too, though it's unclear where his impending trip to Salt Lake City fits in on his loaded calendar. The son of former Utes All-American safety, Eric Weddle, also has plans to see Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, BYU, Oklahoma, Miami, Stanford and Cal in the lead-up to his junior season, according to On3/Rivals' Adam Gorney.

Gaige is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 61 player overall and the No. 3 athlete in the class. In addition to the aforementioned schools, he also holds offers from Arizona State, Tennessee, USC, Vanderbilt and Washington, among others.

Regarding the 2027 class, Utah will host Oceanside High School (California) standout Lincoln Mageo, the top-ranked interior offensive lineman recruit from California, on March 21 for a visit. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound prospect is ranked by ESPN as the No. 10 interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class and checks in on247Sports' composite rankings as a four-star recruit

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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