Utah football recruiting target Sam Ngata previews game day visit

'Every time I’m at Utah, I have an amazing experience'

The Utah Utes will host several star-studded recruits on game day visits during their Big 12 opener against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Sam Ngata is looking to blaze his own football path.

The Olympus High School (Holladay, Utah) product understands the territory that comes with sharing the surname of Super Bowl champion and five-time All-Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata. But Sam isn't leaning on name cache as he embarks on his own journey through the college recruitment process.

"It’s amazing having him as a source of help whenever I need it," Sam said. "I can always go to him, but my main thing is building my own legacy."

Safe to say, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound high school junior has established a solid foundation; he's a top-50 linebacker prospect in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports, and has garnered interest from several Football Bowl Subdivision programs over the past year.

So much so, in fact, that Sam will be going on his second game day visit in a three-week span on Saturday, as he'll be in attendance for a Big 12 showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium between Utah and Texas Tech (10 a.m. local time, Fox).

"I’m looking forward to watching the defense fly around and play a great Texas Tech team," Sam said. "Every time I’m at Utah, I have an amazing experience. Super hyped to talk to the coaches and some players."

Back in Rice Eccles this Saturday! @Utah_Football @MasonYellicoUT #GoUtes #AGTG @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/ojL6sLyw3R

— Sam Ngata (@Ngata_Sam) September 16, 2025

Sam's upcoming trip to campus comes after he spent some time with the Utes' coaching staff during the program's All About U camp in June, in which he and a few other high schoolers worked on their skills and got to receive valuable feedback from Division I coaches.

"What stood out to me at that camp was the amount of passion that every coach had to help us get better in every drill," Sam said. "I loved working with [Utah linebacker coach Colton] Swan, he always was fired up and told me how to improve my game."

In addition to going on a game day visit with Utah State, Sam has played a key role on both sides of the ball for his Titans squad since his summer camp experience. In his first four games of his junior season, he racked up eight catches for 68 yards and a touchdown while lined up at tight end on offense, plus 30 tackles and an interception while positioned at linebacker on defense.

Sam sees himself playing on the defensive side of the ball in college, though he's open to anything his future coach asks him to do. He's ranked by 247Sports as a three-star prospect, the No. 50 linebacker in the country and the No. 12 high school junior in the state of Utah, with offers from BYU, Colorado State, Oregon State, San Diego State and the Utes.

"Not yet," Sam said when asked whether he's narrowed down his options. "But Utah is definitely up there in my favorites."

Whenever (and wherever) he decides to commit, it'll be to a program that offers more than success on the gridiron.

"The qualities I look for in a program is a place where I can become developed to my max potential," Sam said. "A place that provides a great education, and a place with a culture that wants to get better every day."