Utah football schedules visit with local 4-star recruit in 2027 class

Normally when a major college football program goes through a coaching change, the next person in charge has to spend considerable time reconnecting with the school's top high school recruiting targets.

The new Utah staff has gotten to know the process of revisiting and re-offering prospects during the first few months of Morgan Scalley's head coaching tenure, though not everyone needs to go over the team's recruiting pitch for a second time.

In the case of Jaxton Itaeehau, Utah's regime change has kept the door wide open for the Davis High School (Utah) standout to play for his father's alma mater.

Itaeehau, a four-star athlete in the 2027 class, has locked in a visit with Utah for June 19, according to a report from Blair Angulo of 247Sports. The soon-to-be senior is the son of former Utes running back Sam Itaaehau, who was a teammate of Scalley's on the 2001 Utah squad.

"It was my first offer, and it's my biggest offer for sure," Itaaehau said of Utah to 247Sports. "My dad played there with coach Scalley, so there is a strong connection to the alma mater, and I have thought about how much of a cool thing it would be to play where my dad did."

Itaeehau has garnered attention from multiple Division I programs out West as 247Sports' No. 16 athlete and the No. 3 player from the state of Utah. The Utes were among the first to get in on the mix, having offered the blue-chip recruit in December 2024, though his offer sheet has grown to include Colorado, Boise State, Oregon State and Utah State.

According to Angulo, some coaching staffs are interested in what he could do as a running back or receiver, while others are intrigued by his capabilities as a cornerback at the collegiate level. His 2025 tape features highlights with him playing on both sides of the ball, including several plays that show how he finished the year with over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 33 total tackles on defense.

Utah's 2027 recruiting class

Three-star wide receiver prospect and The Oakridge School (Texas) product, Kingston Parks, is the only 2027 recruit to commit to Utah at this point. Parks, the younger brother of former Utah wide receiver Money Parks, verbally committed to the Utes in late November over competing offers from Arizona, Middle Tennessee, North Texas and Sacramento State.

Whether Parks follows through on his verbal commitment and signs with the Utes during the early signing period next winter remains to be seen. Parks told On3 in January that Kyle Whittingham was the reason he was drawn to the Utes in the first place. With Whittingham and most of Utah's former staff with him in Michigan, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Wolverines joined the mix at some point.

Kaysville (Utah) Davis four-star athlete Jaxton Itaaehau picked up his first offer from the in-state Utes back in December 2024, and remains very high on the legacy program: https://t.co/zz378KmZOi pic.twitter.com/ewAu1YLanS
— Blair Angulo (@BlairAngulo) March 6, 2026