Utah football secures commitment from 3-star defensive lineman in 2027 class

Tiki Teeples, one of the top defensive lineman recruits from the state of Arizona, has committed to the Utah football program.

The Utes secured the Canyon View High School product's pledge Wednesday evening, giving Morgan Scalley and company their third commitment in the class of 2027.

Teeples, who chose Utah over competing interest from multiple Power 5 programs, announced his commitment via X with the caption: "After a lot of prayer, hard work, and talks with my family, I’m blessed to announce that I am %100 COMMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH! Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, and everyone who has supported me through this journey. This is just the beginning. #GoUtes"

Teeples committed to the Utes as 247Sports' No. 118-ranked defensive line recruit in the nation and the No. 24 overall prospect from Arizona. Only two other defensive line players from Arizona — Basha High School's T.K. Cunningham and Desert Edge High School's Yahzeen Zion — were graded higher than Teeples on the recruiting site's database.

Utah beat out a few Big 12 schools to land the 6-foot-4 rising senior, including Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. Other programs out West, like Fresno State, Idaho and Utah State, had also extended offers.

Teeples' recruitment picked up steam following a highly-productive junior season in which he recorded 63 tackles, including 18 for loss and 12.5 sacks, earning first-team all-region and second-team all-state defensive line honors.

About a month after the 2025 season ended, Teeples had coaching staffs from all over the West Coast, including representatives from Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State and Boise State, among others, pay him visits during the January contact period. He also got to check out Texas Tech and New Mexico while on unofficial visits in February.

Utah didn't officially join the mix until defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss pitched the Utes and extended Teeples an offer in March. Just four weeks later, the three-star recruit shared on social media that he'd scheduled an official visit with Utah for June 5-7.

Obviously, Teeples didn't need to take his official visit with the Utes to be sold on what Scalley and his staff are selling him. For Utah, it secures its second defensive lineman and its third overall prospect in the 2027 class, which also features commits from three-star edge Jack Henderson and three-star wide receiver Kingston Parks.

Teeples shared on social media earlier this month that he'd arranged a visit with Iowa State for May 28-30; time will tell whether he goes on that visit.

After a lot of prayer, hard work, and talks with my family, I’m blessed to announce that I am %100 COMMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH! Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, and everyone who has supported me through this journey. This is just the beginning. #GoUtes ❤️… pic.twitter.com/SNlCnEwHQz
— TikiTeeples (@TikiTeeples) April 22, 2026

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