Utah football should target this 4-star wide receiver in the transfer portal

A wide receiver who played for Utah's new offensive coordinator, Kevin McGiven, is available on the open market

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley's decision to bring in former Utah State Aggies offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven could help the Utes land one of the top wide receivers in the transfer portal. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

With his first year-coaching staff nearly rounded out, Utah head coach Morgan Scalley can put more of his focus on bringing in fresh talent to the Utes' roster.

Over 3,000 players have entered the transfer portal since it opened Jan. 2, giving Utah plenty of potential options to fill the vacancies created by the departures of NFL draft entrants, graduates and portal entries.

One name fans might want to keep an eye on over the course of the 2026 transfer cycle is Braden Pegan, a standout wide receiver who played at Utah State under new Utah offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven.

Who is Braden Pegan?

Pegan was the No. 1 receiving option for an Aggies team that ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West in scoring (31.8 points per game) and No. 3 in total offense (422.4 yards per game). He led Utah State with 60 receptions for 926 yards and five touchdowns, including three games with 100-plus receiving yards.

Pegan, a product of San Juan Hills High School (California), played the first two seasons of his career at UCLA, the school he committed to as a three-star prospect in the 2022 class. The 6-foot-3 prospect who also played defensive back in high school appeared in 13 games with the Bruins, logging one catch for seven yards in the 2023 campaign.

Playing only four games as a freshman in 2022 preserved Pegan's redshirt year, which he used in 2024 before transferring to Utah State. His arrival to Logan, Utah, coincided with McGiven's first year as the Aggies offensive coordinator.

Following his career-year, Pegan entered the portal and was rated as a four-star transfer by 247Sports. He recently completed a couple of visits to Wisconsin and Rutgers.

How Pegan would fit Utah's offense

McGiven's offense at Utah State utilized run-pass option plays, vertical routes and other pass concepts that created space for his playmakers, resembling some of the schemes Jason Beck called for the Utes offense in 2025.

Perhaps the key difference between the Utes and Aggies offense last season was the frequency with which the field was stretched in the passing game. Utah relied on its stout run game more than anything else and didn't spend a whole lot of time looking to take the top off the defense with deep shots down the sidelines. But Utah State did draw up those kinds of plays for quarterback Bryson Barnes, who averaged a Mountain West-best 13.3 yards per completion in 2025 (Dampier, by comparison, gained 11.7 yards per completion for the Utes).

Admittedly, factors like personnel and competition level had some impact on how both offenses functioned. The leap from the Mountain West to the Big 12 didn't seem to faze Beck, though, and it didn't prevent Utah's leading receiver, Ryan Davis, from putting up big numbers after transferring in from New Mexico. Davis led the Utes with 725 receiving yards — ranking No. 13 in the Big 12 — and hauled in four touchdowns on 62 receptions during his lone season with the team.

Pegan wouldn't serve the same role Davis did, considering the former has been a serious threat throughout his career, while the latter was a better fit for the slot. Utah, frankly, didn't roster a receiver with the kind of deep-threat profile Pegan brings to the table. Last season, he averaged 15.4 yards per catch and 77.2 yards per game, the latter of which topped any per-game by a Utah wide receiver.

However, the Utes are projected to have depth at the receiver spot going into 2026, with Daidren Zipperer, Larry Simmons, Tobias Merriweather and Creed Whittemore still currently on the roster. Simmons could carry a bigger role in the offense based on how he ended the 2025 campaign; Zipperer was limited last season due to injury but flashed potential as a freshman in 2024, potentially creating more opportunities for him leading up to spring camp. Merriweather and Whittemore weren't featured heavily during their first season with the team, though a full year in Salt Lake City under their belts combined with a new offensive coordinator and receivers coach (Chad Bumphis) could lead to more prominent roles for either or both in 2026.

Not to mention, Hunter Andrews and JJ Buchanan could return to the fold as well. Both are listed as tight ends but are really hybrid players with the ability to stretch the field.

That all said, it's impossible to rule out the idea of Pegan wanting to continue to play for the offensive coordinator who helped him have a career-year, at a power conference school located just 80 miles south of where he spent the past year living.