Utah football transfer portal: Tracking every addition to the 2026 roster

With the 2025 season in the rearview mirror, the Utah football program has turned its attention toward the transfer portal.

Over the past few years, the Utes have benefitted from bringing in new and experienced talent from other schools, with John Henry Daley (BYU), Logan Fano (BYU), Devon Dampier (New Mexico) and Wayshawn Parker (Washington State) serving as recent examples of players making an immediate impact upon their arrival to Salt Lake City.

Filling in gaps and adding depth to positions of need won't look the same as it did in previous years, though. Kyle Whittingham is no longer at the helm of the program, and new rules dictating when players can enter the portal have been established for the 2026 cycle.

That being said, Morgan Scalley and his first-year coaching staff will have to navigate uncharted waters as they assemble the pieces that'll make up their 2026 roster.

Over the course of the offseason, this page will be updated with Utah's latest portal additions, plus brief breakdowns on each newcomer to the program.

Utah's 2026 Transfer Portal Class

Player	Previous School	Position	Hometown	Transfer Ranking (247Sports)	2025 Stats
Marcus Wimberly	Oklahoma	Safety	Bauxite, Arkansas	3-star, No. 107 safety	Didn't play
Lucas Samsula	Wyoming	Defensive tackle	Plano, Texas	N/A	15 total tackles, 1.5 sacks in 12 games played
Ethan Day	North Texas	Defensive lineman	Ripon, California	3-star, No. 18 defensive lineman	53 total tackles (7.0 TFLs), 4.5 sacks in 14 games played
Tanner Cragun	UTEP	Kicker	Frisco, Texas	N/A	Went 6-for-8 on field goal attempts in seven games
Braden Pegan	Utah State	Wide receiver	San Juan Capistrano, California	4-star, No. 21 wide receiver	Hauled in 60 catches for 926 yards and five touchdowns
Kyri Shoels	San José State	Wide receiver	Las Vegas	3-star, No. 61 wide receiver	Grabbed 59 catches for 768 yards and two touchdowns
Isaiah Kema	Ohio State	Interior offensive lineman	Lubbock, Texas	N/A	Appeared in four games
Elijah Reed	Akron	Cornerback	Louisville, Kentucky	3-star, No. 92 cornerback	Tallied 47 total tackles (2 TFLs), defended four passes, snagged two interceptions and forced a fumble in 12 games
Jireh Moe	San José State	Defensive tackle	Westminster, California	N/A	Totaled 28 tackles (2.0 TFLs) and 1.5 sacks in 11 games played
Jamal Wallace	Tennessee	Defensive tackle	Kansas City, Missouri	3-star, No. 58 defensive lineman	Recorded four tackles in six games played
Cedric Jefferson	Montana State	Offensive Tackle	Temecula, California	N/A	Appeared in 16 games
Nicholas Brown	Lamar	Cornerback	Cypress, Texas	N/A	Recorded an interception and nine total tackles in two games
James Chenault	South Florida	Cornerback	Orlando, Florida	3-star, No. 69 cornerback	Had 32 tackles and two interceptions in nine games played
Steve Chavez-Soto	San José State	Running Back	Chino, California	N/A	Recorded 87 attempts for 448 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games
Earl Parker	Hutchinson Community College	Cornerback	Anchorage, Alaska	3-star, No. 6 cornerback (JUCO)	Tallied 18 total tackles and an interception in 11 games played
Noah Bennee	Weber State	Tight End	Holladay, Utah	3-star	Had six receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in 11 games
Nicholas Igwe	Kilgore College	Defensive End	Houston, Texas	N/A	Recorded 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in nine games
Ricky Johnson	Mississippi State	Wide Receiver	Warner Robins, Georgia	N/A	Hauled in three catches for 17 yards in 13 games
Will Monney	Oklahoma State	Tight End	Springville, Utah	N/A	Had three catches for 39 yards in four games

(For a look at the players leaving Utah via the portal, click here)

Marcus Wimberly, Safety — Oklahoma

Height/weight: 6-foot-1,185 pounds
2025 eligibility: Freshman
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star, No. 80 safety nationally in 2025 class
Was recruited by the Utes coming out of Bauxite High School (Arkansas) and took a visit to Utah in June 2024

Lucas Samsula, Defensive Tackle — Wyoming

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 306 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt sophomore
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Took a redshirt year as a freshman (2023) and missed the 2024 campaign due to injury

Ethan Day, Defensive Lineman — North Texas

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 250 pounds
2025 eligibility: Junior
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Entering fifth year of college after spending one season at Modesto College (JUCO; 2022), two seasons at Wyoming (2023, 2024) and one season at North Texas (2025).

Tanner Cragun, Kicker — UTEP

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 195 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt sophomore
High school rating (Chris Sailer Kicking): 5-star
Started his career as a walk-on at Utah in 2020

Braden Pegan, Wide Receiver — Utah State

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 210 pounds
2025 eligibility: Junior
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Was recruited by Utah wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis in 2021

Kyri Shoels, Wide Receiver — San José State

Height/weight: 6-foot-tall, 182 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt junior
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star (JUCO)
Transferred from Palomar College (California) to San José State in 2024, teaming up with current Utes offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven

Isaiah Kema, Interior Offensive Lineman — Ohio State

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 312 pounds
2025 eligibility: Freshman
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Served two-year mission trip in New Zealand before joining Ohio State in 2025

Elijah Reed, Cornerback — Akron

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt junior
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Played first two seasons of career at Kentucky, where he redshirted as a freshman

Jireh Moe, Defensive Tackle — San José State

Height/weight: 6-foot, 280 pounds
2025 eligibility: Freshman
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Played for current Utes' safeties coach Derrick Odum during their time at San José State

Jamal Wallace, Defensive Tackle — Tennessee

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 313 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt junior
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star (JUCO)
Was the No. 4 JUCO player in the portal following two seasons

at Sierra College in California

Cedric Jefferson, Offensive Tackle — Montana State

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 300 pounds
2025 eligibility: Sophomore
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Helped guide the Bobcats to a win in the Football Championship Subdivision national championship this past season

Nicholas Brown, Cornerback — Lamar

Height/weight: 6-foot-tall, 170 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt sophomore
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Played on both sides of the ball at Cy Springs High School (Texas)

James Chenault, Cornerback — South Florida

Height/weight: 6-foot-tall, 180 pounds
2025 eligibility: Sophomore
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Chose South Florida over competing offers from Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Louisville and Ole Miss

Steve Chavez-Soto, Running back — San José State

Height/weight: 6-foot-tall, 205 pounds
2025 eligibility: Freshman
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Ranked No. 10 in the Mountain West in yards per carry (5.1) and No. 9 in rushing touchdowns (seven)

Earl Parker, Cornerback — Hutchinson Community College

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds
2025 eligibility: Sophomore
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Helped the Blue Dragons to back-to-back national championship appearances in 2024 and 2025, winning the 2024 title

Noah Bennee, Tight end — Weber State

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 240 pounds
2025 eligibility: Senior
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Brother of Utes defensive back Jackson Bennee

Nicholas Igwe, Defensive end — Kilgore College

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 255 pounds
2025 eligibility: Freshman
High school rating (247Sports): N/A
Previously committed to Boise State before flipping to Utah

Ricky Johnson, Wide receiver — Mississippi State

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt freshman
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Played for new wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis at Mississippi State

Will Monney, Tight end — Oklahoma State

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 230 pounds
2025 eligibility: Redshirt junior
High school rating (247Sports): 3-star
Was a top-25 recruit in the state of Utah before signing with Utah State in the 2023 class.

New Transfer Portal Window

Last year, the NCAA Football Oversight Committee voted for a single transfer portal window to take place in January, doing away with with the spring transfer cycle in a significant change for the sport's offseason calendar.

The old transfer process included a 30-day window starting the day after the College Football Playoff selections, followed by another 15-day transfer period between April 16-30. In October, the NCAA modified its rules to make for a single transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16.

Players can still commit and transfer to their next school at any time after their names have been entered into the portal. Those competing in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 19 will get an additional five-day period from Jan. 20 to 24 to enter the portal after their season ends.