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<\/p>\nWhile there is still a month left to be played in the 2025 college football season, another deadline is approaching the sport \u2014 the early signing period.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class runs from Dec. 3-5. <\/p>\n
That means crunch time not just on the field of play, but on the recruiting trail as well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”<\/p>\n
Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.<\/p>\n
In the past week, that\u2019s led to several reported developments that involved both BYU and Utah. <\/p>\n
Tradon Bessinger opens his recruitment back up<\/p>\n
Could BYU be in the running for one of the top rising quarterbacks in the 2026 class, who coincidentally enough hails from Utah?<\/p>\n
Davis High quarterback Tradon Bessinger jumped from No. 306 to No. 205 nationally in 247 Sports\u2019 composite rankings this week<\/a>, with the release of an updated ESPN 300 rankings \u2014 and it vaulted him to the level of a four-star composite recruit with a 0.9251 rating.<\/p>\n On Monday, 247 Sports\u2019 Blair Angulo reported<\/a> that Bessinger had reopened his recruitment after committing to Boise State during the summer.<\/p>\n Bessinger has received several new offers in the last couple of months, including one from BYU, and took an official visit to Iowa this past weekend, Angulo reported.<\/p>\n Angulo then dropped the news that Bessinger will be taking an official visit to BYU on Nov. 15, the same day the No. 10 Cougars host TCU.<\/p>\n “BYU<\/a> is one for sure, I know I want to take an official visit there,” Bessinger told Angulo. “UCLA<\/a> is another one, although it\u2019s a bit hard with them since they don\u2019t have a head coach. I think I want to hold off on making a decision until I know who the hire at UCLA will be, just knowing it\u2019s a great school and a great place to be.”<\/p>\n If BYU were to land Bessinger\u2019s services, it would have two of the top 15 quarterbacks in the 2026 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, with composite five-star California talent Ryder Lyons<\/a> already verbally committed to BYU.<\/p>\n ESPN vaulted Bessinger to the No. 9 quarterback overall in the 2026 class in its updated ESPN 300 rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n He is the highest uncommitted quarterback in the 2026 class, after backing off his Boise State commitment.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Bessinger has led Davis to a 9-1 record this season, while throwing for 3,587 yards, 44 touchdowns and just two interceptions.<\/p>\n He was named to the 6A first team as a junior by the Deseret News and earned honorable mention 6A honors as a sophomore.<\/p>\n Bessinger has thrown for 10,183 yards and 118 touchdowns in his prep career.<\/p>\n The Darts, as the No. 3 seed in the 6A playoffs, will host No. 14 Bingham in the postseason\u2019s second round Friday at 4 p.m. MDT.<\/p>\n Kelvin Obot takes a massive jump in ESPN\u2019s rankings<\/p>\n Utah\u2019s top verbal commit, Fruitland High (Idaho) offensive tackle Kelvin Obot, already is rated a five-star talent and the No. 4 player in the 2026 recruiting class by Rivals<\/a>.<\/p>\n In ESPN\u2019s recruiting rankings<\/a>, though, Obot also got a significant bump this week, moving from No. 292 nationally to No. 74.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to argue with Utah\u2019s results. Caleb Lomu<\/a> and Spencer Fano<\/a> are both ranked signees who developed into multiyear starters and project as first-round NFL picks. Obot could be the next in line at offensive tackle,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Craig Haubert wrote<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a big-bodied prospect who still needs to fill out his frame but offers excellent raw tools, highlighted by impressive body quickness and flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n With that bump in ESPN\u2019s rankings \u2014 it was previously the only one that didn\u2019t have Obot as a top-100 player in this year\u2019s recruiting class \u2014 Obot is now up to the No. 38 recruit nationally and fourth-best offensive tackle in this year\u2019s class in 247 Sports\u2019 composite rankings<\/a>, with a 0.9832 rating.<\/p>\n Utes add another offensive line commit<\/p>\n Speaking of offensive linemen, Utah added another commitment to bolster the trenches this week.<\/p>\n That came from three-star talent Mataalii Benjamin<\/a>, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound lineman at Lehi High, who made the commitment Wednesday.<\/p>\n Benjamin had previously been committed to Minnesota. He became the fourth offensive lineman to verbally commit to the Utes in this cycle, along with Obot, Moses Sparks Jr.<\/a> (Rio Rancho, New Mexico) and Rowdy Pearce<\/a> (Midland, Texas).<\/p>\n Oregon offers a Utah commit<\/p>\n Not every bit of news this week would be viewed as positive for either Utah or BYU.<\/p>\n That included Rivals\u2019 Adam Gorney reporting<\/a> that Utah commit and running back LaMarcus Bell, a three-star talent from Lake Oswego, Oregon, has been offered by the Big Ten\u2019s Oregon.<\/p>\n Bell was at Utah this past weekend on an official visit when the Utes beat Colorado 53-7, a game in which Utah rushed for 422 yards, and that kind of rushing attack made an impression with him, Gorney reported.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was amazing seeing how much Utah uses their running backs,\u201d Bell told Gorney. \u201cJust gets me more and more excited to be a part of their program.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are very excited for me to join them and have so much faith in me to be the next great running back to come out of Utah.\u201d<\/p>\n A former Utah tight end commit flips<\/p>\n Josiah Jefferson, the No. 1-rated junior college tight end in the 2026 class, had previously committed to Utah, but this week, Rivals\u2019 Hayes Fawcett reported that Jefferson has flipped his commitment to USC. <\/p>\n Utah originally announced after his commitment that he had signed with Utah and was expected to join the roster for the 2025 season, but he is now back at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, California, playing there this year.<\/p>\n SEC school in pursuit of a BYU commit<\/p>\n Over the summer, BYU was able to flip three-star cornerback Jaxson Gates from Syracuse and get his commitment.<\/p>\n Missouri now is pushing hard to have the Damien High (La Verne, California) prospect commit to the SEC program, according to Rivals\u2019 Gorney<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gates attended the Tigers\u2019 win over UMass earlier this season and is planning on visiting again for Missouri\u2019s game against Mississippi State on Nov. 15, Gorney reported.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir message to me has been about the development in the SEC and they have the most draft picks,\u201d Gates told Gorney. \u201cThey were selling me on that.<\/p>\n \u201cI like Mizzou a lot. I\u2019m going to go to another game. I could definitely see myself being a Mizzou Tiger for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Note: recruits listed in order of 247 Sports composite ranking<\/p>\n Second-round games, all played Friday<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LTIO6TKR7BCGNEFNWME5DH5RFM.JPG\")
Orem wide receiver Kaue Akana (13) makes a touchdown reception while defended by Maple Mountain cornerback Maddox Sabey (1) during a game held at Orem High School in Orem on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News BYU commits playing this week in Utah high school playoffs<\/p>\n
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Lone Peak plays Corner Canyon in a football game at Lone Peak High School in Highland on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News Utah commits playing this week in Utah high school playoffs<\/p>\n