Utah welcomes some key transfers for visits

SALT LAKE CITY– Utah football has seen some momentum since landing quarterback Devon Dampier last week. The staff added six more signings over the weekend and has the opportunity to keep that momentum going this week.

With Jason Beck’s leadership in Utah’s offensive transformation, the program will welcome some visitors to campus for official visits that could be helpful in that regard.

Currently, running back Wayshawn Parker, receiver Joseph Williams and offensive tackle Kalolo Ta’aga will be on campus for official visits over the next few days.

Running back Wayshawn Parker

Parker is arguably the top running back in the portal and one of the top players regardless of position. He finished the 2024 season with 735 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns while adding another touchdown and 108 yards on 11 receptions.

After a fantastic freshman season at Washington State, Parker was a hot commodity. He originally planned visits to Arizona, Ole Miss, USC and Utah, but swapped Ole Miss for UCLA before ultimately canceling his visits to the two Los Angeles schools.

Now it’s up to Arizona and Utah, and the Utes will have the final say on his decision. Additionally, Utah’s new running backs coach was his position coach at Washington State, which gave Utah a bit of an upper hand in his recruiting.

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Utah’s chances with Parker.

Receiver Joseph Williams

A 6-foot, 195-pound receiver who made an immediate impact as a true freshman this season. He caught 30 passes for 588 yards and 5 touchdowns, mostly coming in the back half of the schedule.

This has made him one of the most sought-after players in the portal this cycle. Williams has already made two visits (USC and Mississippi State) and two more (Washington and Colorado) after his time in Salt Lake City.

He is a big priority for Utah and would provide a big boost to the receiver room. After a great freshman season, Williams could take on a big role in a new Utah offense. Of the three, it appears to be the toughest competition, but Utah will be right in the thick of it for him.

Offensive tackle Kalolo Ta’aga

Ta’aga, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound offensive tackle from USC, should be a pretty familiar name to Utah fans. Ta’aga was a recruit in last year’s class that Utah was heavily involved with. His recruitment ultimately boiled down to USC and Utah before joining the Trojans.

Ta’aga will arrive in Salt Lake City tomorrow after an official visit to Arizona. Tackle isn’t a big need for Utah, but signing a player with Ta’aga’s potential never hurts.

He redshirted from USC this season and will have four seasons of eligibility. He needs some development but has tremendous potential and would be an ideal fit behind Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu.

Arizona will be tough competition as Ta’aga previously committed to Brent Brennan at San Jose State. However, Utah has a very good chance of adding him to the mix.

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The final decision won’t be made until tomorrow, but Utah could add another visitor on Wednesday and is working to finalize additional visits over the weekend.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts the Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to beat the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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