Helaman Casuga will play his first game for Corner Canyon High later this week, when the Chargers play American Fork on Friday to open the 2024 season.
The former Timpview High quarterback and four-star prospect in the 2026 class, though, has narrowed the focus a bit in his recruitment before the year begins.
On Monday, he revealed the top eight schools he is considering for college, as 247 Sports’ Blair Angulo reported.
Two Utah universities, BYU and the University of Utah, made the short list.
The other six schools are Arizona, Auburn, Nebraska, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
Who is Helaman Casuga?
Casuga is rated a four-star quarterback recruit in the 2026 class and the No. 178 prospect nationally in 247 Sports’ composite recruiting rankings, with a 0.9283 player rating.
The 6-foot, 200-pounder is rated the top QB recruit in the state of Utah in the 2026 class and the fourth-best player in the state overall, per 247 Sports.
Casuga played his first two high school seasons at Timpview, where he threw for 6,457 yards, 58 touchdowns and 21 interceptions during his freshman and sophomore years, per the Deseret News preps database.
Last season, Casuga was named the Deseret News Class 5A Player of the Year after leading Timpview to the 5A state title, all while completing 64.8% of his passes and throwing for 4,135 yards, 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He added 354 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Now, he joins a Corner Canyon school that has sent several quarterbacks to the NFL or power conference level in recent years. That includes current Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, Ole Miss senior Jaxson Dart, Ohio State junior Devin Brown and Utah freshman Isaac Wilson, who was named the backup QB for the Utes on Monday.
What did Helaman Casuga say about BYU and Utah?
Casuga discussed each of his eight top schools with Angulo.
Regarding BYU, which is headed into its second season in the Big 12, Casuga said, “It’s only right for me to keep BYU at my top. Coach Aaron Roderick and coach Kalani Sitake were the first major offer. My love for football started there and I always get home vibes when I visit their games.”
Timpview, his old high school, is located just a few miles from BYU’s campus.
Utah is joining BYU in the Big 12 this season and is ranked No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll heading into 2024. The Utes won Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022 and are enjoying the most successful stretch in school history.
“Some of my favorite people play there, like former teammate Spencer Fano, Logan Fano and Isaac Wilson,” Casuga told Angulo, on why Utah is appealing. “The fan base is electrifying and if we’re being honest they are one of the top programs in the country. We plan to go to the Utah game against BYU this season.”