A dozen years ago when Cottonwood quarterback Cooper Bateman got a scholarship offer from Alabama, and actually signed there, it was stunning news in Utah high school circles.
The SEC and other power conferences rarely recruited the state of Utah, and when they did it was for linemen, definitely not quarterbacks.
On Wednesday during the first day of Early Signing Period for high school football seniors, Orem quarterback Tayden Ka’awa became the latest local quarterback to sign with the Crimson Tide. It barely moved the needle like Bateman’s signing over a decade ago.
Not that Ka’awa’s signing is any less significant, because it isn’t. But rather, it was somewhat the norm this year.
For the first time perhaps ever, Utah had four senior quarterbacks ranked in the top 25 of their recruiting class by 247sports (formerly Rivals). And all four of those QBs signed out of state.
Davis’ Tradon Bessinger signed at Iowa (ranked 6th), Corner Canyon’s Helaman Casuga at Texas A&M (ranked 10th), Ka’awa at Alabama (ranked 21st) and Skyridge’s Kaneal Sweetwyne at NC State (ranked 24th). All four have signed with Power 4 schools.
In the 12 years prior, only 14 total QBs in Utah were ranked in the top 25 of their respective graduating class and only seven of those signed at a Power 5 conference.
That all four of today’s signees are heading out of state is probably more a function of opportunity than anything else. For Casuga, it’s a bit more than that, too.
“I think the biggest thing I just wanted to prove my talents. And I know there’s a lot of talented people in the state of Utah, but I also just wanted to test the waters about going out of state and prove that Utah can ball … we shouldn’t be overlooked. I think we can ball, so I just want to be able to put on for the state that you can chase your dreams wherever you want to go,” said Casuga.
Signing at Texas A&M only gets Casuga’s foot in the door. Earning playing time for one of this year’s national title contenders is a completely different animal. He’s not intimidated by that in the least.
“I’m looking forward a lot to be honest. I trust in my talents, I believe in myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. So I’m just grateful that I can go out and get my free education and compete at the highest level,” said Casuga, who is graduating early and will enroll at Texas A&M in January.
Casuga’s opportunity speaks volumes about out-of-state college coaches looking more closely at the state of Utah for quarterbacks. Perhaps it’s the Jaxson Dart effect.
The former Corner Canyon quarterback was a three-year starter at Ole Miss and eventually became an NFL first-round draft pick by the New York Giants this past spring.
Texas A&M’s coaching staff is taking a gamble that another Corner Canyon quarterback can have similar success in the SEC. He passed for 3,487 yards and 37 TDs for the Chargers this season.
Bessinger’s dominant season at Davis High School caught the attention of Iowa’s coaches, and eventually led to Bessinger flipping his commitment from Boise State to Iowa in the past month.
Bessinger didn’t go to the same high school as Dart, but he grew up playing little league football in Kaysville just like Dart.
Surrounded by family and friends at his Wednesday morning signing day event, Bessinger expressed gratitude for everything that made such a day possible.
“Looking around at every single face here, they did something for me. And looking at all my boys over there, knowing I’ve played on teams with every single one of them. Yeah, it just really, really grateful to have everybody here,” said Bessinger.
Even though Davis’ season ended sooner than Bessinger was hoping in a quarterfinal loss to Lone Peak, he still views that game as the most fun of his high school career competing against such an elite defense.
Unlike Casuga, Bessinger isn’t graduating early. He’s a key player on Davis’ basketball team that will try and repeat as 6A state champs this season.
He scored 19 points in Davis’ 92-57 win over Copper Hills on Tuesday night on the eve of his big signing day.
He’s not too worried about missing out on Iowa spring ball by not graduating early. He said some of the people he talked to at Iowa said, ‘You’ll be here sooner or later, and you’ll compete sooner or later, and if you’re really the best guy for the job, then they’ll see it within that window,” recalls Bessinger.
During Bessinger’s senior season with the Darts, he passed for 4,300 yards and 53 touchdowns, and 10,900 total yards in his three-year career with the Darts.
While Casuga, Bessinger and Ka’awa had already verbally committed to their schools, Sweetwyne didn’t make his decision public until a hat ceremony at Skyridge on Wednesday afternoon.
It capped a whirlwind week that included a recruiting trip to NC State just this past weekend during the Wolfpack’s rivalry win over UNC, 42-19. Sweetwyne said it was his first time ever visiting the state of North Carolina, and he said everything just felt right.
“All the options were good looking at it, but I just felt the most comfortable there and could grow the most at,” he said. “I feel like it’s a growing experience. Utah is kind of like its own bubble, and I feel like it’s good for me to get out and check out what the U.S. is,” said Sweetwyne.
He finished his senior season throwing for 3,050 yards and 32 TDs while rushing for 907 yards and 11 TDs.
Ka’awa committed to Alabama back in August, and is a big quarterback at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He’s one of two QBs from the 2026 class that the Crimson Tide signed on Wednesday.
That only adds to the competition that Ka’awa will face for playing time at Alabama in the coming season. He’s coming off a great senior season in leading Orem to the 5A state championship as he passed for 2,503 yards and 35 touchdowns.
The four quarterbacks were among 15 Utah high school seniors who signed at out-of-state schools during the Early Signing Period on Wednesday and were reported to the Deseret News commits database.
Among the others were: Alta’s Cole Albrecht (UNLV), Brighton’s Marshall Huber (Air Force), Corner Canyon’s Kai Meza (California), Corner Canyon’s Esun Tafa (USC), Corner Canyon’s Robby Whelen (Air Force), Lone Peak’s Kepa Niumeitolu (Idaho State), Orem’s Kai Wesley (Baylor), Skyridge’s Harvie Moeai (Arizona) and West’s Efren Siuloa (Fresno State).