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The commitment of California star receiver Blake Wong looms large in BYU’s summer efforts to put together the recruiting class for 2027 from high school talent. But other stories are waiting to be written.
Oklahoma has suddenly become a competitor for Utah’s top talent after gaining a pledge from the top player in the state, receiver and defensive back Bode Sparrow and a big defensive end prospect, the No. 2-ranked player in Utah, Uhila Wolfgramm has narrowed his choices to Oklahoma and BYU.
Here is Jay Drew’s latest piece on a recruit, Peyton Higginson, and how Michigan, Utah State and BYU are all interested in his services. Here is a report on Wong’s commitment to the Cougars.
Question of the week
BYU football got a big commitment from Norco, California, receiver Blake Wong this past week. That gave the Cougars a bump in Big 12 recruiting standings, but they are still ranked in the bottom third by 247Sports. How can BYU climb in those recruit rankings when Utah’s No. 1 high school player, Bode Sparrow, chose Oklahoma over the Cougars? Any hope?
Jay Drew: BYU recruiting expert Jeff Hansen has a really good article on 247Sports.com that explains why BYU will probably never come close to last year’s recruiting success with this year’s class, and a simple explanation is that it is just a matter of numbers. Because of the new five-for-five rule coming on board soon, redshirts will be gone, and greyshirts — having players enroll in school but not be a part of the team — will probably be gone as well.
That will affect BYU because the school asks a lot of returned missionaries to greyshirt while they get rid of mission rust and get their legs back. Those RMs will now take up scholarships immediately, so BYU simply does not have 25 or so scholarships available to high school players, as most schools do.
That said, this week is shaping up to be big for BYU as several three- and four-star recruits that BYU is in the running for will make their decisions. If BYU can build on the momentum of landing Blake Wong by getting four-star Uhila Wolfgramm, three-star Peyton Higginson, three-star Manase “Moa” Brown and/or three-star Kyle Nabrotzky in the next little while, its team ranking will climb a bit.
But stay calm and don’t panic, BYU fans. What this year’s class lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. And the returned missionaries BYU has coming back before the 2027 season are really good, too.
Dick Harmon: The numbers don’t lie. Having a lot of commits helps in these class recruiting rankings and BYU is simply behind in the numbers. But that doesn’t mean the quality has suffered. The few they do have are worth a lot.
According to 247Sports Class of 2027 recruit rankings, BYU ranks 15th of 16 Big 12 teams with 10 commitments. But if you take the average rating of commitments, BYU’s 2027 class ranks No. 4 in the league behind Texas Tech, Arizona State and Kansas State. That matrix counts quality over quantity,
The commitment of Wong was huge, but so are impending decisions by Uhila Wolfgramm and athlete Peyton Higginson, along with Moa Brown and others.
I agree with Hansen that the class of 2026 was unique when BYU ranked 21st in the nation in recruiting. It was unique, but likely not repeatable. BYU is capable of finishing in the top 50 in recruiting with its resources and NIL flexibility. The Cougars are playing as a program ranked in the 15 to 25 range on the field, although their recruiting rankings have not been on that level in the past five to seven years. That speaks volumes about coaching, development and character of the players who put in the time.
Cougar tales
Collin Chandler explains how he followed BYU basketball while playing for Mark Pope at Kentucky in this piece by Dave McCann.
The trophies, rankings and standings are in and this is how BYU stacked up against other athletic programs around the country after leading the Big 12 in athletic success.
From the archives
From X-verse
Extra points
- Wizards have high hopes for AJ (Deseret News)
- How high could Bruce Branch III go? (Deseret News)
- Richie Saunders’ great story of summer (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
If I have had a problem with BYU recruiting it has been real, and dependable, speed at wide receiver. It seems like the coaches have always been willing to settle for quick but not speedy guys who have great hands who can catch anything but can’t outrun defensive backs. Has the staff simply shied away from the exclusive receivers for some reason? With our history of throwing the ball, it seems like it would be an easy sell. I’m hoping this young fellow represents both speed and dependability. — CA Reader
Great choice Blake. The QB room and the OL protection are both in great shape for the foreseeable future and there is plenty of opportunity in the receiver room. You should do very well. Welcome! — periloustimes
Up next
- Aug. 4 | TBA | Football fall practice | Provo