Utah football misses out on 3-star QB recruit's commitment

The Utah football program missed out on a chance to land one of top high school quarterbacks from California on Monday, as 2027 prospect Chance Thomas announced his commitment to Kansas.

Thomas chose the Jayhawks over his other two finalists, Utah and Auburn.

Thomas, a three-star prospect and 247Sports' No. 27-ranked quarterback in the 2027 class, announced his commitment Monday during an appearance on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel.

Several Power 5 schools showed interest in Thomas, 247Sports' second-highest rated quarterback from California, including Iowa State, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State and Washington, among others. He was tabbed by the recruiting service as the state's No. 37-ranked player overall in the 2027 class.

Thomas' recruiting ranking at the time of his pledge reflected his impressive junior season at Western High School, where he totaled over 4,000 yards of offense and 42 touchdowns while completing 71.7% of his pass attempts in 2025. He threw for 3,327 yards and tallied another 734 yards on 94 rush attempts, demonstrating dual-threat capabilities that made Utah's interest in him understandable.

In addition to wanting to replicate the successes Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin have brought while under center, the Utes' pursuit of Thomas made sense when looking at the team's 2027 recruiting class — which is still without a quarterback pledge. Utah did hold a commitment from Arbor View High School (Nevada) product Thaddeus Thatcher, though he backed off his pledge in January due to the coaching staff changes Utah made following Kyle Whittingham's departure for Michigan.

Utah's 2027 Recruiting Class

Utah's 2027 recruiting class. came into Monday ranked No. 68 in the country on 247Sports, remained at three players following Thomas' decision. The Utes also hold commitments from three-stars Jack Henderson (No. 80-ranked edge rusher), Tiki Teeples (No. 122-ranked defensive lineman) and Kingston Parks (No. 170-ranked wide receiver).

Utah's Other 2027 QB Targets

Thomas' decision Monday came not long after another Utah quarterback target, Noah Spinks, announced via X that he's arranged an official visit with the Utes for May 29-31. The left-handed passer from Humble, Texas, is ranked as the No. 15 quarterback from the state of Texas and holds a coveted offer from his top school, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Brody Rudnicki, a three-star prospect from Folsom, California, shared on social media a photo of him and Utah quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson during a home visit. Rudnicki, the No. 95-ranked quarterback in the 2027 class, is also receiving interest from BYU and Cal.

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