Utah’s No. 1 football recruit is staying home

By Aaron Falk
The state’s top-rated football recruit in the class of 2024 is headed to Utah.
Corner Canyon offensive lineman Isaiah Garcia, a four-star prospect, announced his commitment to Kyle Whittingham’s Utes on Saturday night.
Garcia had narrowed his final three schools to Utah, Oregon and Stanford, but decided to go with the school that gave him his first offer back when he was just a sophomore.
“I’m staying home,” Garcia said on a live stream hosted by 247 Sports.
The high school senior said he “would have been really happy” at any of his final three schools, but said Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding tipped the scale in making his decision.
“Having him develop me as a player — you’ve seen his track record and the guys he’s put in the league,” Garcia said. “There’s also an opportunity for young guys to go in and make an impact there.”
If Garcia remains atop the recruit rankings, he will be the third strait No. 1 player from Utah to choose the Utes, following Brighton’s Lander Barton and Timpview’s Spencer Fano.
“There’s a lot of raw talent and you put that together with Utah, who was developing dudes and preparing dudes who were 2 or 3 stars coming out of high school,” Garcia said. “Now that they have that pure, raw talent I think the future is really bright for the program and I’m excited to be part of it.”
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle had this message for Utah fans: “They’re getting a kid who wants it all, for sure. I want to be the best player I can be. I know under Jim Harding, he’s going to get me there. If everything goes right, I’m going to be a really good player and the fans are going to like me for sure.”