A key part of Utah's recent recruiting surge, Hunter Clegg is a huge recruiting win. his brother Spencer was a freshman at Utah in 2022, so Hunter was a regular at Utah football games despite his Stanford commitment. He also was receptive to weekly communication from the Utah staff, so he was a prime flip candidate when David Shaw resigned from the Cardinal.

The Rivals250 4-star defensive end out of American Fork is the No. 155 ranked player overall and the No. 2 recruit in the state. Clegg took official visits to Utah, BYU, Stanford, and UCLA and held 16 offers in total, including LSU, Michigan, Oregon, USC and Stanford.

EVALUATION:

Clegg’s playing style personifies Utah Football defense. Tough, smart and fast--with a lot of emphasis on the fast. Clegg’s speed consistently has him sprinting past OL who are unable to keep up with his edge rush. Most of the time, a simple arm chop is all that Clegg needs to get around much slower offensive linemen. His ability to track down opposing QBs and RBs who are scrambling is masterful. He doesn’t shy away from physicality either. Clegg is another addition to the Utah defensive front that continues the Pac-12 dominance for years to come.

-Derek Tuimuaga, OL, 2008-2009, 2013

Highly touted. Clegg has above average leverage, plays with good hips, plays with great get-off and makes his production look easy with just his athleticism. As he develops his moves, along with more counter moves, great hands, and even better hips up at the U with the development that they have, I expect him to be a superstar. I see a ton of production early in his career.

-Westlee Tonga, TE, 2010=2014

WHAT THIS SIGNING MEANS:

Clegg’s impact won’t be felt immediately, as he’s immediately serving a LDS Mission. However, this was an important signing for a couple reasons. Utah keeps an in-state Rivals250 prospect from leaving the state. They also overcame the Stanford education that can sway kids regardless of Cardinal coaching turmoil.