The University of Utah received a commitment out of the state of Hawaii, landing Gatorade Player of the Year, Kainoa Cavalho. The Kahuku, HI native, and son of former Ute Stew Carvalho, made his announcement on Twitter:

Cavalho held 11 offers in total, including Utah, Hawaii, Air Force, Army, Navy, San Diego State, and Utah State. While Utah is easily his best offer, he’s been considered a longtime Utah-lead.

What Utah is Getting

"Kaikai" is a do everything offensive athlete, lining up at running back, receiver, and returner. His smaller size at 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds makes him look like a potential Britain Covey carbon copy, and that is exactly the role he will most likely look to fill once he is on campus. His film shows Cavalho lining up primarily in the slot running a variety of routes.

If the Carvalho sounds familiar, it is because his dad, Stewart Carvalho, was a running back for the Utes in the late '90s.

He’ll serve a mission before enrolling.

What It Means for the Class

Carvalho is the twelfth commitment for the 2023 class, following receiver Carlos Wilson, safety Randon Fontenette, linebacker Johnathan Hall, running back Michael Mitchell, cornerback CJ Blocker, defensive end Jo’Laison Landry, quarterback Mack Howard, defensive tackle Caleb Bryant, running back Dijon Staley, and linebackers Owen Chambliss and Mateaki Helu.

While Carvalho appears on the Utah 2022 commitment, he will not count towards the scholarships in this class.