What it Means: Elite LB Calvert Commits to Utah
On Thursday night, the University of Utah received a national headline making commitment from Oaks Christian HS linebacker, Ethan Calvert. A Legacy-Ute, his father David was briefly with Utah in the 1990s.
A four-star backer and ranked no. 155 nationally by Rivals—and sure to climb— Ethan has two older brothers who were also four-star recruits that play in the Pac-12, Bo at UCLA and Josh and Washington. Both had Utah in it until the end, but when it came to Ethan, the third time's the charm for the Utes.
UCLA and USC were long viewed as the favorites, in large part because it was believed that he’d want to stay home. Utah however, began to emerge as a serious threat as he had familiarity with the program, its facilities, and the hard-nosed no-nonsense approach that both Ethan and the Utah defense play with.
What Utah is getting
Calvert is a long and athletic linebacker who is one of the top linebacker prospects in the entire country. He’s every bit of 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds with flashy athleticism and is someone who plays a physical brand of football that will translate nicely in the Utes defense. Calvert is a true sideline to sideline guy and has a knack for finding the football. He’s very patient when reading the lanes, but once he knows where the football is flowing to he immediately flies to the football to make a play. Calvert is athletic enough to be able to cover a running back out of the backfield and run with him. For a guy at his size, his playing level is tremendous as he stays low through contact and drives his feet.
Calvert is a beast in the weight room and it reflects well when he’s engaging with opposing offensive lineman or making a tackle on a running back.
He is a tremendous addition to the Utah defense and is someone who should see playing time as early as next year for the Utes and likely start. Ute fan should be ecstatic that the Utah coaching staff was able to steer Calvert away from the beach and into the snow.
What this means for the class
This gives Utah 16 commits for 2021 and Calvert is also the fourth linebacker to join Colton Swan’s group. Even before Calvert, Utah began to take a “best available” approach and they’ll continue to do the same with two more highly coveted four-star recruits as still realistic options: cornerback Ceyair Wright and receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala. Calvert is an instant impact type that will be given every opportunity to start in 2021.