SMU secured its highest-ranked pledge since at least 2006 with a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Sam Utu, No. 76 in the 2026 SC NEXT 300.
Utu, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman, is the nation's 12th-ranked offensive tackle in the 2026 cycle. A former Alabama commit, Utu announced his pledge to the Mustangs on Wednesday morning in a ceremony at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School, where he closed his prep career as a four-year starter last month.
SMU was a finalist for Utu alongside Tennessee, Texas and Washington when he committed to the Crimson Tide on June 9. While Utu spent nearly six months in Alabama's incoming class, coach Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs maintained a consistent presence in his recruitment through the fall. SMU eventually hosted Utu for a visit during the program's 38-6, Week 13 win over Louisville, days before he decommitted from the Crimson Tide on Nov. 24.
Utu joins the Mustangs as a historic pledge in a record-setting SMU signing class, which began the early signing period ranked No. 22 in ESPN's class rankings for the cycle.
With his signature, Utu becomes the highest-rated prospect to sign with the Mustangs in the ESPN recruiting rankings era, dating to 2006. SMU is now up to six ESPN 300 pledges in the 2026 class, doubling the program's previous single-cycle record set in 2024, when the Mustangs inked Dramodd Odoms, Ty Hawkins and Daylon Singleton.
A versatile offensive lineman with a volleyball background, Utu is set to anchor an impressive Mustangs offensive line class in 2026.
SMU picked up offensive tackle Evan Goodwin (No. 227 overall) and guard Drew Evers (No. 236) on back-to-back days in late June. More recently, the program flipped in-state offensive tackle Max Wright from Texas on Nov. 28. Three-star guard Pupungatoa Katoa rounds out a group of five offensive line prospects preparing to reinforce SMU up front in 2026.