Alta High School forward Jaxon Johnson committed to the University of Utah on Thursday.
The No. 3 prospect in the state picked the Utes over BYU, USC and Stanford. He was also heavily recruited by Danny Sprinkle and Utah State over the last six months.
“I just think Craig Smith’s resume of turning programs around has been huge,” the 6-foot-8 Johnson said. “He plays a fun brand of basketball and I feel like I fit that style perfectly.”
Initially, Stanford showed heavy interest in Johnson. But then Utah and BYU got involved over the summer and made strong pitches for him to stay in the state.
Johnson grew up a Utah fan, but pointed to the Big 12 conference affiliation as a bigger influence in his decision. Utah joined the Big 12 in August.
“It was a big deal,” he said. “The Big 12 is the best basketball conference in the nation. So getting the ability to play is big.”
Another player late in his recruitment was Utah State. Sprinkle called Johnson hours after he got the job in April and offered him. Johnson had already been talking to former USU coach Ryan Odom, but Sprinkle made him a priority. Johnson visited Logan several times, but was in Provo and Salt Lake more, he said.
“Sprinkle is going to do great things there. I have a great relationship with him,” Johnson said.
All five of the state’s top recruits have now committed. John Mobley Jr. (Wasatch Academy) is going to Ohio State. Brody Kozlowski (Corner Canyon) is going to USC. Taj Degourville (Wasatch Academy) is heading to San Diego State. And Malick Diallo (Wasatch Academy) is going to TCU.
BYU had interest in Kozlowski, Diallo and Johnson but did not get commitments.
Cougars head coach Mark Pope is now in a recruiting battle to get Brooks Bahr from Keller, Texas. Bahr is announcing his decision in the next week and choosing between BYU, Utah, USC, St. Mary’s and Wake Forest.
Johnson will go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will play at Utah in 2026.
“USC and BYU, I had a great relationship with them coming down the end,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, I just got to trust my heart. It was leading me to Utah.”
