Utah
Utah offers three-star linebacker LaGary Mitchell Jr.
The Utah Utes have extended an offer to LaGary Mitchell Jr., a three-star linebacker out of Meridian High School (Idaho). Mitchell, a versatile tri-sport athlete, has excelled in football, track, and wrestling, showcasing his elite athleticism.
At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he is a dominant presence on both sides of the ball, playing linebacker, running back, and wide receiver. However, his biggest impact has come at linebacker, where he earned First-Team All-State honors.
After a great talk with @Colton_Swan I am extremely blessed to say I have received my 2nd D1 scholarship to the university of Utah🙏🏽#AGTG pic.twitter.com/ieIVTbuFHk
— LaGary Mitchell Jr (@LaGaryMitchell8) January 25, 2025
Mitchell is currently committed to Boise State, but Utah’s offer adds another intriguing option for the talented prospect. Ranked as the No. 63 linebacker nationally and the No. 5 overall player in Idaho for the 2026 class, Mitchell is a highly sought-after recruit. His combination of size, speed, and physicality makes him an intriguing fit for Utah’s defensive system, which has developed numerous elite linebackers under head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Kyle Whittingham and Utah projected to win Big 12 with CFB Playoff bid in 2025
One of Mitchell’s key goals before arriving at the collegiate level is to add weight and strength. He recently told 247Sports, “I want to be around 225, then after the season get down to 215 when I get to college.” This plan suggests he is preparing to maintain his speed while increasing his physicality, a trait that would help him transition to Power Five football.
Where Utah ranks on college football’s most valuable list
The Utes’ pursuit of Mitchell comes as they look to strengthen their future recruiting classes. With upcoming shifts in NIL and player compensation structures, Utah is working to solidify commitments early. Whether Mitchell sticks with Boise State or reconsiders his options remains to be seen, but Utah’s entry into his recruitment could make things interesting as signing day approaches.
Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
Utah
Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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