Utah basketball misses out on 4-star in-state recruit to rival

Alex Jensen and the Utah Runnin' Utes missed out on one of the top-rated high school basketball prospects from Utah to their in-state rival.

Dean Rueckert, a four-star recruit from Timpview High School, announced Monday during a YouTube live stream that he's committed to Kevin Young and BYU.

Rueckert chose the Cougars over his other finalists Utah, Clemson, Washington and Stanford, about a week after he took a trip out to Provo, Utah, for a visit with BYU. He's the first player from the class of 2026 to commit to the Cougars.

Rueckert's been regarded by major recruiting databases as a top-five prospect from the state of Utah. ESPN had him as the No. 2 high school junior in the state behind Utah Prep's Anthony Felesi, while 247Sports (No. 4) had him near the top of their respective rankings as well. He's a consensus four-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

After taking home state player of the year honors this past high school season, Rueckert put together a few impressive performances along the Nike EYBL circuit this summer with his club team, Utah Prospects. He shot an efficient 62.5% from inside the arc and drilled 38.2% of his 3-pointers while averaging 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists across five appearances in the EYBL.

Utah missed on Rueckert but still has plenty of targets on its board with regard to the 2026 and 2027 classes. The Utes have reportedly been in contact with a few 2027 blue-chippers, including four-star DeMarcus Henry, top-35 prospect Jalen Davis, top-ranked centerPaul Osaruyi and four-star guard Tavid Johnson. Utah also offered the top-ranked player in the 2027 class, Baba Oladotun, on May 27.