Zyon McCollum Decommits From Utah Utes


Two-star cornerback Zyon McCollum decommitted from Utah on Thursday, leaving the Utes with five total commits.


Kyle Whittingham’s 2017 recruiting class is down a commitment.

Two-star cornerback Zyon McCollum, from Galveston, Texas, decommitted from Utah on Thursday, which leaves the Utes with five total commits in the cycle. Utah currently sits at No. 76 in the 2017 recruiting class rankings.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound McCollum released a statement regarding his decision to back off his pledge.

“I would like to thank Utah football and [its] staff for the opportunity to be committed to an outstanding program — and especially the fans for [their] support. But after a lot of prayer and talking with family, I am decommitting from the University of Utah.”

The Utes offered McCollum on June 12, and he committed four days later. Currently, his only other offer is from Sam Houston State.

Of the five remaining commits in Utah’s class, the highest-rated prospect is 4-star recruit Jaylon Johnson, the No. 6 cornerback and No. 59 overall player in the nation.

Whittingham recently spoke with Campus Insiders to discuss the effort he and his staff have put in on the recruiting trail, and he acknowledged there are not a lot of recruits available to the Utes simply because they look for a certain kind of person, not just a great football player.

“As far as the type of players we’re looking for, we put a premium on character. We’ve turned away hundreds of really good football players that we just don’t feel are good people,” Whittingham said. “We try to get the right kind of guys in here, and we have a great chemistry on the football team. We have a group of guys who really care about each other and get along with each other. So, making sure they [recruits] fit in that regard is important to us, as well.”

WATCH: Full 1-on-1 Interview With Kyle Whittingham