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PROVO — Transfer portal season at BYU has brought in another recruit to the Class of 2025, from the other side of the Atlantic.
Former American Fork star Hunter Clegg signed with the Cougars after two years of not taking snaps in an organized football game, BYU announced Sunday night. Instead, he'll return to Provo after initially committing to two former Pac-12 schools.
The former 4-star recruit who signed with Utah out of high school will join the Cougars in 2025 after serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Armenia/Georgia.
The Utes initially flipped Clegg, a two-time all-state 6A player at defensive end and tight end, from Stanford during a senior year when the former ESPN Top 300 recruit was the No. 3-rated prospect in Utah with the Cavemen.
Welcome to the Family @HunterClegg 🤙 pic.twitter.com/tcFSLiJPo1
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 23, 2024
After recording 61 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior, Clegg left for his mission overseas. Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who has since been named the Utes' head coach-in-waiting, even attended his missionary farewell.
But Clegg returns to a different college football, where the Utes and Cougars are once again in the same conference — the Big 12 — and Stanford finds itself in the ACC after the Pac-12 effectively blew up following the departure of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten.
The former 100- and 200-meter track standout was also recruited by Arizona, Auburn, Baylor, Cal, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Utah State before his mission.
Clegg is the 18th member of the Cougars' recruiting class of 2025, which was previously highlighted by Rivals four-star wide receiver LaMason Waller from Hesperia, California, and Lone Peak offensive lineman Austin Pay, who will serve a two-year church mission before enrolling at BYU.
He signs with BYU the same day former Bountiful defensive lineman Anisi Purcell committed to BYU out of the transfer portal. The 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive end totaled 39 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sack in three seasons at Southern Utah before entering the transfer portal Dec. 9 with two years of eligibility remaining.
