After Utah commitment and big upset, Lone Peak 4-star WR Jaron Pula has one goal

HIGHLAND — Jaron Pula always felt like he wanted to play college football with his twin brother, fellow Lone Peak wide receiver Kennan.

For a while, that path seemed destined to take them to UCLA.

The Pula twins initially committed to the Bruins; but well before the firing of DeShaun Foster in Westwood, the duo had a change of heart. That led to them re-opening their recruitment on July 26.

Seven days later, they felt the pull of a place much closer to home, and both committed to the University of Utah. The twins are the second- and third-highest rated recruits in Utah's 2026 recruiting class, which currently ranks 43rd in the country.

Jaron Pula, the four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite rating who is all of a half-inch taller than his brother, is only behind Fruitland High (Idaho) four-star offensive tackle Kelvin Obot in the class that currently constitutes 18 players.

And while a desire to stay home, and name, image and likeness incentives played a role in the two flipping from the Big Ten to the Big 12, Jaron Pula said the biggest inducement was "definitely the coaching staff."

"Period," he added, with emphasis. "I feel like the receivers coach was very good, and he was great to us."

That would be Utah receivers coach Micah Simon, who followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico in the spring.

No stranger to the Wasatch Front, the Texas native played receiver for BYU from 2015-19, amassing 89 career receptions for 1,109 yards and five touchdowns in 36 games before graduating in 2019 and beginning his coaching career as his first full-time job at Northern Colorado about four years later.

He previously re-connected with Beck, himself a former BYU quarterback, at Syracuse in 2022, when he helped coach the receivers and quarterbacks. When Beck was hired by now-Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall — his former coach at BYU — to run an offense in Albuquerque, Simon was among his earliest calls.

When Simon and the Pula twins connected during an official visit the week of June 20, the three broke down film for hours and cracked jokes with each other.

"He's very young," Pula said of Simon, the 28-year-old who spent part of a season with the Carolina Panthers. "His humor is always there to match us."

Still, it wasn't easy. Pula also had offers — from Alabama, Arizona, Michigan State and some two dozen schools. But, ultimately, the decision came down to Utah and BYU — the Utes' historic rival that plays its home games just 1.9 miles from Timpview High, where the Pulas played prior to transferring to Lone Peak for their senior year.

"I'm strong, firmly in there," Pula said the night before he visited Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Utes' top-25 showdown with Texas Tech. "Utah all day."

With the decision made, Pula feels like he can focus on the season — one with championship aspirations after the Knights' 42-21 win over previously unbeaten Corner Canyon.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver has 25 catches for 419 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, including 10 catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Chargers.

His brother added four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown for Lone Peak, which picked off Texas A&M quarterback commit Helaman Casuga four times (and added another turnover on a fumble) in the win.

"It's hard to guard those guys one-on-one," Lone Peak coach Bart Brockbank said earlier this season of the Pulas. "And if you double those guys, we've got other dudes. They're great."

Next up for the 5-1 Knights is crosstown rival American Fork, the 2.8-mile derby that continues a brutal stretch of Region 3 play — what many colloquially refer to as the SEC of Utah high school football. Skyridge and Lehi await on the back end of the regular season.

"I feel like this builds a lot of confidence in our team," Pula said. "We were the underdogs in this game (against Corner Canyon), but this is a lot of confidence for us."

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