When a player as good as Utah's Smith Snowden enters the portal, the entire nation is going to take notice. For BYU, however, a team fresh off an appearance in the Big 12 championship game on the merit of its exceptional defensive side of the football and feeling pressure to fill holes left in last year's roster, a two-way ace like Snowden is a fix-all for a team that lost the initial recruiting battle with their rivals in Salt Lake City.
Currently ranked 50th overall in 247 Sports' transfer portal prospect rankings, Snowden has scheduled a visit for BYU -- a program that recruited him heavily out of high school -- in his national tour.
A player out of Skyridge High School in Lehi, Utah, BYU would be a natural fit for Snowden if he were to take a Samson/Puka Nacua route and elect to stay closer to home.
Snowden has plans to visit Colorado, BYU, Michigan, Georgia, and Oregon this week. To be entirely honest, Kalani Sitake and his hometown school has more of an uphill battle before them than they'd likely care to admit.
NEWS: Utah transfer cornerback Smith Snowden has a busy week scheduled, with stops in Colorado, BYU, Michigan, Georgia and Oregon planned. Buffs get the first look Monday. pic.twitter.com/vcXj4WJGt5
— Blair Angulo (@BlairAngulo) January 5, 2026
The first obstacle is Michigan, the new home of Kyle Whittingham who joined as the Wolverines as their head coach after being forced from his seat with the Utes. It's incredibly common to follow a coach through the transfer portal in the modern age of college sports, and upgrading from Utah to Michigan would be attractive for anyone.
Then come Georgia and Oregon, two powerhouse programs that each reached the College Football Playoff this season, with Dan Lanning and the Ducks currently preparing for a semifinal matchup against Indiana.
For BYU, playing under defensive coordinator Jay Hill would be an incredibly magnetic draw for a player like Snowden. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Hill is backing the charge for Michigan's pitch after accepting the DC role in Ann Arbor.
As mentioned previously, however, Snowden plays both sides of the ball and could be open to an emphasis as a wide receiver, a position suddenly in need of a boost with Senior Chase Roberts officially out of the picture in Provo. Alongside fellow track star Parker Kingston and Jojo Phillips, Snowden would be a deadly weapon for Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier.