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Why only represent his future school for one day? Jaxon Brenchley has been wearing his Utah gear all week.

http://bit.ly/2bSKRjd";>When he committed to the Runnin' Utes back in August, Brenchley's father bought Utah shirts and hats for Jaxon and his five siblings. Everyone was in their Utes dress at Ridgeline High on Wednesday afternoon when the senior guard signed his letter of intent.

"It was amazing, we had a big set-up," Brenchley said in an interview with The Tribune. "This whole week has been unreal."

Brenchley was one of two in-state recruits who signed with Utah men's basketball on Wednesday afternoon, the first day of the early signing period.http://bit.ly/2eyms4g";> The Utes also added forward Branden Carlson from Bingham High School. Both will be serving LDS Church missions and won't arrive until 2019.

As far as potential goes, the Utes have a squeeze on top talent within the state.

Carlson (6-foot-11, 210 pounds) is the No. 1-ranked prospect in Utah, a consensus four-star recruit, and a Scout top-100 player. He took the Utes over offers from UCLA, Stanford and BYU among others.

"Branden is a 6-11, multi-skilled player who has a great combination of size, hands, running and jumping abilities," coach Larry Krystkowiak said in a school news release. "His tremendous work ethic and determination are to be commended and will be a great asset to our program as we move forward."

The No. 3 player in the state ranked by ESPN, Brenchley (6-foot-5, 185 pounds) averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game at Mountain Crest before moving to newly opened Ridgeline High this last year. He also drew offers from Utah State, UVU, Santa Clara and several Ivy League universities.

"Jaxon is a do-it-all type guard who brings skill, toughness and work ethic to the court," Krystkowiak said. "He is a natural leader and is always looking to get better."

Carlson also had a Signing Day ceremony at his school, which is looking to repeat as 5A state champions. His family, teammates, classmates and coaches attended.

"Just the coaching staff, it being close to home, the way they developed their bigs — since I've committed, I just haven't wanted to go anywhere else," he told the Tribune on Wednesday.

The duo have stayed in touch, and say they're good friends. Brenchley said they've had several conversations recently about their futures at Utah, albeit distant ones.

Utah is still recruiting for next year's class, anticipating at least two openings when Lorenzo Bonam and Gabe Bealer graduate. At the moment, the Utes don't have any committed prospects who will be arriving in 2017, but the early signing period runs through Nov. 16, and Utah is also typically busy in the regular signing period, which falls on April 12 next year.

You can http://www.courtsidefilms.com/news_article/show/693952?referrer_id=791795";>view Carlson's video highlights by clicking here, and http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3530605/5721e18e90eead5d90eaf8d8";>Brenchley's video highlights by clicking here.

Men's basketball isn't the only sport that announced signings on Wednesday. Here's a quick rundown:

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• C Maurane Corbin, 6-foot-5, Montmorency College (Quebec, Canada)
• G/F Jordan Cruz, 5-foot-10, McClatchy HS (Sacramento, Calif.)
• G Dru Gylten, 5-foot-11, Thomas Moore HS (St. Paul, Minn.)
• G Tori Williams, 5-foot-9, Centennial HS (Boise, Idaho)

The Utes added to all areas of the court with coach Lynne Robert's second recruiting class. Williams is a top 100 player ranked by ESPN, Corbin is another Canadian in the national team development program, and both were hotly recruited. Cruz brings top-flight shooting talent, while Gylten can distribute and play three positions in the backcourt.

"I think the thing I'm most excited about is they fit our culture," Roberts said on Wednesday. "They understand being a Ute — what that means, what that stands for — and they're super excited about it. I think they'll fit in just seamlessly."

Something to consider: The Utes are expecting only one graduation next year with Paige Crozon, so Roberts said the roster will be "extremely competitive" next fall. There could be transfers following the season.

SOFTBALL

• C Katie Faulk, Marana HS (Tucson, Ariz.)
• INF/OF Julia Noskin, Agoura HS (Calabasas, Calif.)
• UTIL Alyssa Palacios, La Habra HS (La Habra, Calif.)
• SS Abby Robertson, Santiago HS (Corona, Calif.)
• INF Chandler Walter, Perry HS (Gilbert, Ariz.)
• INF Camryn Woodall, Keller HS (Keller, Texas)

After going to Super Regionals in the NCAA Tournament last year, coach Amy Hogue has stocked up to replace an infield chock full of all-conference seniors. There's several players ranked among the top talent in their states (Faulk, Robertson, Walter, Woodall), and again Hogue is drawing deeply from out of state. The biggest addition is hitting talent to a lineup that will graduate Hannah Flippen, Anissa Urtez and Bridget Castro after the 2017 season.

"With the success of the program in the last couple of seasons we look to raise the bar in every area, and these six players are as excited as we are about being a part of Utah softball," Hogue said in a school news release. "Each of them brings unique qualities that can will help us towards our goals in the Pac-12 and nationally."

*****

Utah baseball has also been announcing signings after winning the Pac-12 championship last season. We'll have a full list when it's available.

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon