Jackson and Noah Bennee, both Olympus High graduates, are starting together for the No. 17 Utah Utes. Neither had a scholarship when he walked on.

Both brothers turned down larger NIL offers from other schools to play together under head coach Morgan Scalley, according to a Deseret News feature published Thursday, Sept. 17. The payoff has been immediate. Through two games, Noah leads Utah in receiving yards with 148 on five catches. Jackson picked off a pass in the Utes' 43-10 rout of Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Pro Football Network graded him the best cornerback in the nation after Week 1, per the Deseret News.

As we reported Sept. 16, Noah posted 113 yards and a touchdown on four receptions against Arkansas, his first 100-yard college game. Three of those catches went for at least 25 yards.

The brothers' paths to this point were anything but direct. Noah earned 2018 Deseret News All-State first-team honors at Olympus after recording 743 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a pick-six as a two-way player. No scholarship offers followed.

He served a Latter-day Saint mission in Colombia, then walked on at Utah, where he spent two seasons on the bench and saw only special teams action and four snaps at tight end in 2023.

Noah transferred to Weber State University, earned All-Big Sky second-team honors in 2025 with 23 catches for 264 yards, then entered the transfer portal. He needed an NCAA eligibility exemption to play a final season. When Utah's offer came through, he jumped.

"The moment I was able to tell him that I'm coming back to the U. was so much fun," Noah told the Deseret News. "We were both ecstatic. Our whole family was ecstatic."

Jackson graduated from Olympus two years after Noah. His senior stats: 247 receiving yards, one touchdown, 10 tackles and two interceptions. He was also an all-state punter and played basketball, volleyball and rugby.

Then-defensive coordinator Scalley offered Jackson a preferred walk-on spot, contingent on returning from his Latter-day Saint mission in Hawaii. Jackson blocked a punt against Iowa State in his first season in 2024.

In 2025, he stepped in as starting safety after multiple injuries and finished with 64 tackles, four interceptions, a pick-six, nine pass deflections and two blocked kicks. The Athletic ranked him No. 93 on its preseason top-100 college football players list for 2026, noting he led all Power 4 safeties with 16 quarterback pressures.

In 2026, Jackson has moved to nickel back.

Their mother, Shauna Bennee, played volleyball and ran track at Utah. Her brother, Danny Vranes, starred on Utah's basketball team and played seven NBA seasons. Her cousin, Jeff Judkins, also played at Utah and had a five-year NBA career.

Half-sibling Nik Sonntag played defensive line on Utah's undefeated 2004 team. Half-sibling Justin Bennee was a pro snowboarder sponsored by Nike and Nitro.

Off the field, the brothers are next-door neighbors who share a wall. Both became fathers in spring 2026, a month apart. Their wives, Mary and Savannah, are best friends who care for the newborns together while the brothers are at practice.

"We're neighbors and our wives are besties and so they take care of the babies together while we're at work … So it's been really good," Jackson told the Deseret News. "You couldn't ask for a better situation for helping raise the little ones."

Before each game, after running out with the team, Jackson and Noah step aside to pray together in the north end zone.

Utah (2-0) hosts Utah State (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game airs on FOX.