... Not sure anyone in the entire country is better than Utah at giving those guys a really good shot at the NFL. I am not at all surprised that Utah is on most JC-top-50s list of schools to look at.
Plus, with Utah losing Williams to the NFL and having literally 1 starter-caliber LB on their roster, it seems like a particularly good fit for the kid.
But your theory is good too. Utah is probably paying recruits to boost their recruiting ranking from #11 to about #10 in the Pac-12.