Recap recent pickups and potential additions

[Ghost of the HEB]

Added within the past couple weeks
Caleb Lomu – 4 star OL. Offers from Florida, USC, Tennessee, Auburn, Oregon, etc
Mikey Matthews – High 3 star WR. Offers from Tennessee, Michigan, AZ schools, etc
Spencer Fano – 4 star OL. Offers from Clemson, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Penn St, etc
Logan Fano – Transfer EDGE/LB. 4 star from 2021 class. Season ending injury in 2022 spring
Levani Damuni – Transfer LB. Starter past three seasons for Stanford. Led team in tackles past two seasons. Easily looked like their best player when they came to RES.
Hunter Clegg – 4 star EDGE. Flip from Stanford. Offers from Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan, LSU, UCLA, Oregon, etc
— Potential additions —
Smith Snowden – 4 star CB (High 3 on some services). Some smoke that he’s committing to Utah soon. But with his dad being close to the new byuP DC I have my doubts.
Walker Lyons – 4 star TE. Recently decommitted from Stanford. Good relationship with our coaches and some recent commits. USC is pushing hard for him.
CJ Blocker – 4 star CB. Recently decommitted from us, but we’re still in his top 5 and some say we still have a decent chance.
Daejon Reynolds – 6’2 210 Florida WR in the portal. 4 star from class of 2021. RS in 2021. Only 11 catches in 2022 but averaged 22 yards per catch. Smoke around him coming to Utah.
Avery Helm – Florida CB in the portal. Started all of 2021. Appeared in 10 games in 2022. Good size and length (like we have with Vaughn)

[UteBacker]

This is unreal.  Great recap… we get a couple of those potentials to commit and holy &*&^, what a crazy late push by our coaching staff.  

[ProudUte]

Are we in the mix with Singer from Arizona?

Is there any chance of Akana flipping?

[Ghost of the HEB]

Singer is one of the most coveted players in the portal (66 catches and over 1,100 yards last season). Would be a huge get, but not sure our style of O compliments him.

I see Akana as a Noah Sewell type. Offers to literally everywhere and doesn’t wanna stay in Utah (or even the west). Currently committed to Oklahoma and had a top 5 of OU, Texas, LSU, A&M, Tennessee.

[ProudUte]

I heard that Utah was the first FBS team to offer him when he came out of high school.  Maybe that will help us.

I agree with you on Akana.  I would think that Utah’s success with D ends – would make the Utes an appealing choice.  However, if he wants to go out of state, there is nothing we can do.

[KoolWhitt]

Seems like Akana wants not just out of state, but the SEC specifically. I hope we can convince him to stay home.

We have a great pitch. Our program develops DL/Edge guys extraordinarily well and puts them in the NFL consistently. With this year’s recruiting class, last year’s great defense being relatively young, and with Nate Ritchie back from his mission our defense has the chance to be exceptional (top 10 nationally) the next few years. That defense should keep us fighting for conference championships; if the offense clicks too, we could make some real noise. 

Lots of momentum right now and getting Akana would only add to that. But if he wants to go elsewhere, we obviously wish him all the best.

[Utah]

I know people like to talk bad about being a reciever for Utah, but the reality is, if Ludwig likes you, you will get the ball. Hell, if Utah likes you, you will get the ball. 

Scott – 48 catches

Covey – 43 catches

Patrick 45 catches

Carrington – 70 catches

Covey – 60 catches

2019 – everyone had 20 catches

2020 – ugly. Lisk and Bentley didn’t light the world on fire.

2021 – Covey – 52 catches. Kuithe – 50 catches. 

2022 – Vele – 50 catches. Kincaid – 70 catches. 

 

If you are good at reciever, Whitt and company will get you the ball and highlight you in their offense. 

[KoolWhitt]

Thanks for the post and great summary. Just to add a bit to your comments on CJ Blocker, 247 had his interest as “cool” since he decommitted but just flipped it back to “warm” in the past couple of days. Not sure that means anything super substantive but it seems to be an indication that we are still in the running.

Also, 247 has 4-star RB John Randle Jr as warm on us too. I have never heard anything about his recruitment but it seems we might have a decent chance at him if 247 is accurate.

Also, Dallin Holker, the TE transfer from TDS, is a potential add. I think the general feel since he announced his intention to transfer is that he is coming to the U.

[Tony (admin)]

Thanks for posting this. Great info. There were a couple I knew about but didn’t have the details, like where Clegg flipped from etc. 

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

If I were to guess, I think we get 2/5. 

The Twitterverse is saying we have I think 2 more before early signing day. 

Walker said he doesn’t want to commit until the end of the signing period so I hope I can be patient enough for that. 

We’re famous for nina recruiting. I’ve been impressed we’ve gotten the class we have so far and we’re still not done. 

Of the 5, I hope we get Smith & Walker. I don’t think we stand a chance with CJ even though I want him the most out of the 5. 

[Yergensen]

2/5 would be good. Word is Jay Hill making a push for Snowden.

[hbUte]

Per Bartle on yesterday’s Riley show, Clegg is a two-year mission kid who won’t be back until the 2025 season.
Lyons is also a mission kid but only for 1 year. He would be back for the 2024 season. Hope it’s with us.
It’s been a great week to be a Ute – down with U$C and now some awesome commits.

[krindor]

I’m pretty sure missions don’t work like that.  They’re always 2 years.  Maybe it gets cut a few weeks or even a month short to work with someone’s schedule.  But if Walker Lyons hasn’t left yet (Dec 2022), there’s no way he’s back by August 2024.

Given that it takes a while to work back into football shape, I’d love to get him, let him serve his 2 year LDS mission and be back in spring 2025 to hit the ground running for that season.

[hbUte]

Just relaying what Bartle said which was Lyons leaves on a mission this coming January and would be back for the 2024 football season.

Let’s hope he decommits from Stanford and signs with us.

[fosternano]

Anyone know anything about the TSPP TE that left the program 4 games in this year and is hitting the transfer portal? There was a lot of speculation around him going to Utah but I haven’t seen anything.

[Onlyu]

Holker is deciding between us and Oregon. He has roots here and should be leaning here. Getting Lyons and having Kuithe potentially returning might impact that decision but I think he’s likely gonna be a Ute. Snowden is still very much in play. The rumors of Hill locking a local guy up last night is probably Esera (who is already their commit).

I don’t believe Snowden is a sure thing yet but we’re still in a great spot with him.

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

Just spreading what’s already publicly known: 
Snowden is committing Monday at 2PM. 
TSPP talk show is absolutely CERTAIN Snowden is a Cougar. 

From what I’m reading, Jay Hill & Snowden’s dad are buddies and if I was Jay Hill, I’d be on that doorstep every day until he commits. 

Fingers crossed fellas! Snowden is a baller!

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

https://twitter.com/18Walz/status/1601303666417225729

[UteFanatic]

Utah recruiting is on fire. Winning the conference in back-to-back years is having a massive effect. KWhitt and this staff are killing it.

[concerned]

Rumor on Cougarboard that jay Hill got a 4* to commit last night.  They think it may be Snowden. 

[D T]

Snowden

[Stone]

Just looking at the 247 Utah High School rankings, noticed this guy at #4: Taliafi Taala

I haven’t heard his name discussed much – he has an offer from the U, but shows “warm” elsewhere. Is he still in play for the U? Is he someone that just wants to go away to school? Maybe we’ve signed our allotment of offensive lineman? I’d like to think we could get him over Oregon State. 

[ironman1315]

We have commits from two top 20 OTd right now.