Kemoeatu's father: No decision yet
OK, call me crazy, but I had a couple of spare minutes on Tuesday so I dialed one of the phone numbers I have for Benji Kemoeatu, the four-star football recruit from Kahuku, Haw., who apparently signed his national letter of intent back on Feb. 6 to play for West Virginia, but never sent it.
If you've read my posts, my colleague Lya Wodraska's posts or the posts on utezone.com, you know the story. There is interest in the situation in Utah because Kemoeatu committed to the Utes during his official campus visit, and two of his older brothers played at Utah before moving on to the NFL.
Anyway, I was stunned when someone answered the phone this time.
It was Benji's father, the Rev. Manako Kemoeatu.
He said that Benji still has not sent the letter to West Virginia and that "he has not decided yet."
When is he going to decide?
"Sometime soon, I hope," the reverend said, noting that West Virginia "keeps calling and calling. They want an answer soon."
When I asked what the hold-up was, Kemoeatu said that Benji still wants to talk it over with his family members.
Does that mean Ma'ake and Chris, the former Utes, are pushing for him to reconsider?
"No, they are just giving him advice. They are not telling him what to do," Manako Kemoeatu said.
Then I asked the question a lot of Ute fans want to know.
Is Utah still in the picture?
"Most definitely," he said.
And where does dad want him to go?
"I just say to my son, go where your heart tells you to go," he said.
Kemoeatu said his son is "coming along slowly but surely, but is not there yet," in his quest to qualify for a Divison I school academically.
As anyone who has followed the saga of the nation's top recruit, Pennsylvania quarterback Terrelle Pryor, knows, the signing period ends on April 1.
-----------------------------------------
One of the frequent contributors to utezone.com alerted that Web site's readers to an interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel recently about former Utah coach Urban Meyer's recruiting practices, and how he has drawn the ire of some of his fellow coaches by getting recruits to change their minds at the last minute and choose Florida.
If nothing else, check out the story to see what Urban looks like in a Darth Vader outfit.
Here's the link:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/orl-meyer24a08feb24,0,6157052.story?track=rss
If you've read my posts, my colleague Lya Wodraska's posts or the posts on utezone.com, you know the story. There is interest in the situation in Utah because Kemoeatu committed to the Utes during his official campus visit, and two of his older brothers played at Utah before moving on to the NFL.
Anyway, I was stunned when someone answered the phone this time.
It was Benji's father, the Rev. Manako Kemoeatu.
He said that Benji still has not sent the letter to West Virginia and that "he has not decided yet."
When is he going to decide?
"Sometime soon, I hope," the reverend said, noting that West Virginia "keeps calling and calling. They want an answer soon."
When I asked what the hold-up was, Kemoeatu said that Benji still wants to talk it over with his family members.
Does that mean Ma'ake and Chris, the former Utes, are pushing for him to reconsider?
"No, they are just giving him advice. They are not telling him what to do," Manako Kemoeatu said.
Then I asked the question a lot of Ute fans want to know.
Is Utah still in the picture?
"Most definitely," he said.
And where does dad want him to go?
"I just say to my son, go where your heart tells you to go," he said.
Kemoeatu said his son is "coming along slowly but surely, but is not there yet," in his quest to qualify for a Divison I school academically.
As anyone who has followed the saga of the nation's top recruit, Pennsylvania quarterback Terrelle Pryor, knows, the signing period ends on April 1.
-----------------------------------------
One of the frequent contributors to utezone.com alerted that Web site's readers to an interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel recently about former Utah coach Urban Meyer's recruiting practices, and how he has drawn the ire of some of his fellow coaches by getting recruits to change their minds at the last minute and choose Florida.
If nothing else, check out the story to see what Urban looks like in a Darth Vader outfit.
Here's the link:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/orl-meyer24a08feb24,0,6157052.story?track=rss
4 Comments:
As always, great info Jay. I love this stuff. I hope Kemoeatu chooses the Utes, but they still have a good recruiting class with or without him. I think 2008 is going to be a big year for Utah.
The article on Kemoeatu again proves my point. This guy is a three star athlete who, over the past month, has now received more attention on this blog than any other athlete from any other school in any sport. Why? Because he might be a Ute. At this point, I hope so - just get it over with.
Actually, he is a four-star recruit(rivals.com). And how does Jay writing a follow-up three weeks after signing day prove your point? Kemoeatu's recruitment has been one of the biggest recruiting stories locally. What is Jay suppose to do? Ignore the fact he still hasn't signed with anyone and could still sign with Utah? -Face it Jay, BYU fans like vancougar won't be happy unless you are talking about something like how BYU got an early commitment for the class of 2021 from Bronco Mendenhall's kid.
Really- which kid? Cutter? Raider? Breaker?
Post a Comment
<< Home