Football: Whittingham says in-state talent continues to rise
Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham says it is a double-edged sword: the quality of high school football in Utah has risen steadily the past 15 years, creating more Division I recruits for local schools such as BYU, Utah and Utah State. However, it also means that Utah is becoming more attractive to out-of-state schools as a recruiting stop.
We are seeing that this year, Whittingham noted (while not supplying specific names), as it appears that three of the state's top five prospects will be leaving its borders.
Cottonwood offensive lineman John Martinez almost assuredly will be leaving, with USC, UCLA, LSU and Ohio State among his final four choices. Timpview lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo is leaning out of state, probably to LSU, while Spanish Fork tight end Richard Wilson looks to be 50-50 right now between Utah/BYU or an out-of-state power.
"Each and every year, a [few] go out of state," Whittingham said at the MWC football meetings two weeks ago. "When I first go to Utah in 1994 -- and this is just my own opinion -- there seemed to be six, eight, maybe 10 Divison I players in the state. Now that has evolved to 18, 20, maybe even 24."
BYU has commitments from Timpview safety Craig Bills and Snow Canyon running back Adam Timo, both of whom are four-star recruits according to Scout.com, but the Utes could see themselves shut out on the top five local guys this year if you don't count Snow College lineman James Aiono, a five-star guy who signed with them in 2007 but did not qualify academically.
Whittingham said BCS schools such as the ones Martinez, Su'a-Filo and Wilson are looking at "have a slight advantage" over MWC schools when it comes to recruiting, but said he rarely has a recruit bring that up.
"It is a factor, but we just tell them, ‘We are living proof that if you take care of business you will be in the BCS," Whittingham said, alluding to Utah's BCS-busting Fiesta Bowl run in 2004.
-- Jay Drew
We are seeing that this year, Whittingham noted (while not supplying specific names), as it appears that three of the state's top five prospects will be leaving its borders.
Cottonwood offensive lineman John Martinez almost assuredly will be leaving, with USC, UCLA, LSU and Ohio State among his final four choices. Timpview lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo is leaning out of state, probably to LSU, while Spanish Fork tight end Richard Wilson looks to be 50-50 right now between Utah/BYU or an out-of-state power.
"Each and every year, a [few] go out of state," Whittingham said at the MWC football meetings two weeks ago. "When I first go to Utah in 1994 -- and this is just my own opinion -- there seemed to be six, eight, maybe 10 Divison I players in the state. Now that has evolved to 18, 20, maybe even 24."
BYU has commitments from Timpview safety Craig Bills and Snow Canyon running back Adam Timo, both of whom are four-star recruits according to Scout.com, but the Utes could see themselves shut out on the top five local guys this year if you don't count Snow College lineman James Aiono, a five-star guy who signed with them in 2007 but did not qualify academically.
Whittingham said BCS schools such as the ones Martinez, Su'a-Filo and Wilson are looking at "have a slight advantage" over MWC schools when it comes to recruiting, but said he rarely has a recruit bring that up.
"It is a factor, but we just tell them, ‘We are living proof that if you take care of business you will be in the BCS," Whittingham said, alluding to Utah's BCS-busting Fiesta Bowl run in 2004.
-- Jay Drew
2 Comments:
Coach W is right. If you take care of business you can do what the U did or even win a National Championship like BYU did.
Hmmm.... USC, UCLA, LSU, and Ohio St. One of these four is not like the others. UCLA hasn't finished in the top 10 in a decade and has never even sniffed a BCS game. Slick Rick must be every bit the salesman they say he is.
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