More on the recruiting wars
As noted in Jay Drew's story on the recruiting war between BYU and Utah, it isn't so much of a war anymore as it is a skirmish with the two programs going after only a couple of the same recruits. This year's biggest battle is for Bingham linebacker L.T. Filiaga, a player both schools covet. Often many recruits make their allegiances known to one school or another relatively early in the process.
"We don't have as many head-to-head wars as we used to, even four years ago," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Everything is so accelerated now. When I was a player a lot of times you didn't make the decision until signing day. Things are way ahead of that pace now."
Still, when it does come down to one recruit and the two schools, you can bet it's a point of pride for whichever school wins the battle over their rival.
"We always fight for the best guys in the state," defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said. "We know they're going to turn around and do the same thing."
The teams' success and the national exposure they get seems to make a bigger impression out-of-state than in-state in a lot of cases. Utah's recent hot streak enticed Maxwell Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound corner from Compton College, Calif., to commit to the Utes while quarterback Jordan Wynn changed his mind and de-committed from Colorado to go with the Utes.
Another recently committed recruit, Kapua Sai, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman out of Honolulu, said Utah's success is getting noticed in the islands. That is important, considering the area is a point of emphasis for the Utes, who were shutout of the islands last season.
"They are doing really good things," he said. "A lot of guys are talking about them."
Sai chose the Utes over Oregon and UNLV and will make his visit Dec. 5.
The Utes did lose out on one prized running back from Honolulu, Dalton Hilliard who committed to UCLA.
The most sought-after player in Hawaii is Manti Te'o, a linebacker who BYU is still in the running. He plans to visit BYU Jan. 9. Kahuku safety J'Ray Galea'i and running back Malosi Te'o already have committed to the Cougars.
"We don't have as many head-to-head wars as we used to, even four years ago," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Everything is so accelerated now. When I was a player a lot of times you didn't make the decision until signing day. Things are way ahead of that pace now."
Still, when it does come down to one recruit and the two schools, you can bet it's a point of pride for whichever school wins the battle over their rival.
"We always fight for the best guys in the state," defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said. "We know they're going to turn around and do the same thing."
The teams' success and the national exposure they get seems to make a bigger impression out-of-state than in-state in a lot of cases. Utah's recent hot streak enticed Maxwell Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound corner from Compton College, Calif., to commit to the Utes while quarterback Jordan Wynn changed his mind and de-committed from Colorado to go with the Utes.
Another recently committed recruit, Kapua Sai, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman out of Honolulu, said Utah's success is getting noticed in the islands. That is important, considering the area is a point of emphasis for the Utes, who were shutout of the islands last season.
"They are doing really good things," he said. "A lot of guys are talking about them."
Sai chose the Utes over Oregon and UNLV and will make his visit Dec. 5.
The Utes did lose out on one prized running back from Honolulu, Dalton Hilliard who committed to UCLA.
The most sought-after player in Hawaii is Manti Te'o, a linebacker who BYU is still in the running. He plans to visit BYU Jan. 9. Kahuku safety J'Ray Galea'i and running back Malosi Te'o already have committed to the Cougars.
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