It appears that Hamani Stevens, the four-star recruit from Hemet High in Southern California will not be attending BYU.

Rivals.com reported Thursday night that Stevens has delayed his college decision -- which he said he would make Friday -- until signing day. The killer for BYU fans, however, is a Stevens comment that "It's between Oregon and UCLA and I'm going to take an unofficial visit to UCLA this Saturday."

When I read the news, I tried to call Stevens, but he didn't answer.

So I texted him with this question: "I heard you eliminated BYU tonight. Is that true?"

His reply: Yes!

And yes, he used the exclamation point.

I replied, "Any particular reason why?"

A half hour later, he has not replied to that, and I'm ready to post and go to bed.

One last curious thing, though.

In the rivals.com article, written by recruiting analyst Greg Biggins, Stevens says:

"BYU offered my brother Tevita, who's on his mission right now, but I like the Pac-10 schools and I want to stay closer to home so it's Oregon or UCLA and right now, it's too close to call."

Tevita Stevens signed with UTEP out of high school and was not recruited by BYU. If Tevita Stevens accepts, are the Cougars now stuck with a player they didn't want?

Oh, the recruiting game. Isn't it fun?

Benji Kemoeatu, the four-star football recruit from Hawaii, boarded an airplane on Thursday afternoon and flew to.................Corvallis, Oregon.

"I am going to Oregon State tomorrow. My flight leaves at 2 p..m.," Kemoeatu said Wednesday night. "[Teammate] Anthony Siilata is going, too."

The question for University of Utah football fans: Will they commit to the Beavers this weekend?

Kemoeatu, whose three older brothers played for Utah, said he probably won't decide until the night before signing day, which is Feb. 6.

"It is pretty hard to decide, because my brothers went out to Utah," he said. "I wouldn't mind going there, but Oregon State has a good program, too. I am just trying to keep my options open until signing day."

There was a question earlier this week whether Kemoeatu would be going to Oregon State or West Virginia this weekend.

He said he has been talking to West Virginia coaches a lot about making a trip to Huntington, "but I guess we ran out of time.....They said they are really interested, though. I think they are coming out here before [signing day], though."

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound senior acknowledged his biggest obstacle right now is qualifying academically. He said he has to get a better grade in a physical science course he is re-taking and/or improve his college admission test score.

"I took the SAT, but I haven't gottten my scores back," he said. "But I feel pretty confident about the last test that I took."

Asked to put a percentage on his chances to qualify academically, Kemoeatu said, "100 percent. I feel pretty strong about it. I know I am going to get past that [NCAA] clearinghouse."

Two of Kemoeatu's went from the University of Utah to the NFL, but the recruit said Chris and Ma'ake are not putting a lot of pressure on him to follow in their footsteps.

"They just said to go somewhere where you will get a good education and where you will feel comfortable," Kemoeatu said.

He also noted that he and Siilata are not a "package deal," and that there is a possibility they could be going to different schools. The Utes have also offered Kahuku linebacker Alema Tachibana, whom Kemoeatu said is visiting Hawaii this weekend.

"A lot of people out there are kind of doubting me, but I will get it done. You watch," he said.

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In our never-ending efforts to bring some Utah State recruiting news to the Trail, we present these tidbits from various news sources:

* The Dallas Morning News reported that Victor Jones, a linebacker from Richland High in Texas, has orally committed to SMU. He was also considering Kansas and Utah State.

* The Orange County Register noted that linebacker Sean Kurtz, a Canyon High product, went on an official recruiting visit to Utah State last weekend. "The Aggies certainly can ID players," the report said. "They just need to find a way to land more of them."

Snow College receiver Adam Frandsen probably would have ended up a Division II Chadron State anyway, but a call from former Buffalo Bills receiver Don Beebe, a Chadron State alum, helped seal the deal.

Turning down offers from several Division I schools and the chance to walk on at BYU, Frandsen enrolled at the school in Nebraska in early January, Snow coach Steve Coburn said.

Frandsen played high school football at Box Elder High in Brigham City before serving an LDS Church mission and playing for the Badgers.

Here's more information on where members of Snow's 11-1 team have headed or will be heading next fall:

* Defensive tackle Chris Romero has signed with New Mexico State and has already enrolled.
* Linebacker Shane Hunter drew interest from SUU and Dixie State, but has decided to walk on at Boise State.
* Receiver Kimball Burton and linebacker Josh Sharp probably could have moved on to a four-year school to play football, but both have decided to give up the game in favor of academics and both have enrolled at Utah State.
* Lineman Isleli Pau'u out of Hunter High has been recruited by at least one Division I-AA program but is still undecided
* As previously reported, OL Andrew Mitchell is goiing to Oklahoma State and DL Stephen Paea is going to Oregon State. BYU has grabbed safety Andrew Rich, lineman Tevita Hola and defensive end Coleby Clawson and lineman Casey Davis has signed with Utah State.

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So who are the Badgers recruiting? Unlike NCAA coaches, junior college coaches can discuss recruits before they have signed. However, Coburn doesn't like to talk about his recruits out of fear that a four-year school will swoop in and snatch them up at the last minute.

He did say that the Badgers have offered 20-25 in-state players, and four or five out-of-state players who are big-time guys that couldn't qualify academically for four-year programs.

He said Snow would sign between 15 and 20 players on Feb. 6.

When new Southern Utah football coach Ed Lamb said the Thunderbirds would focus on landing in-state football recruits like never before, he apparently was not joking around.

Sources in Cedar City have confirmed that the Thunderbirds have received oral commitments from at least four Utah prep standouts, with several others also in the works.

We noted that Murray lineman Zach Brackus had committed to Southern Utah in a previous post. Brackus said he also received an offer from Snow College, but wanted to play for a four-year school right off the bat.

He confirmed that Utah State was also interested, but wanted him to walk on with "preferred" walk-on status.

"I chose SUU because I liked the campus and the facilities and I got along well with the coaching staff," Brackus said. "I am confident in the new staff. It won't be long until they get things turned around down there."

Southern Utah didn't win a game last season, resulting in the dismisal of coach Wes Meier and the beginning of the Lamb era in Cedar City.

Along with Brackus, the Thunderbirds also have oral commitments from Alta High defensive end Derek Keller, Cottonwood linebacker Paul Fuaalii and Cyprus lineman James Nielson.

Southern Utah also has commitments from the following out-of-state players: Ricky Clark, a strong safety from Tennyson High in Hayward, Calif.; Miles Crawford-Harris, a defensive back from Oakland Technical High in Oakland, Calif.; Deon Turner, a cornerback from Oakland Tech and Micahel Hoke, a quarterback from Kamehameha High in Hawaii.

The Thunderbirds are also in the hunt for Snow College lineman Arron Po'uha, the former standout wrestler and football star from Cyprus High.

They are also working on getting Cottonwood High receiver Rich Tukuafu and Highland High defensive lineman Justin Manu, a source confirmed.

Help is on the way for Southern Utah University's beleaguered men's basketball program.

The Thunderbirds, who are 5-15 heading into tonight's game at IUPUI, recently signed Lucas Jones, a 6-foot-9 sophomore center at Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee.

Jones prepped at Siegel High in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and began his college career at Virginia Military Institute. He was also recruited by Carson-Newman, Central Missouri and Tennessee Tech.

He said he visited Cedar City during the Thanksgiving break and fell in love with the town and its basketball program, now directed by former BYU coach Roger Reid.

"I went to a game and there were probably 5,000 people there," he said.

Jones is averaging 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game for Vol State.

In case you missed the paragraph at the end of our story about a Park City player committing to Vanderbilt in today's paper (http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_8126420), you may not have heard that the University of Utah has lost one of its recruits to SMU.

As first reported by the Web site Utezone.com on Wednesday night, Cole Loftin of Aledo High in Texas de-committed to the Utes and gave the Mustangs his pledge on Sunday.

Loftin played quarterback for his high school team, but will likely be used as a receiver in college.

With all the outstanding receivers the Utes have commitments from, my guess is that Loftin's departure is not exactly causing Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to lose sleep. Still, it hurts the Utes because of the timing -- a week before signing day.

As a side note, it could be good news to one of those "preferred walk-ons" that the Utes are courting, perhaps a guy such as Alta linebacker Boo Anderson will not get a full ride (if he's academically eligible).

Anyway, here's a note from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Loftin's switcheroo:

Loftin switches to Mustangs

Aledo coach Tim Buchanan confirmed that quarterback Cole Loftin has decommitted from Utah and has committed to SMU. "He sure did," Buchanan said. "It was over the weekend. To be honest, he always liked SMU. When the staff turned over, they kept calling him but no one was there to offer him anything. The whole time they kept calling, and his dad asked, 'What do you think about SMU?' I told him I don't know coach [June] Jones very well. As of today, he committed to play and he met with Utah coaches last night at his house. He made up his mind he was going to SMU." Loftin, a Star-Telegram Area 50 recruit, has been recruited as a wide receiver, and will likely play slot. -- Trae Thom

We've finally discovered a high school football player who has orally committed to Utah State, thanks to a report in the Bakersfield Californian newspaper. Certainly, the Aggies have more, but they manage to keep them mum until signing day.

The newspaper reported today that Emmanuel Ojeriakhi, a standout wide receiver/defensive back from Bakersfield High, has committed to the Aggies. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior received a scholarship offer from Nebraska last spring, according to his coach, Paul Golla, but that offer was withdrawn after the Cornhuskers' coaching change.

Earlier this week, USU got a commitment from Magnum Mauga, a lineman from Grossmont (Calif.) Community College who had orginally committed to BYU.

He will join four junior college players who signed with the Aggies in December.

Kevin and Kyle Whimpey, twin brothers from Lone Peak High in Highland, Utah, have orally committed to Idaho State, their mother, Barbara, told The Salt Lake Tribune today.

Kyle Whimpey, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound lineman, was an All-Region 4 honorable mention selection after the 2007 season. Kevin Whimpey, 6-5, 225, was also a starter for the Knights.

Other offers came from New Mexico State and Southern Utah.

Lone Peak is having a signing party for its athletes on Feb. 6 at noon at the school.

Just got word from a source in Cedar City that Zach Brackus, a lineman from Murray High, has orally committed to Southern Utah University and new coach Ed Lamb. Brackus received some interest from Utah State, but I'm not sure if the Aggies ever came through with a scholarship offer.

Spent a good chunk of my day trying to get in touch with Uona Kaveinga, to no avail.

Really, I got nothing for you on the four-star linebacker who committed to BYU two weeks ago but is still entertaining overtures from USC and, perhaps, UCLA.

Kaveinga's coach at Leuzinger High gave me two phone numbers -- one has a recording saying it doesn't accept incoming phone calls and the other one never gets answered by a human being, either.

Coach Deon Tolliver said he isn't surprised that Kaveinga is not really talking to anybody and called him a humble, quiet kid who doesn't seek the spotlight.

"I don't know if he is going to make the decision to go over there [to Provo] or not," Tolliver said. "He hasn't told me where he is going. I don't know whether that's a sign or not, to tell you the truth."

Tolliver said the only college coaches he has seen at school this week were from Arizona State, and they were there to talk to one of his offensive linemen who has committed to the Sun Devils.

"Nobody has dealt with Uona at the school that I know of recently," he said. "If they are talking to him, they are going straight to him and his parents, not me."

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Just got a little bit of swimming recruiting news, courtesy of my colleague at the Tribune, Chhun Sun.

Sounds like the University of Denver has offered a scholarship to Judge Memorial senior swimmer Alex Carter. Pepperdine has also shown interest in the three-time state champion in the 100 breaststroke and the current 3A state record-holder in the event.

The state swimming meets begin this weekend at BYU's swimming complex.

Hemet (Calif.) High offensive lineman Hamani Stevens, a three-star LDS recruit whom BYU covets, will wait until Friday to make his college decision known, the Web site rivals.com is reporting today.

In a story written by recruiting analyst Greg Biggins, Stevens says he will make the announcement at 12:30 p.m. PST on Friday.

Stevens has not returned my text messages today for confirmation, but the latest news is not a surprise, considering that he mentioned in a text Tuesday night that UCLA -- the school he committed to last spring -- is back in the mix.

"Coach [Rick] Neuheisel and coach Palcic came to my house [Tuesday] and made a huge impression on me and my family," he told rivals.com. "They really sold my family and my parents like the idea of me staying close to home."

There's some consolation to BYU fans, however. Biggins ends the article thusly:

"If I had to say I was leaning anywhere right now, it would probably be BYU because they offered my brother Tevita a scholarship but it's not over yet and like I said, ‘I still have a lot of thinking to do,'" Stevens said.

Tevita Stevens signed with UTEP, but is currently on an LDS Church mission.

Stevens said Saturday that he had narrowed his choices to BYU and Oregon. But UCLA's push has evidently altered his thinking.

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For those of you who follow college basketball recruiting in the state of Utah, my colleague, Michael C. Lewis, has posted an interesting blog on the pursuit of Oregon prep phenom Brad Tinsley. The high school senior signed with Pepperdine in November, but has been granted his release due to the resignation of Pepperdine's coach and is now being courted by several programs, including the University of Utah.

Go to http://blogs.sltrib.com/utehoops for the story.

A third Utah prep football star has chosen to take his talents to an out-of-state Division I football program.

Park City High's Colt Nichter orally committed to Vanderbilt of the SEC on Tuesday, two days after visiting the school's campus in Nashville, Tenn.

"I just felt the most comfortable there, and the coaches are really down to earth," Nichter said. "Plus, I can get a great education."

Nichter's decision is a blow to Weber State, which was looking like it had a chance to steal the 6-foot-2, 275-pound senior from some of the big boys of college football.

Nichter was also heavily recruited by Bowling Green and Washington State, and he gave WSU coaches a soft commitment last week after visiting their school in Pullman.

But he said that a visit to Nashville caused him to change his mind.

"I really get along well with Vanderbilt's coaches," he said.

Another Park City star, running back Matt Wright, was also getting a lot of interest from Division I programs. However, Nichter said Tuesday that Wright will probably end up at a junior college because of some academic issues.

The other two known Utah preps who have committed to non-Utah programs are Judge Memorial's Lewis Walker and Cottonwood's Lynn Katoa.

Walker has committed to Hawaii, while Katoa has signed with Colorado and is currently in school there, having graduated early from Cottonwood.

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Our Utah State beat writer, Steve Luhm, has discovered a couple more players that Utah State is recruiting.

The Aggies are apparently interested in defensive back LeAndre Daniels of San Leandro, Calif., and Jamar Smith, a defensive back from Berkeley, Calif.

Daniels is 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds and is also being recruited by UNLV.

Smith is 5-11, 170 and is also being recruited by San Jose State, New Mexico State and Sacramento State.

OK, I know this is turning into the Hamani Stevens recruiting blog, but I find these kind of recruiting battles fascinating. And I have to hand it to the young man from Hemet, Calif. -- he's been incredibly accomodating about sharing it with The Recruiting Trail readers.

I've tried several times to reach Stevens today because, as you've read here, he said on Saturday that he had made a decision and was waiting until Monday or Tuesday to announce it.

Hamani just sent me a text message around 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

Here's what it said:

"No, I haven't [announced yet]. UCLA came today so it made it a little harder to decide....Kinda turned up the heat."

Read into that what you will.

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We also got a call tonight from Park City High senior Colt Nichter. The defensive tackle said he has orally committed to Vanderbilt after visiting the SEC school in Nashville over the weekend. We will have more on Nichter tomorrow.

It seems like there comes a time during the recruitment of high-profile athletes when those athletes stop talking to newspaper reporters and Web site hosts and information is funneled through another source, such as a high school coach or family member.

I get the feeling that's what is happening with some of the Kahuku, Haw., football players that Utah is recruiting and with Uona Kaveinga, the four-star linebacker that committed to BYU but is now said to be considering USC.

So, I called Kahuku coach Reggie Torres today, and he had some interesting information, especially regarding Benji Kemoeatu, the four-star offensive lineman whom Utah is dying to get. To wit:

* West Virginia is making a late run at Kemoeatu, but hasn't decided whether it will offer a scholarship or not.

"Benji is getting calls from [West Virginia], so he wants to see what they are doing first before he decides anything," Torres said. "If West Virginia gives him an offer to fly there [this weekend], that's what he is going to do."

* USC also recently made contact with Kemoeatu.

"They are keeping in touch with him because if their first recruits don't get in, then they might talk to him," Torres said.

* Fellow Kahuku lineman Anthony Siilata is planning to visit Oregon State this weekend also, but has definitely not committed to the Beavers (contrary to a report in the Portland Tribune).

"Anthony is contemplating between Utah and UNLV, so that's where he is right now, although [the visit to OSU] could change things in a hurry," Torres said.

* Linebacker Alema Tachibana, who visited Utah the same weekend as Kemoeatu and Siilata, is visiting Hawaii this weekend.

"It's still up in the air, but Alema is leaning towards Utah," Torres said.

* The coach confirmed that Kemoeatu and Siilata both have a ways to go to get qualified academically. However, he said it is more a question of them "finishing their credit recovery courses" and lifting their grade point averages in core curriculum courses (science, math, language, etc.) than it is improving their ACT and or SAT college admission test scores.
Tachibana is fully qualified.

* I also asked about Kahuku safety Shiloah Te'o, a three-star recruit who committed to BYU last summer and confirmed that commitment when he visited Provo earlier this month. Torres said Te'o has still been getting inquiries from other schools, but still plans on signing with BYU.

"We installed the same defense this past year that BYU has, and I think Shiloah fits well in it," Torres said. "Plus, he's a member [of the LDS Church], and that goes a long way."

   The Weber State Wildcats don't have a lot of football scholarships to pass out this year, as detailed in a Salt Lake Tribune story last Sunday.

    But coach Ron McBride apparently likes an offensive lineman from Sahuaro High in the Tucson, Ariz., area enough to extend an offer.

    Brett Jividen, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound all-star made an oral commitment to Weber State on Sunday, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

    Jividen chose Weber State over Northern Arizona, his high school coach, Chuck McCollum, said Monday.

    ------------------------------------

    Speaking of commitments, the Web site Scout.com is reporting that Grossmont (Calif.) Junior College star Magnum Mauga has committed to Utah State. The Aggies signed four junior college players in December, but Mauga won't sign until Feb. 6.

    Mauga, 6-0, 290, committed to BYU last summer and told JCFootball.com that he was going to sign with BYU in December. However, he de-committed when BYU told him it couldn't bring him in during the spring because it said it didn't have enough room, according to Mauga.

    "They told me one thing and switched it up and I don't want to be a step behind with them so I'm looking around again and I'm basically open to anyone who want to recruit me," Mauga told the Web site.

    He also mentioned that day that he had offers from Auburn, Arizona State, Nevada, Oregon State, Oregon and UNLV and had taken trips to Auburn, ASU and Nevada.

    If all that is true, Mauga is a huge get for the Aggies.

    -------------------------------------

    We mentioned yesterday that the Utes are recruiting Christian Matthews, a junior quarterback from Bowie High in Arlington, Texas. Turns out, Utah may have a strong connection to the prep phenom.

    Former Granger coach Dan Eckert, now the offensive coordinator at South Summit, says that Bowie head coach Kenny Perry is a Granger High alum who was Granger's defensive coordinator under coach Ray Groth from 1992-1995.

   

People like us who are recruiting junkies jump on everything little bit of news we can get, so I am going to throw this one out there with a cautionary note: It's not much, and it might mean even less.

I was able to have a quick telephone conversation this evening with Dione Tolliver, head football coach at Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif. That's the school atended by Uona Kaveinga, the four-star linebacker who committed to BYU on Jan. 12 but subsequently visited USC the following weekend.

Tolliver said he asked Kaveinga on Friday what was going on with his recruitment, and "he told me he's still a BYU guy."

Tolliver said he is doing his best to "stay out of the middle of all this" and didn't want to speculate any more than that on Kaveinga's mental state.

The coach took my number and said he would ask the player to call me. He said Kaveinga did not make it to his sixth period class today or he would have asked him to call me then. He told me to not read anything into the absence.

"All I know, really, is that he said he had some doubts and so he went on a trip to SC," Tolliver said. "The only thing I tell him is, ‘Do what is best for you and your family.'"

By the way, I have seen the young man's last name spelled two different ways -- Kaveinga and Kavienga. I asked a receptionist at his school to pull up his file and spell it to me today and she spelled it K-A-V-E-I-N-G-A.

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Speaking of BYU football recruits, I was unable to reach Hamani Stevens today (Monday) after the offensive lineman told me Saturday that he might announce his college choice on Monday. I texted Stevens twice during school hours (I try not to bother players while they should be in class), but he did not reply, so I am assuming he did not announce it.

In case you missed it, Stevens said after playing in Saturday's SoCal Bowl that he had made his decision (between BYU and Oregon), but was waiting until Monday or Tuesday to announce it.

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A few other BYU football recruiting-related tidbits:

* BYU coaches were holding out some slim hope that Simoni Lawrence, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety from Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania would change his mind and de-commit from Minnesota in order to accept a BYU scholarship offer. I've heard they were saving a scholarship for him, even at this late date, although I never got that confirmed from anyone important.

Well, the Web site GoldenSports.Net reported last week that Lawrence has recently re-affirmed the commitment he made to the Gophers on Sept. 22. He had visited BYU on Sept. 7.

* There was a report over the weekend from Rivals.com that American Fork receiver Jake Murphy, who committed to BYU last summer, was going to visit Colorado some time before signing day. However, the BYU-based Web site totalbluesports.com, part of the Scout.com network, cleared the situation up Monday with direct quotes from Murphy saying he is 100 percent commited to BYU.

Having already secured a commitment from a prep quarterback for the class of 2008 -- Devonte Christopher of Canyon Springs High in Las Vegas -- it appears Utah football coaches are already looking at a top prep quarterback from the class of 2009 (this year's juniors).

Here's a snippet from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas over the weekend....

Arlington Bowie coach Kenny Perry said the other day that colleges are already requesting information on junior quarterback Christian Matthews. Oklahoma State dropped by, so did Utah. Colorado State and Louisville have also been in contact. Most are wanting video, but Perry said "there's going to be quite a few" at spring practice this year.

Just had a quick conversation with Hamani Stevens, the four-star offensive lineman from Hemet High in Southern California who is listed as one of the top centers in the country by several recruiting Web sites.

Stevens said he has decided where he will play college football.

He's just not ready to announce it yet.

"I've decided, but I am kind of keeping it a secret," he said. "I will probably announce it Monday or Tuesday." Stevens said last week he has narrowed his choices to BYU and Oregon. He said Saturday night that he has not informed the coaching staffs at either school of his decision.

"Only a few people know," he said.

Stevens said he hasn't decided whether he will make the announcement at his school or at home.

Saturday afternoon, Stevens helped the Inland team defeat the Coastal team 27-13 in the SoCal Bowl, an all-star game held in Fullerton, Calif.

"I had a really good game, I feel," he said. "I messed up once on a snap, but that was about it."

Obviously, Division I-AA Weber State doesn't get the pick of the litter when it comes to football recruiting.

But the Wildcats have apparently found a pair of good ones recently, landing oral commitments from one of the state of Utah's top athletes and one of the top defensive tackles in Hawaii.

Jamie Rigby, a combination running back and defensive back from Bountiful High has given the Wildcats a pledge, a source within the football department confirmed Friday.

Also, Ryan Eastman of Honolulu, Haw., and St. Louis High School said in an email this morning that he is headed to Ogden.

Ribgy was a first-team Tribune 4A all-stater in 2007 and rushed for almost 1,000 yards for the Braves.

Eastman, 6-0, 260, is ranked as the No. 9 recruit in Hawaii by Rivals.com and the 110th best defensive tackle in the country by ESPN.

We will have more on Weber State's recruiting efforts -- perhaps the last go-round for veteran coach Ron McBride -- in Sunday's newspaper.

I know, I'm probably the last reporter on the planet to get in touch with Anthony Siilata, the Kahuku High (Hawaii) linebacker who visited the University of Utah last weekend, along with teammates Benji Kemoeatu and Alema Tachibana.

I finally reached the three-star recruit last night. I love dealing with Hawaii recruits because you never have to worry about calling too late, because of the time change.

Siilata told me the same thing he as told others: He did not commit to Utah, as was widely reported, and he is visiting Oregon State next weekend.

He was going to visit Corvallis this weekend, but canceled the trip in order to take the SAT college admission test for the third time. Alas, there was a mixup regarding his registration for the test and he won't be taking it after all.

"Now I am just waiting for the ACT test on Feb. 9," he said, noting that while he's 0-for-2 on the SAT, he has a clean slate with the ACT.

I personally don't care where Siilata ends up, but it would be fun to have him in Utah due to his sense of humor alone. The kid is a hoot!

He rolls out one-liners and self-deprecating shots as frequently as waves hit the north shore of Oahu.

"People are taking this [recruiting] thing too seriously," he said.

Siilata noted that UNLV is out of the picture and it is down to Utah and Oregon State.

He said Utah assistant coach Kalani Sitake, who recruits Hawaii, stopped by for a visit Wednesday night and that Kyle Whittingham will visit some time next week.

Asked if he was leaning in either direction, he said, "I'm not really sure. I love Utah. I have been a big fan for quite a while. I will just have to wait it out and see."

When I asked what he meant by waiting it out, he said, "an answer to my prayers."

The teenager also talked about the topic of Polynesian culture and commitments that I blogged about a few days ago, but I am saving that for an article scheduled to run in Sunday's Tribune.

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Speaking of Kemoeatu, he is apparently serious about getting his grades and test scores up enough to qualify for college. I've tried to reach him around 7 p.m. the last three nights, 11 p.m. here, and his younger sister has told me all three times that he's at the library.

Those of you who have followed the recruiting saga of Cottonwood High linebacker Lynn Katoa might want to check out a story on The Tribune's Web site today about some alleged improprieties regarding the Cottonwood football program.

Go to http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_8073725.

With the UHSAA releasing the first draft of its realignment plan on Thursday, we didn't have space in the paper for both articles, so we decided to run the other report on the Web only.

In a nutshell, a wealthy Salt Lake City real estate developer, Bob Jones, told the UHSAA (for the second time) that he purchased a home for the Katoa family at the request of a Cottonwood assistant football coach, Scott Cate. The home is apparently in the "Taylorsville triangle" -- a section of that city that feeds students to Cottonwood.

Jones also said he paid the rent when Cottonwood coach Cecil Thomas rebutted the home purchase story by saying the Katoas were renting the home.

Frankly, it is difficult to determine whom to believe. Allegations were flying around the room at the UHSAA's Midvale offices so fast and furious that everyone in attendance had trouble keeping up.

It was mind-boggling stuff, to be sure.

Almost assuredly, the UHSAA will launch an investigation into the matter that could have repercussions for next year's Colts' team. Lynn Katoa's younger brother, Tim Katoa, started as a junior last fall and some people associated with the program say he could be just as good as Lynn, who has signed with Colorado.

Cottonwood's Thomas said in the meeting that where the Katoas lived was inconsequential because they had already been enrolled in Cottonwood.

The coach and Cottonwood's principal, Garett Muse, argued that Jones has a vendetta against Cottonwood because Jones wanted to join Cottonwood's coaching staff but was rebuffed.

Some say that's the reason why Jones is investing millions and millions of his own dollars to build Utah Southvalley Community, a private school he says will open in Herriman this fall. The school exists now with more than 200 students and is tied into the Woodland Hills private school in Murray.

Jones said the Herriman facility will eventually cost $85 million and could attrract as many as 2,500 students, a couple hundred of which will live in dormitories on campus.

The big question now will be whether the UHSAA accepts USC for membership, given Jones' acknowledgements of major rules violations when he was a Cottonwood booster. He was never a Cottonwood coach, Muse and Thomas said Thursday, but both acknowledged he was a coach in the Little League football program that feeds Cottonwood.

In other words, the story is far from over.

Had to sit through a Utah High School Activities Association meeting today as the group that governs high school sports in Utah began the formidable task of realignment.

Hence, I wasn't able to get much done regarding recruiting.

Here are a few tidbits I've had tucked away in the notebook:

* Murray High's Zach Brackus, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound defensive tackle, has received a scholarship offer from Southern Utah and is also drawing interest from Utah State.

* Dudley LaPorte, a recruit from Santa Barbara (Calif.) College who is ranked as the No. 1 junior college tight end in the country, orally committed to Ole Miss last week. He had narrowed his choices to Utah and Ole Miss before making the pledge.

* David Rolf, a linebacker from Piqua High in Ohio with ties to the football-playing Kaufusi family in Salt Lake City, orally committed to Michigan State. Utah had shown some interest in Rolf, but was asking him to greyshirt, according to Rolf.

* The Tribune's Utah State football beat writer, Steve Luhm, tells me that Utah State was in the running for quarterback Jeremy Sanders of Navarro (Texas) Junior College, but he has committed to Baylor. Among the running backs the Aggies are interested in: Victor Jones of Richland, Texas, and Deonte Williams of Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove, Calif.

Just before the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said about the only thing the Oregon and BYU football programs had in common was that they often recruited against each other.

That was certainly true six years ago, when Highland High star Haloti Ngata picked the Ducks over the Cougars to end a heated recruiting battle.

Is history repeating itself?

Although not as heavily recruited as Ngata was, offensive lineman Hamani Stevens of Hemet High in California said Wednesday he has narrowed his choices to BYU and Oregon. The four-star recruit is widely regarded as one of the best offensive centers in the country.

"My recruiting is going pretty well," Stevens said via telephone from Fullerton, Calif., as he prepared to play in Saturday's SoCal Bowl. "I am down to the last two schools -- BYU and Oregon."

Stevens, 6-2, 290, said Oregon thoroughly understands the concept of LDS Church missions, should he decide to go on one, and has emerged as his favored Pac-10 school after he was also recruited by Arizona State and UCLA.

He visited BYU on Jan. 12-13, but left as the only one of 20 or so recruits on campus that weekend who had not committed to the Cougars.

Stevens said he will probably announce his college choice immediately after Saturday's game, but would not guarantee it.

As pointed out by Vancougar in a recent comment and by several other blog readers via email, an article in Tuesday's Portland Tribune noted that Oregon State has received oral commitments from offensive linemen Benji Kemoeatu and Anthony Siilata of Kahuku High in Hawaii.

Obviously, that's surprising (and, if true, disappointing) news to Utah football fans because Kemoeatu and Siilata reportedly gave oral commitments to Utah coaches last Sunday just before leaving the U. campus to return to Hawaii.

Kemoeatu, Siilata and Kahuku linebacker Paipai Falemalu are all visiting Corvallis this weekend, according to the article.

Also, Dan Sorensen of the Web site Utezone.com is reporting today that the other Kahuku player who supposedly committed to the Utes, linebacker Alema Tachibana, is claiming he did not commit. Tachibana told Sorensen he is still leaning toward Utah, but is visiting Hawaii this weekend and needs to talk it over with his family before making a final decision.

Furthermore, there are reports on USC fan Web sites that Uona Kaveinga, the four-star linebacker who committed to BYU two weekends ago is now saying he wants to play for the Trojans.

What in the world is going on here?

I called BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae this morning looking for some perspective on what seems like an ongoing communication problem. Anae grew up in Hawaii and recruits the islands for the Cougars, along with defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi.

Anae, who is recruiting in Waco, Texas, today, had some interesting things to say about understanding the Polynesian culture when it comes to 17- and 18-year-old kids dealing with figures of authority. It also should be noted that players of all ethnicities back out on commitments or are misunderstood, not just Pacific Islanders.

"For a Polynesian kid, anyone who is an authority figure is respected, so it is hard for them some times," Anae said. "They don't go around shooting that authority figure the straight shot. It is actually offensive in the culture to tell someone in authority something they don't want to hear."

Anae said that in a lot of cases, the recruiter hears what he wants to hear and takes it as a commitment when the player did not intend it that way.

"It is more on the coach than the kid," Anae said. "It is your coaches that read the commitment into it more so than the kids actually do. Putting it on the Polynesian kid isn't accurate all the time. I would rather put that on the coach. An over-eager coach claims the kid has committed, when in fact the kid was probably indecisive, and the coach tilted it one way or the other."

We hope to have more on this in Thursday's newspaper, but I wanted to get something posted as soon as possible about Lewis Walker, the Judge Memorial senior cornerback who helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-place finish at the 3A football tournament last fall.

Walker has orally committed to Hawaii after making a visit to the campus in Honolulu over the weekend.

"I'm a Warrior," he told Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Advertiser.

As readers of this blog are well aware, Walker received a scholarship offer from the University of Utah last spring. But when he called Ute coaches to accept in November, he was told it was no longer on the table.

Fortunately, it appears that Walker has rebounded quite well from that setback.

Good for him. By all accounts, he's a phenomenal talent with the size and speed to be an effective defensive back and kick returner in the Western Athletic Conference.

In other Judge Memorial recruiting news, kicker Sean Sellwood will apparently walk on at Utah. Tyson Moll will take recruiting trips to Occidental and Redlands in California this coming weekend and hopes to play both football and baseball in college.

Wow. I leave town for a few days to play some golf at Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills, Links at Spanish Bay and Del Monte golf courses in sunny and gorgeous central California and the Wasatch Front get hits with one of the biggest snow storms in years.

I guess my timing wasn't that bad after all.

On the recruiting front, the big news locally was the University of Utah's big haul over the weekend, with the Utes landing oral commitments from offensive lineman Benji Kemoeatu (6-3, 315), defensive end Alema Tachibana (6-3, 220) and defensive tackle/tight end Anthony Siilata (6-2, 285). All three played for Kahuku High in Laie, Haw., last fall.

Also committing was receiver David Reed (5-11, 180 pounds) out of Pasadena City Community College.

My colleague, Lya Wodraska, wrote about all four commitments in Monday's newspaper and again in her blog on Utah football, although it sounds like the Kahuku guys -- especially Kemoeatu and Siilata -- are far from sure bets. Questions also still linger about whether they will qualify academically.

We will see.

Of course, the incident Saturday night (and reported Sunday) involving another Utah recruit, Timpanogos' David Kruger, his brother, Paul Kruger and another Ute player, Greg Newman, overshadowed the recruiting news.

The attack and subsequent injuries to the players made the news in the San Francisco bay area as well.

Suffice to say, the news was shocking, sickening and heart wrenching.

As for the recruiting news, I'm not surprised that Reed, Kemoeatu and Siilata committed. I am surprised that the commitments from Kemoeatu and Siilata are so soft.

We've got to stop calling these things "commitments" if this keeps up.

Frankly, I had never heard of Tachibana, but it sounds like his commitment is a little more solid than those from Kemoeatu and Siilata.

"I like the trip, and I want to go to Utah, but I need to talk to my parents," he told Chris Fetters of Scout.com on Monday. ".....I haven't made a decision yet, but I'm most likely going to go to Utah."

Thanks for reading The Recruiting Trail these past five months, everyone.

I hope it's been what you expected it would be when you clicked on that icon for the first time.

This will likely be my last post for the next 5-6 days or so.

I'm off to Monterrey, Calif., to take some vacation time and play in a charity golf scramble for four days (Pebble Beach, etc.) with some friends of mine, and I don't know what kind of computer and internet access I will have while I'm there.

I know, it's a bad time for a recruiting blogger to take time off, what with the Utes having a big recruiting weekend and the national signing day quickly approaching. Things are also interesting on the BYU front, too, and some local prep football players such as Sky View's McKade Brady (Navy) and Park City's Colt Nichter (Washington State) are starting to get good looks.

But this is one of those chances of a lifetime, too good to pass up.

Talk to you in a week or so.

Jay

The Web site USCfootball.com is reporting tonight (through Rivals.com) that Uona Kaveinga, the four-star linebacker who committed to BYU last weekend, will visit USC this weekend.

Certainly, that's bad news for Cougar fans. It appears that USC coach Pete Carroll is throwing the full-court press at the 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker, sending coach Ken Norton to Leuzinger High earlier this week to meet with Kaveinga for more than an hour.

It's an interesting article that touches upon Carroll's dislike for taking LDS mission kids, but says he might be willing to make an exception in Kaveinga's case. Kaveinga also talks about delaying his mission until his college career is over.

There's also an interesting line about Norton telling Kaveinga that he could do more good as a representative for his faith in the L.A. area than he could in Provo.

Don't want to give it all away, though -- that's not fair to pay sites such as Rivals.com, IMO.

Yes, I subscribe to both Rivals and Scout (as if you couldn't tell) and find them both to be excellent resources. I try to credit them (and their affiliates) for information I glean from them as much as possible.

One other thing, though, with apologies to author Greg Biggins.

The article says "the entire BYU staff was here to see him [Tuesday] and they will be back in his home tonight [Wednesday]."

Sounds like the Cougars have a battle on their hands -- and they know it.

David Rolf, a linebacker from Piqua, Ohio, is visiting the University of Utah this weekend, and although he is arriving a day later than most of the other recruits, he isn't coming empty-handed.

He will bring a little bit of bargaining power.

And if the Utes really want the two-star (Rivals.com) senior who grew up in Salt Lake City before moving east when he was 13, they are going to have to offer him a scholarship.

Simple as that.

"Utah is asking me to come in and grayshirt," he said. "They've said things might change once they see me, and they might offer [a scholarship]. But nothing is certain."

A grayshirt means that the player doesn't enroll until the following January, instead of the beginning of the school year. Basically, it gives the player time to grow and develop before his eligibility clock starts and allows him to work his way into a scholarship, if one opens up.

Here's the deal, though: Rolf, 6-3, 220, already has full-ride offers from Ball State, Air Force and Vanderbilt. He's made visits to Ball State (where his brother, Pete Rolf, plays) and Vandy and has a trip scheduled to Oregon in two weeks. Michigan State is also trying to line up a visit.

Rolf said he is pretty sure the Ducks have offered, but is not 100 percent positive.

"I am kind of open still," he said, when asked if he has a favorite. "I do know that I don't want to grayshirt anywhere. I want to start [classes] in the fall and get on the field."

Rolf's uncle, former Ute Jason Kaufusi, will accompany him when he arrives on Saturday (he's got an important basketball game Friday night). Another uncle, Steve Kaufusi, is BYU's defensive line coach, but Rolf says the Cougars never contacted him.

Utah liked him a lot last spring, he said, but told him over the summer that they were done recruiting linebackers. However, he is also a fine tight end (30 receptions, 540 yards, 6 TDs) and thinks the Utes might be willing to give him a shot at that position, if not linebacker.

"It will be an interesting trip," he said.

I just spoke to Linette Chambers, mother of O'Neill Chambers, the three-star recruit from Florida's Harmony High.

She confirmed that O'Neill will conduct a press conference in his high school's media center on Thursday at 1 p.m. (EST) to announce his college choice.

She wouldn't give many clues about what O'Neill will say tomorrow, but she did say that the Utah media will be very interested in the proceedings and offered to line up a correspondent to cover it for us.

I'm 99 percent sure that O'Neill will announce he is headed to BYU, but stranger things have happened. Anyone who followed the saga of Highland High's Haloti Ngata a few years ago knows that.

Anyway, The Tribune reported in its Sunday edition that Chambers had orally committed to BYU while he was on his official campus visit to Provo last weekend. We haven't been able to reach the player himself since before the trip (he's been incredibly busy with finals, his mother said), but another BYU recruit, Austin Holt, confirmed on Saturday night that Chambers had indeed committed, along with Uona Kaveinga and Solomone Kafu.

There's one uncommitted high school football player visiting Utah this weekend that the Utes probably won't have to work too awfully hard to get.

In a way, Anthony Siilata, an offensive lineman from Kahuku High in Laie, Haw., talks as if he is already a Ute.

Officially, Siilata is undecided on the eve of his official campus visit to Salt Lake City, but when I asked him if he plans on making a commitment when he meets with Utah coaches on Saturday before the BYU-Utah game at the Huntsman Center, he said: "There's a real good chance of that. I am very serious about Utah. I have been looking at the Utes since my sophomore or my freshman year."

A massive recruit at 6-foot-2, 315 pounds, Siilata visited UNLV last month and has a trip scheduled to Oregon State next week. Both those schools have offered, along with Utah.

Since BYU also recruits Kahuku heavily, I asked about the Cougars.

"Didn't really talk to them much," he said.

Fellow Kahuku lineman Benji Kemoeatu will be on the same trip, and Siilata has some of the same concerns.

Namely, academics.

Siilata said he has unsuccessfully taken the SAT college admission test twice, "and more to come."

Will the third time be the charm?

"Hope so," he said, noting that he also plans to take the ACT to see if it fits his style a little better.

Also, he said he needs to raise his GPA a bit.

As for the other top Kahuku products -- Kemoeatu, Paipai Falemalu and Shiloah Te'o -- Siilata said he thinks Kemoeatu will end up at Utah, Te'o will end up at BYU (where he has already committed) and Falemalu will end up at Cal.

The Utah Utes have already landed one high-profile junior college receiver for their 2008 football signing class, getting a commitment from Aiona Key of Mt. San Antonio College a few weeks ago.

They may be days away from getting another ball-catcher who posted impressive statistics in the junior college ranks last season.

David Reed, a three-star receiver (Rivals.com) from Pasadena City College in California will visit Utah this weekend and is seemingly close to giving the Utes a pledge.

At least, I got that feeling after chatting with the softspoken juco sophomore on Monday evening.

"Mostly, I have been really focused on Utah," he said. "If I like it, then, that's going to be it, right there."

Reed said he originally received offers from schools such as Iowa, Ole Miss and Kansas State, but hasn't heard from any of them since the dead period began in December. Kansas State had shown the most interest before then, along with Utah.

He thinks schools might be backing off because of his academic situation, but he swears he has his schoolwork in order and will get his associates degree in May so he can join his chosen school in June for summer workouts.

"I'm on the right track," he said. "I'll get there."

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Reed is much shorter than the lanky Key, but actually had better numbers last fall. He caught 111 passes, a juco national record, for 1,661 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 10 games.

Having grown up in Connecticut, Reed said Utah's wintry weather won't bother him this weekend. He attended several high schools in Connecticut before graduating from New London High, but wasn't academically eligible for Division I football and moved across the entire country to play at PCC.

While trying to figure out which uncommitted recruits are visiting the University of Utah this weekend, I stumbled across a player who isn't: Kahuku (Haw.) linebacker Paipai Falemalu.

He's visting Washington this weekend, he said.

Next week, he's visiting Oregon State.

I asked if Utah or BYU is still in the picture, because Kahuku coach Reggie Torres told me earlier Monday that he thought one of our local schools here was still recruiting the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior.

"I don't think so," said Falemalu, a man of few words, noting that it was probably down to Washington, Oregon State and Cal, the school he visited in December.

Falemalu is listed as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com and is one of perhaps a half-dozen players off last fall's 6-3 Kahuku team that will likely sign with Division I schools on Feb. 6. Incidentally, Kahuku lost 27-0 to South Jordan's Bingham High last fall in a game played in Cedar City, Utah.

Falemalu carries a 3.2 GPA and has reportedly clocked 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, an excellent time for a person his size.

He said BYU coaches offered him a scholarship last summer, but let him know around late November that it was no longer available.

"I think they ran out of scholarships. I'm not sure," he said. "BYU was a pretty strong choice."

As for the Utes, Falemalu said he isn't certain if they ever made an official scholarship offer.

Falemalu told me that two of his Kahuku teammates, linemen Benji Kemoeatu and Anthony Siilata, are visiting Utah this weekend, a statement I later confirmed with Siilata.

I'll have more on Siilata in another post.

The next great point guard at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City is starting to turn the heads of college recruiters.

Tribune correspondent Patrick Bahr reports that longtime Judge coach Jim Yerkovich is saying junior point guard Stallon Saldivar could be the 15th major college point guard from Judge in Yerkovich's 42 years of coaching at the school.

Yerkovich said that University of Utah assistant basketball coach Chris Jones (a former Bulldog, by the way) was watching the Bulldogs practice recently and went away impressed by Saldivar.

Of course, the four best players in this year's junior class are said to be Lone Peak's Tyler Haws, Pleasant Grove's C.J. Wilcox, Provo's Brandon Davies and Lone Peak's Nate Austin.

Saldivar is making a case to perhaps make that a top five.

--------------------------------

Brieann Dimond, a senior at Juan Diego High in Draper, signed to play softball for the College of Southern Idaho today, according to a news release from the school.

Dimond also competes in basketball for the Soaring Eagle. She helped Juan Diego finish second and third in the last two Class 3A state softball tournaments and will be counted on to lead the team to another high finish this spring.

Dimond plays for the Utah club team known as the Magic in the offseason. She is the cousin of Major League baseball pitcher Brandon Duckworth, a Kearns High product who also played at CSI.

I figured it wouldn't take long for Joe DuPaix, the former Skyline High and Southern Utah quarterback who is now the running backs coach at Navy, to start making some football recruiting inroads into Utah.

DuPaix, who spent the last several years of his coaching career as offensive coordinator at Cal Poly, has made his first scholarship offer to a Utah player.

Navy has offered a scholarship to McKade Brady, a receiver and safety at Sky View High in Smithfield. Brady said he got the offer a week or so ago and is trying to set up an official campus visit to Navy, which is in Annapolis, Md.

"I think I could handle it, but I'm not sure I want to," Brady said. "I need to get there and see what's going on and hear everything they have to say."

Brady, 6-0, 170, played some quarterback and also returned kicks for the Bobcats last season.

He's also considering a future in track and field, since he was second in the 400 meters at last spring's 4A state track meet.

Academics shouldn't be a problem because Brady carries a 3.92 GPA and scored a 25 on the ACT college admission test. He was a first-team all-stater in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Brady said BYU and Utah have asked him to walk on (with "preferred walk-on status"), while Southern Utah, Utah State and Snow College coaches have also been at Sky View to watch tape and talk to him.

Navy is the first and only school to have offered a scholarship, however.

After seeing their team compile 24 wins the past two seasons, BYU football fans believe the Cougars may be the next team to crack the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

One former Cougar, however, thinks that team is going to be the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Jacob Bower, the quarterback who left BYU after the 2006 season and transferred to Bakersfield (Calif.) Community College, told me he signed with the University of Tulsa on Sunday. He was driving through New Mexico en route to Tulsa as we spoke on the phone, and said he begins classes as soon as he can get there.

Bower said he signed with Tulsa -- turning down offers from Hawaii, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State, among others -- because of the prolific offense it had last season and because its starting quarterback in 2007, Paul Smith, is a senior.

"They really need a quarterback, so I am really excited to come in," he said. "I have a chance to set some records like Paul Smith did. More than that, this is probably one of the best teams on the rise and will probably be the next Boise State or Hawaii to make it to the BCS."

Bower graduated from Mountain View High in Meridian, Idaho, and was rated as one of the top prep quarterbacks in the country when he signed with BYU. After a two-year LDS Church mission to Wisconsin, he redshirted in 2006 with the Cougars before transferring to the junior college for a variety of reasons.

He threw for more than 3,500 yards and for 35 touchdowns for the Renegades last fall as a redshirt freshman and will have three years to play three at Tulsa.

Want more recruiting news and insight? The Tribune's Jay Drew will discuss recruiting on the DJ and PK in the Morning show on Tuesday morning (Jan. 15) at approximately 9 a.m. MST.

Tune to 1320 KFAN to catch Drew with hosts David James and Patrick Kinahan as they talk about BYU's recent football recruiting weekend and the big weekend in store at the University of Utah.

We also hope to chat about the 10 Utah high school boys basketball stars who have signed to play with Division I hoops programs next fall.

Hamani Stevens, the four-star recruit (Scout.com and Rivals.com) from California's Hemet High School, rated as the top offensive center in the country, looked around the room after a dinner for recruits in Provo on Saturday night when it suddenly dawned on him.

"I guess I was the only one there that wasn't committed to BYU," he said. "It was pretty tempting. I mean, all the coaches would come up to me and say, 'what about you?' It was kind of wild, but still fun."

All-conference offensive lineman Ray Feinga was his host in Provo, he said.

Stevens, 6-foot-4, 290, was one of four uncommitted recruits when the weekend began in Provo, but on Saturday BYU got oral commitments from Florida receiver O'Neill Chambers, California linebacker Uona Kaveinga (another four-star recruit) and California defensive tackle Solomone Kafu.

Chambers and Kaveinga are considered huge gets for the Cougars, while Kafu could turn out to be a major find as well, considering he was somewhat unknown due to a foot injury that caused him to miss his entire junior season.

With all the committing going on, Stevens said it was difficult to not pull the trigger, but he stayed true to a promise he has made to himself to not commit until he is totally sure.

"I will probably make my decision either at the end of this week or middle of next week -- probably some time in the next two weeks," he said.

The two-way lineman said Oregon coaches are visiting his home on Wednesday, BYU (coach Mark Weber and coach Brandon Doman) is visiting on Thursday and Arizona State is visiting a week from Tuesday.

Asked whether he had pared it down to those three schools, he said, "Yeah, mostly."

Asked whether UCLA, the school he committed to last spring before coach Karl Dorrell was fired, was out of the picture now, he said, "Yeah, a little bit. Since the coaching change I think I have gotten only [a few] calls from them. I am kind of looking at them a little, but not really, though."

Stevens has used up his five NCAA allotted official visits, having also tripped to Colorado and Michigan State. He has been to UCLA unofficially (paid his own way) several times, he said.

He noted that the BYU visit was "different" than the other four.

"Just in the way that they approach you," he said. "A lot of other schools like to sweeten things up and try to tell you things you want to hear. BYU just gives you the facts. They say, 'here it is, take it or leave it. The offer is on the table, if you want it, come get it.'"

Although BYU is seemingly at its scholarship limit, or maybe even beyond it, Stevens said he was not given a deadline to commit.

"They just told me, 'Whenever you are ready to make the decision, we will stand by you,'" he said.

While mostly focusing on where Utah high school athletes are going to college and the recruiting efforts of those colleges, occassionally we like to post updates on how Utah recruits are doing at out-of-state schools.

Former Kearns wrestler Joe Nichols is a sophomore on the wrestling team at William Penn University, an NAIA school in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Nichols has compiled a 5-4 record with two falls and two major decisions for the Statesmen, who are ranked No. 15 in NAIA and currently 2-1 in dual competition.

If you have an update on how a Utahn is doing at an out-of-state school, send me and email and I will try to get a post up here and perhaps a mention in the newspaper about that athlete.

It's Saturday night, and I just got off the phone with Austin Holt, the big tight end from Bingham High who is on his official recruiting visit to BYU this weekend.

Holt confiirmed that BYU has received three oral commitments today and that those commitments were announced at a dinner for all the recruits and their families a few hours ago.

The commitments came from Florida receiver O'Neill Chambers, California linebacker Uona Kaveinga and California offensive lineman Solomone Kafu.

Holt said that as far as he knows, Hamani Stevens, the four-star recruit from Hemet High in California has not committed.

Still. landing Chambers and Kaveinga is huge for the Cougars, and makes this one of the best recruiting classes in school history.

Kaveinga committed to UCLA months ago, but de-committed last fall and has also received an offer from USC. He is a four-star recruit according to Scout.com, and recently turned heads with his play at an all-star game in Florida.

Chambers is a three-star recruit who had offers from Purdue, Maryland and Florida, although there are conflicting reports whether the Florida offer was still on the table.

Kafu is not even listed on most major recruiting sites, but an article in the Sacramento Bee says he carries a 3.8 grade point average and had offers from Sacramento State and UC Davis. It said he was not heavily recruited because of a foot injury he suffered his junior season.

Kafu is the cousin of USC player Christian Tupou, a big recruit last year.

According to the Bee, he was an All-Metro second-team selection as a senior and the primary blocker for Houston Roots, who rushed for 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Remember those Utah State football players who ran afoul of the law two summers ago and were subsequently booted off the team by coach Brent Guy?

One has apparently cleaned up his act and landed at San Diego State.

Taylor Wallace, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offense tackle, signed with the Aztecs during the junior college signing period recently. Wallace played last fall for El Camino College in Torrance, Calif.

SDSU coach Chuck Long said he spoke to Guy and did a lot of investigation into Wallace's past before deciding to siign him.

"It's over and done with," Long told the North County Times. "That happened two schools ago, and it was the kind of mistake young people make."

Wallace was initially charged with felony drug distribution for allegedly providing marijuana to five teammates. The charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

Usually, news that Purdue football coach Joe Tiller is retiring after the 2008 season would not be a big deal to local college football fans -- aside from the fact that Tiller used to be Wyoming's head coach.

But it might have some extra significance this year because BYU is battling the Big Ten school for a football recruit.

Florida receiver O'Neill Chambers, who is in Provo this weekend on his official campus visit, said earlier this week that he is trying to decide between the Boilermakers and Cougars. Some other schools are in the picture, but it really sounds like he's focusing on those two schools.

Tiller, who is 65, said Friday that he will step down after next season and new associate head coach Danny Hope will take over. Hope was an offensive line coach on Tiller's staff at Wyoming, then Purdue, before leaving to become Eastern Kentucky's head coach.

Whether the change has any impact on Chambers' decision remains to be seen.

The three-star recruit has talked several times about his fondness for Purdue's spread offense, but I don't recall ever hearing him say anything about the current coaching staff.

Presumably, Hope will keep the same offense since he helped install it at Purdue before leaving for Eastern Kentucky.

Chambers is one of three recruits visiting BYU this week who have not committed to coach Bronco Mendenhall and his staff.

The others are Hamani Stevens, an offensive lineman from Hemet High in California and Uona Kaveinga, a linebacker from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif.

Mendenhall said Thursday that two scholarships remain.

Seemingly, the biggest catch of the three would be Kaveinga, who committed to UCLA at one time before opening up the process again. Reportedly, USC has also offered the four-star recruit (Scout.com) a scholarship.

One of the cornerstones of BYU's 2008 football recruiting class is wavering in his commitment on the eve of his official campus visit to Provo.

"Call my commitment [to BYU] a soft verbal," Shiloah Te'o of Kahuku High in Hawaii told me this afternoon, just hours before he was to board an airplane bound for Salt Lake City. "Right now, my options are open."

Certainly, that's not what BYU coaches or fans want to hear at this point of the recruiting game from the three-star recruit (Scout.com) who committed directly to BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall in June.

At least 20 recruits are visiting BYU this weekend, but Te'o is supposed to be one of the 17 who are in the bag heading into the Feb. 6 signing day.

"I'm not sure about anything right now," he said. "I'll have to see how the trip goes."

It was apparent that Te'o, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound safety, was wavering when news surfaced last month that he had taken an official visit to UNLV. He confirmed that visit on Thursday, and also mentioned that he is "going to try next week" to tag along with other Kahuku stars who are making a visit to Utah.

He said for certain that four-star lineman Benji Kemoeatu is visiting Utah next week. He thinks that teammates Anthony Siilata, a tight end, and Paipai Falemalu, a defensive end, are also visiting, but isn't entirely sure.

Te'o said that recently Arizona State has started calling him frequently, and he wants to see who Hawaii names as its next head coach before crossing the Warriors off his list.

Part of the reason he is questioning his commitment to BYU, he said, is because he wants to play safety in college. He said BYU wants him to play linebacker at the next level.

"I've been between 195 and 200 pounds for quite some time," he said. "I don't know if I can get much [heavier]."

He said Utah and the Ute coach recruiting him, Kalani Sitake, has said he can play safety for them.

"Position is my main concern," he said.

Schools see Te'o as valuable for several reasons, the least of which is the fact that his cousin, Manti Te'o, is one of the top juniors in the country. The school that lands Shiloah will have a good shot at Manti, who played for Punahou High last fall and reportedly has offers from BYU, USC, Notre Dame, Tennessee and others.

Supposedly, USC coach Pete Carroll has made it known to Manti Te'o that he will hold a scholarship for the star if Te'o chooses to go an LDS Church mission, departing from his traditional stance regarding missionary service.

"Manti likes BYU a lot, but it looks like he's going to have a chance to go anywhere he wants in the country," Shiloah Te'o said.

Say this much about Cottonwood High linebacker Lynn Katoa, one of the most heavily recruited prep football players in Utah history:

He's not wasting time getting acclimated at Colorado.

Katoa reached a longtime goal of graduating from high school in December, and actually starts classes at Colorado on Monday. He sent his high school transcripts to Colorado on Wednesday and plans to leave for the school in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday.

Because he has already graduated, Katoa is eligible to sign his national letter of intent with the Buffaloes now, rather than wait until Feb. 6. He becomes what is referred to as a "mid-year transfer" and will be eligible to participate in spring practices at Colorado.

A 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker, Katoa was impressive in practices leading up to last week's U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio, but did not shine in the game. He was credited with just a couple of assisted tackles.

Still, the Buffs are getting a potential superstar in the making.

Katoa is ranked as the No. 2 middle linebacker in the country by Scout.com and is a five-star recruit, the most stars possible.

Nationally, Katoa's signing with Colorado will do nothing but enhance coach Dan Hawkins' reputation as a fantastic recruiter.

Month's ago, CU was not on Katoa's top five list that included the likes of Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

That he is enrolling in classes at Colorado right now has to be considered one of the greatest recruiting turnarounds of the year.

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While the University of Utah will be host a big weekend for recruits Jan. 18-19, a local prep football star will be visiting Washington State.

Park City defensive tackle Colt Nichter will visit WSU but has not received a scholarship offer from the Pac-10 school, Scout.com is reporting.

Nichter was offered months ago by Eastern Washington, but with former EWU coach Paul Wulff moving to WSU, the Cougars are now apparently interested in the two-time Utah all-stater.

Nichter, 6-2 and 275 pounds, had 82 tackles and six sacks as a senior and was also a fine offensive lineman. As a junior he made 49 tackles.

Nichter, who is originally from California, told Scout.com that Fresno State, Vanderbilt, Louisville, SMU and San Diego State have also expressed interest.

It's never too early to start talking about the best junior football players in the state, right?

We now know that any conversation in that regard has to start with a pair of offensive linemen, Cottonwood's John Martinez and Timpview's Xavier Su'afilo.

Martinez, a 6-foot-4, 275-pounder and Su'a Filo, 6-4, 270, were named to the U.S. Army All-American Game All-Combine Team in San Antonio last week. They were among more than 500 of the country's top juniors invited to participate in the combine.

Here's what Rivals.com said about the two Utah friends.....

"Martinez is already widely thought of as one of the nation's best, and his leverage and lower body strength are something else."

"Su'afilo and [Quinton] Washington also established themselves as top level prospects at the combine."

Of course, three of the state's top seniors, BYU-bound Justin Sorensen (Bingham) and Austin Holt (Bingham) and Colorado-bound Lynn Katoa (Cottonwood) played in the game.

Katoa was recently named the Red Zone Player of the Year for Utah. Old Spice runs the program and the winners' names will be published in the Feb. 8 edition of USA Today.

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Found this item written by Andy Boogard and Lisa Houk for Wednesday's Fresno (Calif.) Bee that sheds some light on the quarterback recruiting situation at Utah. Last week, the Utes received a commitment from quarterback Devonte Christopher of Las Vegas' Canyon Springs High.

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DAVIS ON HOLD -- AGAIN

Edison's Jerry Davis, a Bee All-Star quarterback itching for a scholarship offer, is stuck playing the waiting game again.

His scheduled recruiting visit to Utah last weekend was canceled by Utes coaches, who told him they're waiting first for a commitment from another quarterback.

"This is how it's been all of the time, so I'm used to it," said Davis, who passed for 2,154 yards and 29 touchdowns against only eight interceptions for the 10-1-1 Tigers. "But they said they will talk to me at the end of January. If that guy does commit, they may find a way to get me in and gray shirt."

Davis said San Diego State has also expressed interest.

Yesterday we wrote about Florida high school receiver O'Neill Chambers, and some readers wondered whether BYU had ever gone head-to-head with Purdue for a recruit before. I have no idea. I do know that the two schools have never met on the football field.

Here's another unlikely recruiting battle: Dudley LaPorte, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound sophomore from Santa Barbara (Calif.) Community College, told me earlier today that it will probably come down to a fight between Utah and Ole Miss for his services.

He added the caveat that the recruiting "dead period" ended on Monday, and he hasn't heard from Utah coaches since then so he is not entirely sure he still has an offer on the table from the Utes. However, he believes they have tried to reach him and haven't been able to because he's been traveling and has had some cell phone issues.

LaPorte is rated as the No. 1 junior college tight end in the country by Scout.com. He visited Utah on Dec. 14, the same time as another juco tight end, Gerald Harris. Ironically, Harris committed to Ole Miss a few days after that.

Still, LaPorte says that will not effect his decision because he believes he's a "different type of tight end" than Harris is.

LaPorte said he probably won't decide until right before the Feb. 6 signing day. I told him Utah's scholarship allotment was filling up fast and asked if he was worried that Ute coaches might not "save" him a scholarship.

"If not, that's life," he said, sounding unconcerned.

I got the feeling from LaPorte that he really wants to go to Miami or Syracuse, which is near his hometown of Stamford, Conn., but that he hasn't received an offer from either, only interest. Rutgers has also shown some interest, he said.

He visited Nevada in December and got an offer from the Wolfpack, but does not have them high on his favorites list.

LaPorte is listed as a four-star recruit by Scout.com. He caught 30 passes for 500 yards for Santa Barbara last season.

"I'm waiting because I want to be totally sure," he said. "I don't like it when guys de-commit. I'm going to make my choice, and that's where I am going to go."

News that former Brighton High star Brayden Bell has left the Utah State basketball program -- not a surprise, really, considering that he also left Ohio State -- probably means that the Aggies have another scholarship to give out prior to the 2008-09 season.

That's just a guess, though, because USU coach Stew Morrill has not said publicly whether Bell's departure opens up a scholarship.

Sometimes, schools over-recruit because they plan on losing players, having players quit and/or having players leave for pro ball.

That's probably what is happening with the University of Utah and Curtis Eatmon's midseason departure. His scholarship went to a senior walk-on this spring, but it most likely doesn't free up a scholarship for next year because they probably planned on losing a player some how, some way. My colleague who covers the Utes, Michael C. Lewis, blogged about this a few months ago when the Utes were seemingly over-signing players.

In short, don't look for the Utes to sign another player in April, and don't look for Lone Peak's Josh Sharp, who has said he will walk on, to suddenly get the scholarship vacated by Eatmon.

Utah State's case is less clear.

The Aggies lose four seniors, counting Nick Hammer, who quit just prior to his senior season due to physical problems. Jaycee Carroll, Kris Clark and Stephen DuCharme are the others.

In November, they signed high schoolers Jordan Stone (Sky View) and Deremy Geiger (Las Vegas' Canyon Springs) and juco transfers Bryce Webster and Rich Sirju.

However, Stone won't take up a scholarship because he will leave on an LDS Church mission.

Then again, that scholarship will presumably be taken up by Brady Jardine, a prospect from Idaho who is scheduled to return from a mission.

Confusing, isn't it?

The bottom line is that the Aggies can probably sign someone in April, if my calculations (and guesses) are correct.

That player will probably be from the juco ranks.

A good source tells me the top unsigned Utah high school seniors are Pine View's Louis Garrett, Patrick Day of Woods Cross, Elliott Bullock of Olympus and Brighton's Ali Langford. However, none of those guys are sure-fire Division I-type players.

Which are the best high school boys senior basketball players in Utah this season?

Well, the man who arguably knows more about Utah prep basketball talent than any other, Dave Hammer, has released his list of 2008 McDonald's All-American Game nominees from Utah.

Hammer is the state representative for the McDonald's All-American program and also picked the top girls players, a list we published on Monday.

Additional information regarding the nominees and the nomination process is available at www.intermountainhoops.com/stories/2008_Utah_McDonald.htm.

Here's the list. We've added the college the player has signed with, if known.

Player High School College

 Ben Aird Bountiful Utah Valley

Elliott Bullock Olympus ------------

Patrick Day Woods Cross ------------

Davis Emery Viewmont ------------

Cameron Evans Clearfield ------------

Bracken Funk Lone Peak Fresno State

Matt Gardner Spanish Fork ------------

Louis Garrett Pine View -------------

Dalton Groeskreutz Snow Canyon -------------

Skyler Halford Timpanogos -------------

Justin Hamilton Lone Peak Iowa State

Jon Henderson Highland -------------

Noel Hollingsworth Judge Brown

Holton Hunsaker Woods Cross Louisiana Tech

Ali Langford Brighton ---------------

Larry Miller Jordan ----------------

Abe Milsap Brighton ----------------

Scott Odekirk Northridge ---------------

Jay Peters Kearns ----------------

Jordan Rex Pine View ---------------

Josh Sharp Lone Peak Utah

Jordan Stone Sky View Utah State

Jace Tavita Brighton Utah

Nick Thompson Clearfield Weber State

   A few months ago, it seemed like a longshot that the BYU Cougars would land three-star recruit O'Neill Chambers of Harmony, Fla., even if his high school football coach was former BYU receiving star Tyler Anderson.

    The likes of Maryland, Purdue and Florida were also pursuing the big receiver (6-foot-3, 200 lbs.) with decent speed, and Chambers had no ties to BYU and its sponsoring institution, the LDS Church, outside of Anderson.

    Having spoken to Chambers three times now, including Monday, when he told me he was visiting Provo this weekend with his parents, I am starting to think there is a chance this kid could end up wearing a BYU uniform.

    For starters, Chambers talks enthusiastically about BYU's coaches, especially receivers coach Patrick Higgins (who has visited him several times) and defensive backs coach Jaime Hill. He likes BYU's offensive system, has studied it well, and believes he can flourish in it.

    He also seems to have a handle on the things that make BYU unique (different?), things such as the strict Honor Code and Provo's homogeneousness.

    All that aside, it could come down to college admission test scores.

    Chambers said both he and his friend and teammate, Kedron Paul, "came up a little short for BYU's standards" on a college admission test they took last month. I'm not sure whether it was the SAT or ACT, but the scary news for BYU fans, if Chambers' estimation is correct, is that they both scored high enough to be admitted into Purdue.

    The Big Ten school is perhaps BYU's biggest competitor in the battle for Chambers.

    Chambers spoke confidently about doing better the next time he takes the test(s), noting that he will get another shot at the ACT in two weeks and the SAT in three weeks.

    "I didn't miss [passing] by much," he said.

    Chambers said Paul is also visiting Provo this weekend, but we have been unable to verify that through any other source.

   A three-star recruit (Rivals.com) who visited Utah in November has orally committed to Fresno State, several recruiting Web sites are reporting today.

    Rashad Evans, a quarterback and cornerback from Logan High in Union City, Calif., phoned Fresno State coach Pat Hill with his decision Sunday night, according to both Barkboard.com and RedWaveReport.com.

    Utah was recruiting Evans as a receiver/athlete. It is not certain whether the offer the Utes made to Evans in November was still on the table because the Utes in recent weeks have received commitments from several similar-position players, including junior college receiver Aiona Key and Las Vegas prep quarterback Devonte Christopher. Also, in December the Utes signed Lamar Chapman, a junior college defensive back from El Camino J.C. in Torrance, Calif.

    At one point or another in the recruiting process, Evans had received offers from Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Oregon, UNLV and Cal, along with Utah and Fresno State.

    The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns, but rushed for 1,406 yards and 18 touchdowns on just 120 carries.

    Meanwhile, several recruiting sites say Utah, BYU and Fresno State are neck-and-neck in the unofficial race to have the best recruiting year among non-BCS schools. Boise State, which tends to make a big run at the end of the process, is also right there.

    -----------------------------------------

    My colleague at the Tribune, Steve Luhm, was able to get a few tidbits regarding Utah State's football recruiting.

    The Aggies might not be done with their junior college recruiting. They are looking for another defensive lineman and a wide receiver with speed to help replace Kevin Robinson.

    The Aggie will have about 12 players in for visits the next three weekends.

    Developments on the BYU football recruiting front haven't been all that great lately.

    One recruit who committed to the Cougars months ago, Kahuku (Ha.) safety Shiloah Te'o, has taken at least one official visit since then (to UNLV) and may be visiting Utah before the February signing date. Also, word is leaking out that a couple of BYU's early commitments may not qualify academically.

    That's nothing earth-shattering, actually. It happens to all programs and it happened to BYU last year with a star player out of Bingham High.

    Here's some good news, then: Hamani Stevens, the three-star recruit (Scout.com) from Hemet High in California has narrowed his choices to BYU, Arizona State and Oregon.

    That means that some other schools that were in the picture, namely Michigan State, Colorado and UCLA, are out of the running for the player ranked as the No. 1 offensive center prospect in the country by Rivals.com, he said Monday morning.

    "I'm visiting BYU this weekend (Friday and Saturday) and I'm really excited about it," Stevens told The Recruiting Trail this morning. "I am considering BYU very much. No question about it."

    Stevens said he has been recruited by BYU offensive line coach Mark Weber, who has made at least one in-home visit, but is eager to meet Bronco Mendenhall and the other BYU coaches.

    "I was in Provo years ago, but the coaches were all different," he said.

    Stevens, 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, said BYU will probably be his last trip and that he will decide a few days after he visits Provo.

    "Right now, Oregon, Arizona State and BYU are all even," he said. "I'm really not leaning one way or another."

We already had a pretty good idea regarding which girls basketball players are the best in the state after nearly a dozen signed national letters of intent with Division I college programs last November.

Now we know more, thanks to a list released today by Dave Hammer, state representative for the 2008 McDonald's All-American Game.

Hammer has selected the following players as nominees for this year's McDonald's All-American Game. We've inserted where the player has signed, if known.

Additional information regarding the nominees and the nomination process is available at http://www.intermountainhoops.com/stories/2008_Utah_McDonald.htm

Player High School College
Sheila Adams Layton Idaho State

Amanda Farish Lone Peak Southern Utah

Dani Hosking Davis Southern Utah

Mechel Hunt Fremont -----

Jenteal Jackson Skyline BYU

Amie Jensen Weber -------

Jenna Johnson Spanish Fork Utah Valley

Alexis Kaufusi Timpview BYU

Mandy Munns Box Elder Utah

Erika Newbold Bingham Utah Valley

Dani Peterson Skyline BYU

Cassie Platt Canyon View Southern Utah

Melissa Porter North Sevier --------

Brooke Tolman Box Elder --------

Morgan Wood Beaver Southern Utah

 

We were hoping to have an update on Tyler Haws, the junior basketball star from Lone Peak High today, but we don't have much to report. If you read our article in Saturday's Salt Lake Tribune about Friday's Brighton-Lone Peak boys basketball game, you know why.

Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis announced after the game that his players are now off limits to the media, "at least through the end of the regular season." I've got a lot of respect for Lewis, easily one of the state's top prep coaches, but I think this little tactic of his is going to backfire. But that's another story.

I also believe that part of the prep athletic experience -- at least for elite athletes -- is dealing with the media. For many prep players, this will be the only chance in their lives where they will have the opportunity to be interviewed.

I've had many people come up to me over the years (I covered prep sports exclusively for the Tribune for 12 years) and tell me that I once interviewed them after this game or that game. Not that I am a particularly good interviewer, but they always say something like, "I've never forgotten that."

My experience over the years is that high school coaches and teams need the mainstream media a lot more than we need them. There are 122 boys prep basketball teams in the state. We'll just shift our coverage elsewhere.

What hurts this particular blog the most is the fact that the Knights are flat-out loaded with college recruits -- probably more so than any other school in recent memory. Tough to blog about these guys when you can't talk to them.

In fairness, Lewis did provide the cell phone number of Haws' father, Marty, for all recruiting-related questions. The irony that night was that Lewis delivered the "off-limits" news to me, Michael Black of the Deseret News and Beky Beaton of the Provo Daily Herald just minutes after Tyler Haws had given a cable television interview after scoring 29 points in the easy win over Brighton. Either Lewis just came up with it when I asked to speak to Tyler, or Tyler had forgotten the edict when he ran off the court and was grabbed by the TV guys.

Anyway, I did find out a little more about Haws' recruitment from a variety of other sources.

For instance, Haws has offers from Utah, BYU and Pepperdine, as has been reported previously. Utah coach Jim Boylen and athletic director Chris Hill were in attendance Friday, as well as Tim Lacomb, BYU's director of basketball operations.

A good source told me that Stanford, which had coaches in a few weeks ago to watch Lone Peak's game against Bingham, has made it known that it wants Haws, too, through an intermediary. However, the Cardinal has not submitted the offer in writing or anything like that.

There's been some scuttlebutt out there that Utah is recruiting Haws more heavily than BYU.

Not true.

They are dead-even, mostly because NCAA rules restrict the amount of contact that college coaches can have with seniors who have not signed yet, let alone juniors. With juniors, coaches get something like one phone call per month. Suffice it to say that those calls are being used.

--------------------------------

I had a chance to talk to Brighton coach Lyndon Johnson about some of the Bengals' college prospects after the game. Brighton senior Jace Tavita has signed with Utah.

Fellow senior Ali Langford, who had 22 points, is being looked at by all the local junior colleges and some smaller out-of-state schools. The same can be said of 6-foot-1 Abe Millsap, younger brother of Utah Jazz star Paul Millsap.

Of course, the Brighton player everybody will hear a lot about in the future is freshman Corbin Miller. Yes, he's a freshman.

Miller has led the team in scoring two of the past four games and is simply a superstar in the making. If he keeps improving, Miller will be the next big-time recruit in the state, after Haws.

Just got a text message from Ryan Holt, father of Bingham tight end Austin Holt. They are at a dinner in San Antonio on the eve of the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The high school all-star game, to be televised by NBC at 11 a.m. on Saturday, will feature a record three Utahns: Austin Holt, Bingham kicker Justin Sorensen and Cottonwood linebacker Lynn Katoa.

It appears that all three will start for the West team (if you can consider a kicker a "starter") when it plays the East team today at the Alamodome.

"Austin told me he will start for the West tomorrow," Ryan Holt said in the text message.

According to several internet sources, Katoa will also start. Sorensen presumably will handle a good portion of the kicking chores, although the West roster also includes Justin Tucker, a kicker from Austin who has committed to Texas.

The game is rarely that exciting, but this one should be fun to watch for locals here with the Utahns playing.

ABC is televising a different prep football all-star game, the Under Armour game in Orlando, Fla., but that one includes no Utahns.

Also, Katoa is expected to participate in one of those cap-choosing ceremonies where a recruit dons the baseball cap of the school he has chosen and everyone around him acts surprised.

The game's official Web site says he has committed to Colorado, however, so don't expect any surprises.

We had an article in today's Tribune http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_7879541) about Jacob Bower, the former BYU quarterback who transferred to Bakersfield (Calif.) Junior College for an assortment of reasons. After a fantastic freshman season at Bakersfield (he redshirted his first year at BYU), Bower is rated as the top junior college quarterback in the country by at least one juco recruiting Web site.

He is being recruited by several Division I schools around the country, including BYU's Mountain West rivals, San Diego State and Colorado State.

Since the article came out, several readers have sent e-mails with questions about Bower's case, and even Bower himself called to clarify some points.

Here's some more info:

* Bower says he threw for 35 touchdowns and more than 3,500 yards last season. The stats listed on the school's Web site http://www.bcrenegades.com are incomplete, he said.

* The quarterback clarified that he has not been given an official written offer from Boise State, which is actually his hometown team. However, he's fairly confident the Broncos will offer if he makes a visit and shows interest in them.

* Bower isn't certain how the whole penalty for transferring to another Mountain West Conferece school thing works.

We did a little research today, and here is more on how that works:

If an athlete receives any sort of financial aid, or earns a varsity letter, from one MWC school, and thens transfers to another MWC school (regardless of any stops in between, such as a junior college), he or she is subject to the rule. The rule says that the incoming player must sit out a year and also loses a year of eligibility. Also, the player must pay his or her own way during that school year.

So, if Bower transfers to Colorado State, for instance, he would lose the entire year. Also, when he plays for the Rams in 2009, he would be considered a junior.

Of course, he's not subject to the transfer rule if the head coach at the institution he left will sign a release form.

Bower said Friday that he has not called BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall with that request yet. He's still waiting to hear more from new CSU coach Steve Fairchild, who is apparently still in the transition phase after moving from the Buffalo Bills coaching staff to CSU.

_____________________________

According to the BYU-based Web site TotalBlueSports.com, Stetson Tenney, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman from Show Low, Ariz., will walk on next year at BYU.

Tenney recently returned from an LDS Church mission. He was a two-time first-team all-state lineman and also won the state heavyweight wrestling championship his senior year at Show Low.

He bypassed scholarship offers from Northern Arizona and Idaho to take BYU's invitation to walk on, according to an article on the site authored by Brandon Gurney.

After freshman forward Tai Wesley scored 27 points in Utah State's 86-80 win over Hawaii on Thursday night, the Aggies probably aren't as concerned about having a quality big man next year as they might have been before the game.

But there's an interesting story in the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press today about Bryce Webster, the 6-foot-10 sophomore at Irvine Valley (Calif.) City College who has signed to play for the Aggies next year. Webster started his career at Minnesota before transferring to the junior college in California.

According to the article, Webster has missed Irvine Valley's past two games, one because he had the flu and the other because he showed up for a game with two left-footed basketball shoes.

Because the team didn't have any extra size 18 sneakers sitting around, Webster couldn't play.

"We still won," coach Jerry Hernandez said.

Webster is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds a game for 15-2 Irvine Valley, according to the coach, who describes the big lug as a studious sort who enjoys academics.

"He carries his laptop every day," the coach said.

Now if he could only remember to carry a right-footed Nike.

-------------------

It's worth noting that the Aggies have also signed perhaps the best post player in the Utah high school ranks this season, Sky View 7-footer Jordan Stone. He's having an excellent season and leads Class 4A in scoring.

However, Stone has said he plans to go on an LDS Church mission directly out of high school, so he won't be available to the Aggies until 2010.

Jordan High's Cody Raymond did this past season what no other player in at least 30 years has done in large-school Utah prep football. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder was a consensus (both major Salt Lake City newspapers) first-team all-stater for three consecutive years.

He tied the state record for most touchdowns, 41, and caught 197 passes for 3,326 yards in a marvelous career despite not playing on a state championship team and often seeing double- and triple-team coverage.

Few players have been as unstoppable in the history of Utah prep football.

Why, then, are college recruiters avoiding the star Beetdigger like he's got the plague?

Good question.

Some say it is because Raymond has announced he's going on an LDS Church mission next September before he enrolls anywhere and schools have no idea what kind of shape he will be in when he returns. That's pure poppycock, though. There are dozens of examples of athletes who signed national letters of intent and then went on missions before enrolling.

Raymond told me this afternoon that he has exactly one scholarship offer. Snow (Junior) College in Ephraim has told him he can play for them any time.

The big boys, however, are mostly not interested.

Raymond has decent, though unspectacular, speed. His best time in the 40 is 4.52 seconds and he's mostly clocked in the high 4.5 range. His height is probably the thing that's keeping him off the charts of major colleges.

One recruiter told me that if Raymond were 6-2, he'd be swimming in scholarship offers.

The kid just gets open.

Ask state champions Alta (2007) and Bingham (2006). Neither state power could shut Raymond down.

Academics aren't a problem, either. Raymond has a 3.4 grade point average and scored 20 on the ACT college admission test. A 17 is required for college admission.

I caught up with Raymond after school this afternoon as he worked at his part-time job at Sportsman's Outdoor Products. Here's the latest on his recruitment:

* Utah has shown no interest at all.

* BYU quarterback coach Brandon Doman has talked to him off and on the past few months and told him that the Cougars likely won't offer a scholarship. However, they have three "preferred walk-on" invitations to give out, and he might get one of those. One recently went to Snow safety Andrew Rich.

"Honestly, I thought BYU would have offered long ago, with as much interest they showed in me my junior year," Raymond said.

* Utah State has expressed interest, and receivers coach Greg Stephens called to chat earlier today. The Aggies have requested film on Raymond and have talked to Jordan coach Alex Jacobson a lot about the star receiver, but have not invited him up to Logan for a campus visit.

"Coach Jake thinks they might be heading in that direction," Raymond said.

* Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia Tech and Texas Tech are among the schools that have called Jacobson requesting film on Raymond. Texas Tech looks the most promising of those because Red Raiders coach Mike Leach and Jacobson are good friends and Leach understands the mission deal to a certain degree.

"The whole [recruiting] deal has been a little bit of a let-down, to tell you the truth," Raymond said. "But my attitude is to control what I can control and let the chips fall where they may. I think it will be a blessing, in the long run."

It is no secret in Logan. The Utah State Aggies need a quarterback -- at least until Riley Nelson returns from his LDS Church mission.

Even then, the Ags need some depth at the position, and rumors continue to persist that Nelson will look elsewhere when he returns -- maybe even to BYU.

They are unsubstantiated rumors, as far as I can tell, and sources at BYU continue to hold fast to the statement that they've never offered a scholarship to Nelson and haven't had discussions with him or his family.

We do know that the Aggies are interested in a high school quarterback from California and a junior college quarterback from Texas.

Robert Fuller, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback from Arroyo Valley High in San Bernardino, Calif., will visit Utah State on Jan. 18, although it is uncertain whether USU has offered him a scholarship. Fuller said last week that the only offer he has is from Idaho State, a school he will visit on Jan. 11.

If the Ags can't beat Idaho State for a recruit, they are in serious trouble.

Fuller passed for 2,775 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions for a 7-3-1 team last fall. He also rushed for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fuller received an early offer from Colorado State, but is assuming that has been withdrawn due to the Rams' coaching change. Boise State has also shown some interest, especially lately.

The junior college quarterback Utah State likes is Jeremy Sanders, a 6-3, 215-pound athlete from Navarro Junior College in Texas. Sanders originally committed to Missouri, but de-committed and is said to be waiting to see whether Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel enters the NFL Draft.

Sanders will visit Utah State on Jan. 11, a big recruiting weekend for the Ags because their basketball team plays New Mexico State on Jan. 12 at the Spectrum and they want to show off the electricity a home hoops game generates in Logan.

Sanders recently told Superprep.com that his favorites are Missouri, Baylor, Tulsa and Utah State.

In Friday's printed edition of The Salt Lake Tribune, we will have a story about another juco quarterback who's considering Tulsa.

------------------------------------------

In case you missed it, last month the Aggies announced four junior college signings. They were:

* Casey Davis, a defensive lineman from Riverton High and Snow College
* Sevaro Johnson, a defensive lineman from Laney College in California
* Jeremy Mitchell, a tight end from Laney College in California
* Christopher Williams, a safety from El Camino College in California

-----------------------------------------

According to Scout.com, the Aggies have offered scholarships to at least seven high school players. The other major recruiting Web site, Rivals.com, does not even have a team page for Utah State football.

Here are some of the players the Aggies have offered:

* Taylor Tingley, a wide receiver from Highland High in Pocatello, Idaho
* Jemarcus Williams, a defensive tackle from St. Francis High in Mountain View, Calif.
* Greg Grimes, a defensive tackle from Inderkum High in Sacramento
* Josh Kaddu, a linebacker from Vacaville High in Vacaville, Calif.
* Damion Whittington, a linebacker from Norco High in Norco, Calif.
* Thaddeus Brown, a running back from Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
* Jason Klingernon, a running back from Valley Center High in Escondido, Calif.

When it comes to recruiting, it is always important to remember that these are 17- and 18-year-old kids. They change their minds, say things they wish they hadn't and tell different people different things.

Nothing really matters until signing day -- Feb. 6, for football.

The latest reminder is the case of Cottonwood High linebacker Lynn Katoa.

The five-star recruit on Monday told reporters in San Antonio -- where he's preparing to play in Saturday's U.S. Army All-American All-Star Game -- that his commitment to Colorado is firm.

However, news out of San Antonio today (Wednesday) is that Oklahoma won't give up its recruitment of Katoa and that Katoa is now saying he is not totally sure where he's going. He says he will make the announcement official during NBC's national telecast.

Of course, the Sooners play in the Fiesta Bowl tonight, against West Virginia, but they apparently have more than just that on their minds.

I've heard that TV people pressure recruits in these type of games to hold off on their announcements until game time to get more exposure for their telecasts. Katoa hasn't returned my calls or text messages recently, so I can't say for sure whether that is happening to him or not.

Who's to blame him, though? If I had a chance to make my college decision known on national television, I would probably take it, too.

My guess is that he will walk out with Oklahoma and Colorado baseball caps and pull on the Buffs cap. If he has three or four caps, the other ones will be LSU, Texas and Oklahoma State caps, I am guessing, although he did express some interest in Utah later in the recruiting game.

It would be cool for the Utes to have a national-caliber recruit from their own backyard mention on national television that he was at least considering them.

One of my contacts in the recruiting business sent me an e-mail last night about how impressive Katoa has been in practices with the West team in San Antonio.

"Speed, size, strength, instincts......He's the real deal. No doubt about that now," my friend wrote.

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Speaking of impact recruits, the Utes landed one last night when highly touted Las Vegas quarterback Devonte Christopher orally committed to Utah assistant coach Jay Hill. An article about Christopher's recruitment is on the Tribune's Web site, in case you missed it and jumped directly to the Recruiting Trail.

I talked to Christopher this morning and he sounds excited to follow in the footsteps of athletic Utah quarterbacks Brian Johnson and Alex Smith. He's also very aware of a player by the name of Corbin Louks, and how he's not going to just be given the starting job because he was a big-time recruit. Utah coaches are also high on Chad Manis as a possible replacement for Johnson, who will be a senior next year.

The Utes beat Stanford for Christopher, a three-star recruit according to Scout.com. That's noteworthy because he's the third or fourth guy that the Utes have lured away from the Cardinal and coach Jim Harbaugh.

Alta's Sausan Shakerin, Bingham's Derek Tuimauga and receiver Luke Matthews of Phoenix, Ariz., were also courted by Harbaugh before choosing Utah.

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One quick side note: My wife was working on a jigsaw puzzle Monday night (during our exciting New Year's Eve party) while I was watching the Chick-fil-A Bowl pitting Clemson and Auburn on ESPN. When one of the announcers mentioned that Clemson coaches had been out on the recruiting trail last month, my wife turned to me and said, "Hey, they just mentioned your blog."

Well, not exactly, I had to explain.

Happy New Year, everyone.
We will be talking a lot about Feb. 6, 2008 in the next few weeks because that, of course, is signing day for high school football stars. Actually, Feb. 6 begins the “signing period” for football that lasts until April 1.
It is also the NCAA’s official signing day for field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo. In Utah, that means it will be a busy day for dozens and dozens of prep girls soccer players.
With the help of Tribune prep sports writer Chhun Sun, The Recruiting Trail has been keeping a fluid list of where the state’s top girls soccer stars will be going next year.
We’ve recently learned that Mountain Crest’s Ashley Burdett has committed to Utah Valley State College and teammate Alex Hansen has committed to Idaho State.
Also, Sky View’s Camille Peterson has committed to Dixie State College.
Here’s the updated list:

Chelsea Forbes, Bountiful, Utah
Anne Shallenberger, Orem, Utah
Mallory Mitamura, Viewmont, Utah
Roxy Tebbs, Davis, Utah
Kelly Woodfield, Timpview, Utah
McKinzie Olson, Brighton, BYU
Katie Neff, South Summit, BYU
Dana Oldroyd, Timapnogos, BYU
Auna Janis, Mountain View, BYU
Shantel Flanary, Lone Peak, Utah State
Molli Merrill, Bountiful, Utah State
Chanae Weller, South Summitt, Utah State
Chandra Salmon, Provo, Utah State
Chanise Raab, Lehi, BYU-Hawaii
Kacey Williams, Davis, BYU-Hawaii
Britt Edman, Highland, BYU-Hawaii
Julia Flores, Alta, BYU-Hawaii
Natalie Cude, Alta, BYU-Hawaii
Kristen Anderson, Jordan, Weber State
Ari Wood, Bountiful, Weber State
Victoria Anderson, Viewmont, Weber State
Aly Tucker, Orem, Weber State
Noelle Sanders, Timpanogos, UVSC
Kelsey Kimball, Timpview, UVSC
Camille Broderick, Pleasant Grove, UVSC
Kaitlyn Thomas, Orem, UVSC
Jaime Lyons, Orem, UVSC
Brianne Larsen, Orem, UVSC
Christy Brian, Davis, UVSC
Allie Noot, South Summit, UVSC
Collette Simmons, Davis, UVSC
Ashley Burdett, Mountain Crest, UVSC
Whitley Davis, Brighton, Dixie State
Stephanie Scott, Brighton, Dixie State
Camille Peterson, Sky View, Dixie State
Hailey Hansen, Jordan, Dixie State
Kortney Murdock, Bountiful, Dixie State
Kendel Murray, Timpview, Southern Utah
Charly Booth, Viewmont, Southern Utah
Mandy Verdoia, Brighton, Seattle Pacific
Abbie Knox, Brighton, Seattle Pacific
Myriah Stockman, Davis, Pepperdine
Ashley Askrug, Brighton, Idaho State
Alex Hansen, Mountain Crest, Idaho State
Ellen Larsen, Murray, Idaho State
Jaime Nelson, Brighton, San Diego State
Christine Isabella, East, Winthrop