Eastern Washington, a member of the Big Sky Conference, has landed Judge Memorial lineman Will Katoa.

Katoa, 6-2, 290, will sign with the Eagles next week.

The second-team all-stater is likely to play defensive tackle for EWU. The Bulldogs went 6-6 last year and made it to the 3A quarterfinals.

Katoa had six sacks and was in on 78 tackles.

When DeMarcus Harrison tells his friends and basketball teammates at Greenwood High in Greenwood, South Carolina, about the colleges that are recruiting him, the conversation always changes when he gets to one particular school way, way out West.

"I say BYU, and people stop me and say, ‘BYU?' Harrison said.

It is true, the 6-foot-5, 180-pound junior said Thursday night.

One of the best juniors in the Palmetto state and a prospect that rates three stars from Scout.com has BYU among the schools at the top of his list.

Why?

"I'm a Mormon," Harrison said. "BYU is a Mormon school. They found out about me a while ago and they've been talking to me ever since. I like their style and the way they play. I watch them on TV whenever I can."

You mean The Mtn. can be seen in South Carolina?

"Yes sir," Harrison said, a term he used, oh, about 20 times in a 10-minute phone conversation.

DeMarcus said that along with BYU, Virginia Tech, Florida State, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Marshall have made contact with him. He said BYU and Virginia Tech have shown the most interest so far.

"But I am still waiting for my first offer," he said.

Harrison said the BYU coach he has had the most contact with is assistant Terry Nashif.

The prospect said that his parents, Derek and Wanda, joined the LDS Church about 15 years ago and he has been raised in that faith, along with his brother DJ, which is short for Derek Jr.

He has never been to Utah, he said.

But while DeMarcus is 6-5 and a junior, DJ is 6-0 and a senior.

DJ is still waiting for his first D-I offer as well. He dislocated his knee in a game over the Christmas break, however, and hasn't played since then. He is hoping his first action since the injury comes Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, DeMarcus is averaging nearly 25 points per game

He said BYU also has its eye on DJ, but doesn't have a scholarship available right now for a high school senior.

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Tough to tell whether the Cougars can make a scholarship available for DJ Harrison. Seniors Lee Cummard and Archie Rose will graduate, but those two schollies will go to Provo's Brandon Davies and Lone Peak's Tyler Haws.

The two other high school seniors the Cougars signed in November, Orem's Ian Harward and Lone Peak's Nate Austin, will go on church missions first.

Another scholarship could open up if the NCAA does not grant another year to center Gavin MacGregor. There's also the possibility that MacGregor might not even apply for one, given the fact that he's injured again (stress reaction in right foot) and might decide to call it a career.

-- Jay Drew

BYU's primary target from the prep basketball Class of 2010 (this year's juniors) is obviously Kyle Collinsworth, the 6-6 guard from Provo High.

We stumbled across an interesting story in a Web site devoted to covering South Carolina sports (SCPrepNation.com) that says BYU is also recruiting a 6-5 junior shooting guard from the Palmetto State by the name of DeMarcus Harrison.

The 187-pound swingman plays at Greenwood High, which is in Greenwood, S.C. and about 100 miles south of Spartanburg.

Harrison is averaging 25 points and five rebounds a game for the Eagles, he tells the Web site. He listed South Carolina, Clemson, Virginia Tech, BYU, Florida State, Marshall, Colorado, Georgia, Wake Forest and VCU as schools that are talking to him.

"I wouldn't say anybody's out front. I'm still wide open to anybody but I'd say that Brigham Young and Virginia Tech are coming after me the hardest at this point," he said.

Has BYU ever had a player from South Carolina? We've got a call in to the Greenwood High coach to see if we can figure out what the tie to BYU is, if any, but apparently Harrison is serious about the Cougars.

"With BYU I like a lot of things. They think I can come in and play as a freshman and they also think that I can play at the next level after college. I can fit in well with their program and play well in transition. I really like their style of play. They are up and down the court all the time. I love their transition game and how they like to shoot the three. You know, if they catch it and they got a good look, they shoot it."

Obviously, the young man has seen tape of Jonathan Tavernari.

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Quick baseball recruiting note for you: Taylor Larsen, a left-handed pitcher at Mountain Crest High in the Cache Valley, has signed to play for Salt Lake Community College.

The Utes picked up another commitment Tuesday, with Bingham linebacker LT Filiaga committing to the Utes. He is the sixth instate recruit the Utes have for their 2009 class. The Utes now have 24 commitments for their 2009 class. The Utes aren't done though as they're one of several programs Timpview's Xavier Su'a-Filo has on his list.

One of the top receivers in the state of Utah, Bingham's Michael Edmunds, has been offered preferred walk-on status by BYU.

Edmunds, a consensus all-state selection, received the offer Monday morning at his school by BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman and recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell.

"I am thankful for the opportunity," Edmunds said.

The senior who helped Bingham get to the 5A state championship has scholarship offers from Southern Utah and Weber State.

He said he plans on visiting BYU coaches at the school some time in the next few days before deciding whether to take the walk-on offer, or a scholarship offer from one of the other schools.

Edmunds has made it no secret that his lifelong dream has been to play for BYU. However, the Cougars already have commitments from several other tight ends and receivers and have said they don't have a scholarship available.

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Edmunds could be either a receiver or tight end in college. He will go on an LDS Church mission this fall before enrolling at any school.

Edmunds finished the 2008 season with 50 receptions for 961 yards and 14 touchdowns. Eight of his receptions went for more than 45 yards, and the big redhead has been clocked running the 40 in 4.47 seconds. He is consistently in the 4.5 range, he said.

Grantsville football coach Tony Cloward has been kind enough to pass along some recruiting information on Austin Gumucio, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior linebacker and fullback at the school in Tooele County.

Weber State has offered Gumucio after the star visited coach Ron McBride at the school on Jan. 16. Twice Wildcat coaches have visited Gumucio at home or at school.

This weekend, Gumucio will visit Southern Utah.

Utah State has been in touch lately, and BYU has also ratcheted up its interest in the past few weeks, Cloward said.

Last month, Gumucio received an offer from Snow College.

Oklahoma State has extended an invitation to be a preferred walk-on. Southern Virginia, an LDS Church-based school in the East, has also expressed interest.

"Austin's focus seems to be on Weber State and SUU, with a watchful eye on USU and BYU," Cloward said. "It would take an aggressive and extraordinary move by another school to compete with those four right now."

Gumucio led Class 3A in tackles and was third in the state with 157 takedowns in 11 games. He also averaged 5.5 yards per carry and was named the team MVP.
-- Jay Drew

Layton High running back Karl Williams has orally committed to Southern Utah University, according to his father, David.

Williams, a first-team all-state running back who is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, pledged to SUU coaches over the weekend. He also had an offer from Air Force.

Known as Karl "The Truth" Williams in Region 1 football, the senior had 145 carries for 989 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

One of the junior college cornerbacks that BYU was interested in has committed to Washington, according to a report on Scout.com.

Dominique Gaisie, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound defensive back from Mt. San Antonio College pledged to new Washington coach Steve Sarkisian during his recent visit to Seattle.

Gaisie will be reunited with his defensive backs coach from Mt. Sac, Demetrice Martin, at Washington. He also had an offer from New Mexico State.

Gaisie will have three years to play two at Washington.

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Sky View High's JD Falslev has committed to play for BYU next year as a preferred walk-on, according to his father, Dave.

A running back who also returns kicks, Falslev committed to BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall earlier this week. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound multi-threat athlete is a two-time all-stater who rushed for 958 yards and 10 touchdowns on 131 carries last seson.

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Total Blue Sports is reporting that BYU has received a commitment from another high school junior, bringing the total to four juniors who have pledged to Cougar coaches.

The latest is Joey Owens, a 6-3, 215-pound linebacker from Pleasant Grove High in Utah County. Owens participated in BYU's Junior Day over the weekend and apparently accepted an offer from BYU then.

Manti Te'o, the all-everything linebacker from Punahou High in Hawaii, has eliminated BYU as one of the schools that he is considering, his father confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune today.

Te'o has narrowed his choices to UCLA, USC and Stanford, according to his father, Brian Te'o.

To read about Manti's reasons for taking the Cougars off his list, check out our BYU sports blog.

Weber State coach Ron McBride has said that the Wildcats success last season is helping him beat bigger schools for college football recruits.

One such example is Jarred Henry, a linebacker from Missouri who recently committed to the Wildcats.

Henry is the younger brother of former University of Utah star Rocky Henry, who played for McBride at Utah.

Henry chose WSU over several other schools. He is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound outside linebacker who was named the top LB at Missouri's football camp last summer. His father, Lloyd Henry, played in the NFL for the Dophins and Redskins.

Rocky Henry played for the Dallas Cowboys and for six years in the Canadian Football League.

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Matt Holley, a wide receiver from Centennial High in Las Vegas, has orally committed to Southern Utah. Holley made 36 catches for 463 yards. He also carried the ball 34 times for 229 yards.

Defensively, he had 120 tackles as a linebacker. He will probably play linebacker in college.

BYU has picked up another football commitment, according to an article in the Times-Standard newspaper of Northern California.
Check out our BYU sports blog to learn more about Cody Hoffman, a receiver at Del Norte High in Northern California.

Utah's push to get instate football players continues to pay off with the Utes getting a commitment from Cottonwood's 6-foot-4, 294-pound offensive lineman Percy Taumoelau on Thursday.
In addition, coach Kyle Whittingham's nephew, Jason Whittingham, a 6-2, 220-pound linebacker at Timpview, also committed.
Taumoelau said he chose the Utes over Arkansas because of coach Kyle Whittingham as well as the proximity of Utah to his home.
"Plus all my uncles played there and they can watch me play," said Taumoelau, who is related to former Ute Jason Kaufusi, who is now on Cottonwood's staff.
The two join Jordan's Vyncent Jones (6-3, 270-pound lineman), Northridge's Chris Washington (6-2, 195-pound safety) and Highland's Latu Heimuli (6-2, 296-pound defensive tackle) as other players from Utah who have committed to the Utes.
Utah will also welcome Snow College star and Murray High grad James Aiono (6-3, 275-pounds) as part of its 2009 class.
Taumoelau is the third commitment for the Utes in three days, with Fullerton College, Calif., corner Conroy Black and Jeremiah Tofaeono, a 6-2, 300-pound lineman out of Cheyenne High in Las Vegas committing earlier in the week.
The Utes have 24 commitments now and will have to count offensive linemen Zach Davila and Sam Brenner, who signed last February but deferred until the 2009-10 season, with the class.
However, rest assured the Utes will find room for some sought-after recruits they are chasing if they decide Utah is the place for them. There is the dance of outgoing/incoming missionaries that will affect the class numbers as well as the chance some recruits may not academically qualify.
Among the players the Utes are still after include Bingham High linebacker LT Filiaga and linebacker Liloa Nobriga out of Las Vegas and defensive back Keenan Graham out of Las Vegas.

Here is Utah's list to this point:
Oral commitments
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxnard, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Kapua Sai, 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman out of St. Louis H.S. in Honolulu
Beau Burton, 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Latu Heimuli, 6-2, 296-pound defensive tackle out of Highland High
Craig Payne, 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive tackle out of Colony H.S. in Ontario, Calif.
Conroy Black, 6-1, 180-pound corner out of Fullerton College
Jeremiah Tofaeono, 6-2, 300-pound offensive lineman out of Cheyenne High, Las Vegas, Nev.
Percy Taumoelau, a 6-foot-4, 294-pound offensive lineman out of Cottonwood H.S.
Jason Whittingham, 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker out of Timpview H.S.

Enrolled
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif.
Kamaron Yancy, 5-foot-11, 190-pound corner out of Pierce College, Calif.
Terrance Cain, 6-foot-0, 188-pound QB out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas

Signed
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.
Antoine Smithson, 6-0, 210-pound wide receiver out of East Los Angeles College
Ray Magee, 6-3, 220-pound receiver out of Fullerton College

2010 commitment
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Pine View High's Taylor Orr, one of the top tight ends in the state has been offered a scholarship by Dixie State College.

Orr, a second-team 4A all-stater who also plays linebacker for the Panthers, will visit the University of San Diego this weekend.

Orr had 37 catches for 720 yards and 11 touchdowns his senior season at Pine View.

The Utah Utes have apparently found a sufficient recruiter to replace assistant Aaron Roderick. Ray Magee, a receiver from Fullerton College in Calif., who committed to the Utes recently, has helped sway teammate Conroy Black into committing to the Utes.
Black, a 6-1, 180-pound corner, committed to Utah Tuesday.
Black committed to Oregon State in November, but had second thoughts and decided Utah was a better fit after looking at several schools.
"I saw how hard they were working to get me," he said. "Being No. 2 in the nation helped too. I know they've got a lot of big-time players coming and I wanted to keep that going."
Magee, who was recruited by Roderick, also encouraged him.
"I told him about my visit and that he should look at it," Magee said. "I liked it there a lot."
Magee said his plans won't change even with Roderick going to Washington.
"I'm still coming," he said.
Black should help fill the void that remains with Sean Smith's decision to go to the NFL. He is the third junior college corner the Utes will welcome for the 2009 season. The Utes already have signed Kamaron Yancy (Pierce College, Calif.) and Maxwell Lacy (Compton College, Calif.)
Another school that heavily recruited Black was SMU. Former Utah assistant Derrick Odum was in charge of his recruiting.


Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxnard, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif.
Kapua Sai, 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman out of St. Louis H.S. in Honolulu
Beau Burton, 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Latu Heimuli, 6-2, 296-pound defensive tackle out of Highland High
Antoine Smithson, 6-0, 210-pound wide receiver out of East Los Angeles College
Craig Payne, 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive tackle out of Colony H.S. in Ontario, Calif.
Ray Magee, 6-3, 220-pound receiver out of Fullerton College
Conroy Black, 6-1, 180-pound corner out of Fullerton College

Signed
Kamaron Yancy, 5-foot-11, 190-pound corner out of Pierce College, Calif.
Terrance Cain, 6-foot-0, 188-pound QB out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.

2010 commitment
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Weber State has landed one of the top high school quarterbacks in Utah, but won't be able to see what Spanish Fork's Breck Lewis can do for a couple of years.

Lewis, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior at Spanish Fork, has orally committed to Weber State. He will sign with the Wildcats on Feb. 4. However, Lewis will go on an LDS Church mission first and won't play for the Wildcats until 2011, according to his father, Mike.

Lewis threw for more than 5,000 yards and 60 in touchdowns in two seasons as the Dons' starting quarterback.

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Utah State coach Gary Andersen continues to build his 2009 recruiting class, getting a commitment recently from Ashton Jefferson, a running back from Alvin High in Alvin, Texas. According to rivals.com, Ashton is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior who rushed for more than 1,500 yards last season.

A few odds and ends to catch you up on in the world of college recruiting.

First, though, a reminder to check out our BYU sports blog for the latest Cougar football commitment, which came from Layton High tight end/defensive end Thomas Bryson.

Bryson, also an outstanding wrestler for the Lancers, committed to BYU on Saturday.

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Speaking of football commitments, Utah State got one recently from Rajric Coleman, a cornerback at Glendale (Ariz.) Community College.

Coleman played high school football at Agua Fria High in Avondale, Ariz., but had to go the junior college route because he did not qualify academically for a Division I program.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound star had 26 tackles and one interception for the Gauchos.

He also had offers from Texas Southern, Eastern Washington, Portland State and Northern Colorado before picking Utah State.

Coleman will have three years to play two at USU, but cannot participate in spring ball because he has not graduated yet from Glendale.

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A defensive lineman from Colorado who was drawing interest from BYU and Utah has committed to Wyoming.

Mike Purcell, a 6-3, 260-pound senior at Highlands Ranch High, committed to the Cowboys after an official visit recently.

Purcell did not receiver offers from BYU or Utah, but they were keeping track of him in case some of their other prospects didn't work out, according to his high school coach.

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One of the state's top baseball players, Bingham's Colton Yack, has been invited to play in the Under Armor 2009 Preseason Baseball All-American game in Arizona. Yack has signed with Dixie State.

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Weber State and Southern Utah have both offered scholarships to Andrew Meredith, a safety at Green River High School in Wyoming. According to Robert Gagliardi of Wyoming News, Meredith would like to play at Wyoming and is waiting on an offer from the Cowboys.

Meredith was the Wyoming 2008 5A Defensive Player of the Year. He had 346 tackles in his four-year high school career.

-- Jay Drew

Travis Parrish, the all-state linebacker from Bountiful high, committed to Utah State on Sunday night, Parrish told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Parrish, this season, was one of the best linebackers in the state, one that could rush the passer, defend against the run and defend against the pass. He's got a great motor and he's a great tackler as well. He will leave this summer to take a mission, so he won't arrive on campus for two season, yet. But when he gets there, Parrish will have a chance to make his mark on USU coach Gary Andersen's rebuilding project in Logan.
"I think he's a great guy and a great coach," Parrish said. "I'm a defensive guy and I've always been an Aggie fan so I decided to go. I'm very excited about it. I'm going to be playing football. That's what I want to do."
Parrish is one of several instate products to commit to Andersen in his brief tenure as USU's head coach. And while losing Layton's Thomas Bryson to BYU was a blow, Parrish's commitment was a huge get, as was Logan's Jeff Manning and Sky View's Eric Berntson.
Parrish's commit caps a huge weekend for the Aggies when it comes to commits. Over the weekend, the USU program recieved commits from wideout Marcus Sullivan, cornerback Michael Williams, cornerback Rajiric Coleman, offensive lineman Christian Brown-Frazier, defensive lineman Kmaloni Vainikolo, quarterback Kane Wilson, and Chris Friesen as well.
Sources say that the coaching staff is particularly excited about Wilson, who they believe will turn into a fine signal-caller someday.
Tony Jones

A teenager who played football for Layton High School in Utah his sophomore and junior seasons before moving to California has orally committed to play college football at Dartmouth.

Billy Bradshaw will not receive a scholarship because Ivy League schools do not award athletic scholarships. However, his father confirmed that Billy will attend Dartmouth this fall.

Billy played his senior year at Rancho Bernardo High and was an outside linebacker and running back for the Broncos. The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder had 138 carries for 674 yards and six touchdowns and earned All-Palomar League honors.

-- Jay Drew

Interesting story in the Las Vegas Review Journal about Danika Sharp, a junior at West Wendover High School, just across the Utah border.

Sharp, who plays for her father, John, at the tiny school, was averaging 31.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Wolverines.

During the summer, she plays for the Salt Lake Metro club team with many of Utah's top girls basketball players.

Although she plays at a small school, Sharp is starting to draw the attention of college recruiters, including coaches from BYU, New Mexico, Wyoming, San Diego, Pacific, UNLV and East Carolina.

-- Jay Drew

BYU won't be the only local football team playing in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, this September.

Two days after BYU takes on Oklahoma at the stadium, South Jordan's Bingham High will play one of the top high school football programs in the country, Trinity High of Euless, Texas, on the same field.

The Miners and Trojans will meet in the Herbstreit Challenge.

A Trinity defensive lineman, Siosaia Tuipulotu, has committed to Utah, but recently made a recruiting visit to BYU.

Next year, the Miners will again feature running back Harvey Langi, who already has offers from BYU and Utah but is only a sophomore.

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College basketball coaches can no longer work at elite camps and clinics for seventh and eighth-graders -- which was being used by some as a recruiting advantage -- the NCAA ruled on Thursday.

The NCAA said that seventh-graders are now officially classified as prospects, changing the definition of a prospect from ninth grade to seventh grade -- for men's basketball only.

Before the change, the NCAA couldn't regulate those camps because those youngsters fell below the current cutoff.

While men's basketball is the only sport affected, officials envision future discussions on lowering the limit for other sports, notably football.

We've got this up on our prep sports blog, but since it was promised yesterday here it is: The list of players who have been selected as nominees to the 2009 McDonald's All-American game from the state of Utah:

First Last School Name City State

Nate Austin Lone Peak High School Highland UT

Jordan Bernardo Jordan High School Sandy UT

Ian Bradley Harward Orem High School Orem UT

Wade Bronson Bear River High School Garland UT

Christian Brown East High School Salt Lake City UT

Sean Carey Bountiful High School Bountiful UT

Pablo Coro Juan Diego Catholic High School Draper UT

Dee Crandall Judge Memorial Catholic High School Salt Lake City UT

Brandon Davies Provo High School Provo UT

Joel Einfeldt Cedar High School Cedar City UT

Rayes Gallegos West Jordan High School West Jordan UT

Corbin Green Olympus High School Salt Lake City UT

Tyler Haws Lone Peak High School Highland UT

Kyle Maughan Hillcrest High School Midvale UT

Omar McDade Logan High School Logan UT

Darrick McIntosh Logan High School Logan UT

Travis Parrish Bountiful High School Bountiful UT

Stallon Saldivar Judge Memorial Catholic High School Salt Lake City UT

Mason Sawyer West Jordan High School West Jordan UT

Dillon Smith Lone Peak High School Highland UT

Tyler Stahle Woods Cross High School Woods Cross UT

Tommy Tebbs Lone Peak High School Highland UT

Jordan Weirick West Jordan High School West Jordan UT

C.J. Wilcox Pleasant Grove High School Pleasant Grove UT

LeSean Wilcox Pleasant Grove High School Pleasant Grove UT

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

Pac-10 schools continue to mine Utah's Cottonwood High School for prep football talent.
The latest Colt to commit to a Pac-10 school is safety Asi Hosea, who will sign with Washington State.
Hosea, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior only played organized football for two years. He also had offers from SMU, Kansas State, Hawaii and Arizona, according to his father, Charles Hosea.
Hosea moved from Hawaii to Utah prior to his junior season at Cottonwood.
Charles Hosea said his son chose Washington State because of the opportunity to be able to play right away. The Cougars went 2-11 in 2008, defeating only Washington and Portland State.
Cottonwood lineman John Martinez chose USC and Colts running back Isi Sofele committed to California.
Another Cottonwood lineman, Percy Taumoelau, has also received several D-I offers from the likes of Arkansas, WSU, Arizona and Hawaii.
As for Hosea, his father said that he drew some interest from Utah and BYU, but neither local school extended a scholarship offer.

BYU-bound guard Tyler Haws is having a sensational senior season for Lone Peak, scoring 30 points and grabbing close to 20 rebounds in one particular game last week.

Now, some scouts and college recruiters are saying that Kyle Collinsworth, a 6-foot-6 combo guard from Provo High is getting college attention that will surprass what the highly recruited Haws received.

Collinsworth, the brother of BYU forward Chris Collinsworth (currently on an LDS Church mission in Australia) is simply blowing up this season for the Bulldogs.

Provo coach Craig Drury recently said Kyle Collinsworth is the best junior he has ever seen in the state of Utah when it comes to basketball.

One Pac-10 coach reportedly said recently that if Collinsworth played in a bigger city, he would be a five-star recruit.

A pair of coaches from Wake Forest attended Collinsworth's game against American Fork recently, then called when they returned to North Carolina and said they were extremely interested.

USC, Washington State, Gonzaga, Cal, Stanford, BYU, Utah and Utah State have also been to games and/or practices to watch Collinsworth. His teammate, 6-9 center Brandon Davies, has signed with BYU.

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Haws, Davies, West Jordan's Reyes Gallegos (Nebraska) and other top seniors signed in November with their chosen schools.

I asked an assistant coach at one of the state's five major basketball programs the other day if there are any good seniors left who may end up signing with a Division I school. He said there probably aren't, but that the two best unsigned players remaining are probably Tyler Staheli of Woods Cross and Sean Carey of Bountiful.

-- Jay Drew

Who are the best senior girls basketball players in the state of Utah?

Well, here are the players who have been selected to the 2009 McDonald's All American game from the state of Utah. These are just players who have been nominated for consideration.

It's not likely that one will be selected to play in the annual contest, but one never knows.

We will list the boys nominees tomorrow.

First Last School Name City State

Jaquel Christensen Richfield High School Richfield UT

Allie Eastman Rich High School Randolph UT

Tina Fakahafua Judge Memorial Catholic High School Salt Lake City UT

Alle Finch Riverton High School Riverton UT

Haley Holmstead American Fork High School American Fork UT

Sammie Jensen Grantsville High School Grantsville UT

Felicity Jones Bear River High School Garland UT

Brooke Larsen Kearns High School Salt Lake City UT

Cydne Mason American Fork High School American Fork UT

Kimberly Parker Wasatch High School Heber City UT

Jadie Parsons South Sevier High School Monroe UT

Gabriella Rodriguez West Jordan High School West Jordan UT

Chelsea Sorensen Riverton High School Riverton UT

Nicole Yazzie Bingham High School South Jordan UT

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

Just got through putting together a chart on BYU's football commitments from the Class of 2009 (much like Lya has for Utah's commitments) and thought I would share it with our loyal recruiting trail readers.

Also, check out the BYU sports blog that I author for a rundown on BYU's big football recruiting weekend that took place a few days ago.

Cougar recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell says BYU has three more spots to fill (scholarships to hand out), but may over-sign due to guys going on missions and the like. He says BYU has six offers on the table. As you can see from the list below, I only know about five.

BYU's 19 Known Football Commitments
Player*Position*High School/Junior College
Kyle Van Noy*Linebacker*McQueen High School, Reno, Nev.
Brad Wilcox*Offensive lineman*North High School, Edmond, Okla.
Richard Wilson*Tight end*Spanish Fork High School, Spanish Fork, Utah
Brett Thompson*Receiver*Oak Ridge High School, El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Fono Vakalahi*Offensive lineman*Bryan High School, Bryan, Texas
Ryan Mulitalo*Offensive lineman*Hunter High School, West Valley City, Utah
Remington Peck*Tight end*Bingham High School, South Jordan, Utah
Anthony Heimuli*Running back*Mountain View High School, Orem, Utah
Mitch Mathews*Receiver*Southridge High School, Beaverton, Ore.
Trevor Bateman*Cornerback*Palm Desert High School, Indio, Calif.
Peni Maka'afi*Running back*Northridge High School, Layton, Utah
Riley Nelson*Quarterback*Logan High School/Utah State University
Tui Crichton*Offensive lineman*Timpview High School, Provo, Utah
Terry Alletto*Offensive lineman*Ponderosa High School, Parker, Colo.
Craig Bills*Safety*Timpview High School, Provo, Utah
Jray Galea'i*Safety*Kahuku High School, Kahuku, Haw.
Adam Timo*Running back*Snow Canyon High School, St. George, Utah
Jordan Atkinson*Linebacker*Diablo Valley Community College, Calif.
Lee Aguirre*Cornerback*Fullerton Community College, Calif.

BYU's Known Offers (Uncommitted players)
Player*Position*High School
Manti Te'o*Linebacker*Punahou School, Honolulu, Haw.
Xavier Su'a-Filo*Offensive lineman*Timpview High School, Provo, Utah
L.T. Filiaga*Linebacker*Bingham High School, South Jordan, Utah
LaDarius Perkins*Running back*St. Joseph High School, Greenville, Miss.
+Siosaia Tuipulotu*Defensive lineman*Trinity High School, Euless, Texas
+Made "soft" commitment to Utah

-- Jay Drew

Utah State just missed out on a Texas defender, 6-1, 265-pound defensive tackle Matt Hornbuckle who committed to Buffalo. According to the Dallas Morning News, he gave strong consideration to Utah State, Air Force and Stephen F. Austin.
New coach Gary Andersen may have missed out on this guy, but I have a feeling he is going to get his share of talent that MWC schools such as Utah, BYU and Air Force are wooing as well.
- Lya Wodraska

A day after returning home from a visit to Arkansas, a former Cottonwood High star has committed to ...........Cal.

Keni Kaufusi, the lineman who was headed to the University of Utah last summer until some legal trouble derailed his plans, told Cottonwood coaches today that he has commited to the Pac-10 school that already has a commitment from Colts running back Isi Sofele.

Kaufusi, who has been out of football this fall, is the brother of John Martinez, the five-star lineman from Cottonwood who committed to USC last week.

Another Cottonwood lineman, Percy Taumoelau, also visited Arkansas over the weekend.

Taumoelau has an offer from the Razorbacks, but will also visit Washington State and Utah over the next few weeks.

A few days after landing a commitment from one of the top high school receivers in the state of Utah, Timpview's Travis Van Leeuwen, the Utah State Aggies have received a pledge that will strengthen their running game.

Michael Smith a running back from Eastern Arizona Junior College in Thatcher, Ariz., has committed to Utah State, according to Jason Jewell of Scout.com.

Smith rushed for 1,002 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for the Gila Monsters, who play in the same conference as Utah's Snow College.

Smith, 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, was a second-team all-Western States Football League selection in 2008.

He played at Sunnyside High in Tucson, Ariz., and will have three years to play two for Utah State.

It was Smith's first offer, but e was also hearing from Kansas, Arizona State and Utah.

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

Weber State is in the mix for one of the top prep football players in Nevada.

Defensive end Danny Mullarkey of Desert Vista High in Las Vegas has been offered a scholarship by Weber State and will make an official visit soon.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior had an offer from Washington before that school's coaching staff changed.

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

Utah Valley University's golf team has signed Dane Christensen to a national letter of intent. Christensen attends Armory High in Armory, Miss. He was the state medalist in 2008 for Mississippi after shooting a 36-hole total of 139 at Riverbirch G.C.

Christensen is ranked No. 1 in his senior class and is the school's valedictorian. He was born in Provo and is the son of Dr. Vern Christensen.

-- Jay Drew

Utah assistant coach Aaron Roderick evidently had a good recruiting weekend as two athletes he has been after gave oral commitments to the Utes after visiting Salt Lake City. Craig Payne, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive tackle out of Colony H.S. in Ontario, Calif., and Ray Magee, a 6-3, 220-pound receiver out of Fullerton College said they are headed to Utah. Both said their commitments were solid.
Payne had committed to Colorado State earlier but changed his mind.
"I liked the coaches," he said for going with the Utes instead of CSU. "Coach A-Rod, I love that dude."
Payne, who didn't play in 2008 because of a transfer rule that made him ineligible, said Utah's Sugar Bowl win played a small part in his decision.
"Utah is up-and-coming and I want to be a part of that," he said.
Magee has been on Utah's radar since he was a high school player at Valencia, Calif.
"It felt too good for me not to go to Utah," he said. "The whole team was great. It was just meant to be."
Magee said he hopes to join the Utes in time for spring practice.
Signing day is Feb. 4.

Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxnard, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif.
Kapua Sai, 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman out of St. Louis H.S. in Honolulu
Beau Burton, 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Latu Heimuli, 6-2, 296-pound defensive tackle out of Highland High
Antoine Smithson, 6-0, 210-pound wide receiver out of East Los Angeles College
Craig Payne, 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive tackle out of Colony H.S. in Ontario, Calif.
Ray Magee, 6-3, 220-pound receiver out of Fullerton College

Signed
Kamaron Yancy, 5-foot-11, 190-pound corner out of Pierce College, Calif.
Terrance Cain, 6-foot-0, 188-pound QB out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.

2010 commitment
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Manti Te'o, the linebacker from Punahou High in Hawaii who is rated as one of the top prospects in the country is visiting BYU this weekend.

Along with Te'o, more than 20 recruits will be in Provo until Sunday. That group includes the 15 players who have committed to BYU and about a half-dozen who have not.

The group of uncommitted visitors includes Te'o, Nevada's Kyle Van Noy, Timpview's Xavier Su'a-Filo, Bingham's L.T. Filiaga and Siosaia Tuipolutu, a defensive tackle from Trinity High in Euless, Texas, who has reportedly given Utah a "soft" commitment.

There have been reports that Bijon Samoodi, a cornerback from Anaheim, Calif., and Dominique Gaisie, a cornerback from Mount San Antonio College, will visit this weekend, but I have not been able to verify if they are in Provo yet or not.

In a one-on-one interview with The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall talked about BYU's recruiting this year, while being careful not to talk about specific recruits, an NCAA violation.

"Recruiting for [the Feb. 4 signing day] iis going great," Mendenhall said. "Most of our recruits are committed already. We have a major recruiting weekend this weekend. We have a lot of momentum generated and we have an excellent class with a handful of recruits still undecided. And how long that will take, I am not certain."

While not bringing up Te'o's name, I asked Mendenhall if there happened to be a five-star recruit who happened to be LDS and who happened to have family members already at BYU if it would be a make-or-break kind of deal to get him.

"There is not a kid in the country that is make or break," Mendenhall said. "What I do think is at stake is a young man can have the very best experience to shape his life, be a part of a fantastic football program, get an education based on faith that is perfectly suited to him, and then be surrounded by young men that have similar ideas and beliefs.

But in terms of our program ever hinging on a given player, or coach, I hope that's not the case."

Since we were on the topic, I asked Mendenhall if BYU needs to get every LDS kid who is a Division I recruit in the country to be a top 25 program, or even a program that could possibly contend some day for a national championship.

Here is his (lengthy) reply:

"I don't think it will ever happen. If you just use the criteria that you said -- top 25 or BCS contender -- I think we have been that the last few years. So if that is the standard that we are being measured against, that is already happening.

"Maybe [you] are talking about national championship, because the [lower] standard is being met now.

"My hope is that every young man who wants this experience comes to BYU. The only time I am disappointed, or agonize over it, is if a young man sees this experience, knows it will be the best thing for him, and then chooses something else, possibly because of a name or a title or possibly even a reputation of, let's say, USC or something like that.

"To see them know that this where they are supposed to be -- because you can see it -- and then choose something else, that is probably the ony time that I become saddened by things like that.

"If, to measure our program as a top 25 program -- already happened -- as a top 15 program -- already happened. To measure it as a BCS contender, happening. A conference championship every year, a national championship -- maybe that tier is what you could apply that line of questioning to. Then there might be something to that. But I am not sure -- at least in talking to coach [LaVell] Edwards about that -- I am not sure there will ever be a point where every young man that is LDS comes to BYU.

Maybe that is the ideal. I would like everyone that wants to be here, to come."

-- Jay Drew

Cottonwood High has already had two high-profile recruits make their college decisions in the past month, with running back Isi Sofele choosing Cal and lineman John Martinez picking USC.
This weekend, Cottonwood offensive lineman Percy Taumoleau is visiting Arkansas along with Keni Kaufusi, who played for the Colts in 2007.
Kaufusi was headed to Utah but ran into some academic eligibility difficulties and did not end up playing for the Utes.
Taumoelau has offers from Arkansas, Washington State, Hawaii and Arizona.

Timpview High receiver Travis Van Leeuwen has committed to Utah State and new coach Gary Andersen.
Van Leeuwen confirmed the commitment via a text message, saying it has been a fun and crazy night.
Van Leeuwen is a 6-foot-3, 188-pound senior and a three-star recruit on Scout.com's five-star system.

He's the fifth Utah high school prep star to commit to the Aggies, joining Jordan's Tyler Larsen, West Jordan's D.J. Tialavea, Sky View's Eric Bernsten and Logan quarterback Jeff Manning.

The Web site ranks Van Leeuwen as the 145th best receiver in the Class of 2009.

He also had offers from Southern Utah and Weber State.

We mentioned a few days ago that Bingham High's 6-9 Ben Clifford and Provo's 6-6 Kyle Collinsworth were two of the top juniors to keep an eye on as basketball recruiting for the Class of 2010 begins to heat up.

Here's another big guy to watch from that class: Neal Monson, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound post player from Waterford High in Sandy.

Monson's father, Reid, who is also his coach, played for the University of Utah.

Neal Monson is drawing interest from Ivy League schools, along with Utah State and BYU and several Pac-10 schools.

The Ravens are currently 8-1 and Monson is averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks per game despite often drawing double- and triple-teams.

So far, out of the 18 commitments/signings the Utes have toward their 2009 football class, only one, Honolulu's Kapua Sai, hails from the islands. Is this another sign that Utah's so-called Polynesian Pipeline is drying up? Remember the Utes didn't sign any players last year from the islands, an area that coach Kyle Whittingham has called a point of emphasis.
The answer is yes and no. I spoke with new defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake on his philosophy of recruiting, specifically the islands where he is the program's point person. He can't talk to be about specific athletes, but can describe Utah's philosophy in general and told me Utah is making a slight shift in its recruiting. The program is proud of its ties to the Polynesian community and even dedicates a full page to publicize it in the team's media guide and will continue to heavily recruit Polynesian athletes. However, the Utes aren't necessarily going to recruit the islands as extensively as they have in the past. There are a couple reasons for that. One is the competition for recruits has picked up in the area, meaning there are fewer blue-chippers to go around.
At the same time, more and more Polynesians are living throughout the mainland and settling not only in Utah, but in areas such as Texas, Las Vegas and California. The Utes are making it a priority to recruit those players, because they can also see other players from the area too, making their recruiting trips much more effective than simply flying to the islands.
So far it seems to be working, the Utes have a soft commitment from Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas and are one of the frontrunners for Liloa Nobriga, a 6-1, 211-pound linebacker out of Las Vegas.

- Lya Wodraska

Another highly recruited local prep football player who will be making an official campus visit to BYU this weekend is Bingham High linebacker L.T. Filiaga. The senior's father, Tui Filiaga, told me Tuesday morning that L.T. is excited about the visit and that his parents will accompany him to Provo.

Tui Filiaga said that his son wants to visit at least four schools that have offered him scholarships -- Utah, BYU, Washington and Stanford -- before signing day. He has scheduled trips to all four schools, beginning this weekend at BYU.

Arizona and UNLV have also offered, and L.T. is in the process of trying to find a date when he can visit one of those places.

NCAA rules allow five official campus visits. They become "official" when the school pays for the trip.

Tui Filiaga declined to elaborate on which schools are among his son's favorites.

He said that as soon as former Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen got the head job at Utah State, he sent a letter to L.T. to gauge the prospect's interest in the Logan school. However, L.T. so far has not expressed an interest in becoming an Aggie.

-- Jay Drew

This is a huge weekend for BYU as far as recruiting goes, with many committed and uncommitted prospects visiting the campus on Jan. 9-10.

One of those uncommitted stars is Timpview HIgh's Xavier Su'a-Filo, who recently played in the Under Armour All-America game in Orlando, Fla.

While Cottonwood's John Martinez made headlines locally by announcing he is headed to USC, at least one recruiting-based Web site says the best offensive lineman at the game was Su'a-Filo.

Scout.com had several writers and analysts at all the practices leading up to the game, and recently offered a look at the top players at each position.

Here's what Scout.com's Mike Bakas wrote about Su'a-Filo, whom he called the best offensive lineman there:

Offensive Lineman: Xavier Su'a-Filo -- Several of the offensive linemen were moved around quite a bit during the week in practice so that, coupled with how good both defensive lines were, made it tough to really develop a lot of consistency. The most consistent one, to me, was Su'a-Filo. He has a nice frame and while he still has some technique issues to work out, he plays hard, has some strength, and moves his feet very well for a big man. He was able to handle bull rushes, spin moves, speed rushes, you name it. While other offensive linemen struggled with at least one of those things, this four-star seemed to handle everything thrown at him, regardless of who it was coming from. Su'a-Filo has already visited USC and LSU and plans to see BYU and UCLA later this month.


-- Jay Drew

This blog has been kind of football-heavy the last little while, so I figured it was time for some basketball recruiting news.

Most of you who follow basketball recruiting in Utah know that the gem of the class of 2010 (this year's juniors) is Provo's Kyle Collinsworth, the 6-foot-6 point guard who already has offers from BYU, Utah and several Pac-10 schools.

Another member of the class of 2010 who is drawing a lot of interest is Bingham High post player Ben Clifford, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound junior who has helped the Miners off to a 5-3 start this season. Bingham went 1-2 against some very tough programs on a recent out-of-state trip and is better than its record show

Clifford told me tonight that he has offers from Utah State, Weber State and Portland. Utah is recruiting him, but has not offered yet.

"I haven't committed yet, but I will say that Utah State is pretty high on my list," Clifford said. "I won't commit until this season is over, at the earliest."

Best case scenario, he said, will be for him to participate in the spring all-star club circuit -- much as Provo's Brandon Davies did -- and elevate his status outside the state.rs from Utah State, Weber State and Portland. Utah is recruiting him, but has not offered yet.

-- Jay Drew

I will believe it when I see it, but a running back from St. Joseph High in Greenville, Miss., is apparently talking about making a recruiting visit to BYU this weekend.

As far as I can tell, LaDarius Perkins has no ties to BYU or even the state of Utah.

But he told Steve Robertson of Scout.com over the weekend that he at least has his eye on BYU.

"I plan on taking visits," said Perkins, who had committed to Auburn before that school's coaching change. "I think I am going to go to BYU this weekend, but I am not sure yet. I will probably know something by Wednesday about that. I am going to Auburn on the 16th and Mississippi State on the 30th. I might take a visit on the 23rd, but I don't know yet. I might go see Southern Miss that weekend."

Perkins is a 5-foot-8, 180-pound speedster, according to his bio on ESPN.com's recruiting pages.

Here's what the site says about him:

"Perkins is an electrifying athlete with the skills needed to create major mismatches in a spread offense at the next level. Excellent speed and quickness are utilized all over the field on offense, and we feel he will be employed in a similar fashion in college. He lacks great height but is put-together and built very low to the ground. Runs with great balance, body control and vision. Hits the hole fast and reaches top speed very quickly. Can shred a defense vertically when he finds a downhill seam or sidestep the initial trash and bounce outside without losing much in transition. Lateral foot-speed and quickness are excellent."

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Here's a link to an interesting blog by ESPN's Bruce Feldman that touches on BYU recruit Manti Te'o's performance at the Under Armour All-American game and mentions that Te'o is still planning on an LDS Church mission. Various reports earlier in the week out of Orlando said that Te'o was re-considering his mission plans.

The Utes continue to load up their recruits, landing two more commitments after the Sugar Bowl win in Highland's Latu Heimuli, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle who chose the Utes over several out of state schools including Nebraska and Colorado and Antoine Smithson, a 6-foot, 210-pound wide receiver from East Los Angeles College who chose the Utes over Kentucky, Colorado and Oregon State.
Heimuli is certainly a catch since he originally was thinking he would go out of state and it's a feather in Utah's cap to convince him to stay.
Smithson's commitment could be more of an immediate impact since Utah graduates receivers Bradon Godfrey, Freddie Brown and Brent Casteel.
In addition to Smithson, the Utes also have commitments from C.J. Porter, a 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif. and Jamal Smith, a 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif. Another receiver the Utes were hoping to land, Reggie Dunn out of Compton, Calif., committed to Oregon State in December making Smithson's commitment even more important.
Smithson said he expects to be in Utah in time for spring ball. He missed Utah's Sugar Bowl win because he was taking a class, but admits it was hard to keep his mind on his studies.
"I had a lot of people calling and texting me saying I was making the right decision," he said. "Someone taped the game for me so I got to watch it. It was a great win for them."
Smithson said he became familiar with Utah when he visited the state with a friend and liked the way new defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake recruited him.
"I'm a laid-back kind of guy and so is he," he said. "He didn't try to beat around the bush like a lot of other coaches did."
Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxford, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif.
Kapua Sai, 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman out of St. Louis H.S. in Honolulu
Beau Burton, 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Latu Heimuli, 6-2, 296-pound defensive tackle out of Highland High
Antoine Smithson, 6-0, 210-pound wide receiver out of East Los Angeles College


Signed
Kamaron Yancy, 5-foot-11, 190-pound corner out of Pierce College, Calif.
Terrance Cain, 6-foot-0, 188-pound QB out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.

2010 commitment
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Highland High defensive tackle Latu Heimuli has committed to play football for the University of Utah.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound senior pledged to Utah coaches on Sunday, turning down offers from the likes of BYU, Nebraska, Arizona and Colorado.

His commitment was confirmed in a text message late Sunday night.

Scout.com ranks Heimuli as the No. 10 defensive tackle in the country and gives him four stars.

Cottonwood High offensive lineman John Martinez, one of the most highly recruited high school football players in state history, has orally committed to USC.

Martinez, ranked as the third-best offensive guard in the country by Scout.com and generally regarded as the top college prospect in Utah, made the announcement just before Sunday night's Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla., in front of ESPN television cameras.

Martinez had narrowed his choices to LSU, UCLA and USC before choosing the Trojans and donning a USC ball cap.

"I think it is the best pick for me," he said.

The commitment ends a long recruiting process for Martinez, who began getting offers to play for some of the top programs in the country prior to his junior season.

-- Jay Drew

Manti Te'o, the five-star linebacker from Hawaii's Punahou High who has BYU listed as one of his favorites, will play in the Under Armour All-American Bowl tonight on ESPN along with two Utahns -- Timpview's Xavier Su'a-Filo and Cottonwood's John Martinez.

Te'o caused some consternation among BYU fans earlier in the week when he told Brian Perroni, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, that he may not even take an official recruiting visit to BYU because he has already been to Provo a couple times on his own.

"I've taken official visits to Notre Dame and UCLA," Te'o said. "I liked the tradition at Notre Dame. It is huge there. The facilities are very nice at UCLA and the student body is very welcoming. I really enjoyed my time there.....I'm visiting Stanford in the middle of this month and USC at the end of the month. Those are the two that are finalized. I'm not sure if I'll visit my fifth finalist, BYU, since I've been there a bunch."

The Cougars are bringing in most of their recruits this coming weekend -- mostly guys who have already committed -- so this can't be seen as good news for BYU.

But is it necessarily bad news? One source I talked to who is close to Te'o's family said nothing should be read into it and that it doesn't mean BYU has dropped off Te'o's list. It is just that making trip after trip to the mainland is difficult on Manti and his schoolwork, and he needs a break.

Te'o told Perroni that he is serious about Notre Dame, although it is a Catholic school and he's LDS.

"It doesn't really matter to me if it's a Catholic school, Jewish, Buddhist or whatever," he said. "As long as they let me be who I am, I'll be happy. I know at Notre Dame, I'd have to go to Catholic Mass. It wouldn't really be a shock to me, though, because at Punahou we have Chapel which isn't an LDS thing. It's just a Christian chapel that we attend so I wouldn't really be shell-shocked to go to Mass. I would actually go there and participate. I know who I am and I know what I believe, so it wouldn't make that big a difference."

-- Jay Drew

Everybody is saying that new Utah State coach Gary Andersen is a magnificent recruiter, so here's a challenge for the former Utah defensive coordinator: wrest the brother of one of his current Aggies away from the likes of Oregon, USC and Texas.

Cassius Marsh is a junior defensive tackle at Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian High who will be one of the most-recruited defensive players in the western United States next year. His brother, Curtis Marsh, is a junior running back at Utah State.

But it doesn't appear that the Aggies will have a shot at the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Cassius, who has offers from Oregon, Arizona, Washington and UCLA.

"I'm going to have to say USC and Texas are my favorites," he told Scout.com. "I want to go to a big-time program that contends for national championships every year. I also want to go somewhere with good weather."

So, that pretty much rules out the Aggies on both accounts -- Andersen's recruiting prowess notwithstanding.

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Word on the street is that Weber State's excellent season and coach Ron McBride's contract extension is getting the Wildcats into more homes than normal this offseason.

The Wildcats have offered Ryan Reardon, a linebacker at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. He will visit Ogden on Jan. 9.

Army and Northern Colorado have also offered Reardon.

-- Jay Drew

Along with getting the chance to see some of the best high school football players in the country, there's another reason local fans should watch the Under Armour All-America Game from Orlando, Fla., on Sunday night.

The game will be televised by ESPN at 6 p.m. MT.

Cottonwood High lineman John Martinez has said he will announce his college decision during the telecast. The No. 3-ranked offensive guard in the country has narrowed his choices to three schools: UCLA, USC and LSU.

Martinez was toying with the idea of visiting Cal and Arkansas in the past few weeks, but has apparently decided to stick with those three.

Timpview lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo will also play in the game, but evidently will wait to decide until he makes a few more trips, including one to BYU on Jan. 10.

Here are some of the other top players in the country who will join Martinez in announcing their decisions on Sunday night:



* CB Branden Smith, Atlanta (Ga.) Booker T. Washington Deciding Between: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Florida State

* DE Dyron Dye, Sanford (Fla.) Seminole Deciding Between: Florida, Miami, LSU

* S Craig Loston, Houston (Tex.) Eisenhower Deciding Between: LSU, Texas A&M, Oregon

* S Ray Ray Armstrong, Sanford (Fla.) Seminole Deciding Between:Florida, Miami, LSU, Georgia



* WR Andre Debose, Sanford (Fla.) Seminole Deciding Between: Miami, Florida, LSU, Florida State, Georgia

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Is BYU recruiting a running back who has made a (soft) oral committment to Auburn?

The Web site Autigers.com says LaDarius Perkins, who committed to the Tigers last summer, is thinking about taking a recruiting visit to Provo on Jan. 10.

Perkins has evidently opened his recruitment up a bit with the departure of Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville.

"Right now I'm looking at Mississippi State and Auburn," Perkins told the site. "I have been getting a lot of interest from BYU. They started calling me over Christmas Break. I think it was last Monday... I'm supposed to go to Auburn on the weekend of Jan. 16. I'm going to Mississippi State on the last weekend in January. I might go to BYU on Jan. 10."

Perkins just completed his senior season at St. Joseph High in Greenville, S.C.

-- Jay Drew