Prep & College Recruiting

Chatted briefly with BYU football recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell the other day to see if there have been any developments on the recruiting front recently.
The answer: not really.
Tidwell said the Cougars still have three scholarship offers on the table for members of the class of 2010.
“Those aren’t spots to find and give, those are offers that are already out there,” he said. “So the offers are out there, but we don’t really have three extras, is what I am saying. But if they don’t commit to us, then we would have some different options.
Tidwell confirmed that the Cougars are looking hard for a junior college safety to transfer to the school midyear (in time for winter semester) and be able to participate in spring ball. They especially need one now that safety Shiloah Te’o has been kicked off the team.
“That’s one of our possibilities, yes, a mid-year safety that could come in and be ready to go right away,” he said.
It’s tougher than it sounds, though.
“Mid-year JC transfers, if they are legitimate D-I talents, are always tough to get because you are competiting with other schools for them,” Tidwell said. “Other schools are also looking for that good JC transfer that can come in mid-year. And a safety or a corner makes it even more high demand, because of the position.”

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

You don’t often see swimming news here, but we have some for you today.
Chad Sorensen, who swims breaststroke at The Woodlands High in Texas, has committed to swim for BYU.
Sorensen will be signing with the Cougars next week.

BYU basketball coach Dave Rose received a commitment the past few days from Anson Winder, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.

I've got more information on Winder, who joins Provo's Kyle Collinsworth in committing to BYU from the class of 2010, on my BYU sports blog here.

The Utes are down to 14 commitments for their 2010 class after Josh Huff, a running back from Houston, Texas, changed his mind and is going to attend Minnesota, not Utah.

 Huff is the second player to commit to Utah then have a change of plans. Perry Jackson, a defensive lineman out of Sierra College, Calif., earlier switched his commitment from the Utes to San Diego State although sources say a knee injury made the Utes cool on him a bit.

 So what is going on with the Utes? Is there reason to worry about the future?

 Recruiting coordinator Morgan Scalley insists there isn't. While he can't talk about specific recruits, he can talk about recruiting philosophies and this is what he said.

 "We always want to show you care about them and what they're doing and their accomplishments on and off the field," he said. "We do a good job staying in contact within NCAA regulations but the bottom line is we worry about who we get and not who we lose. That is the biggest thing. We have our way of doing things and it has been successful for us so far. We have to continue to do that because we have been successful with that in the past and it has worked out. We've gotten guys in the past we wouldn't have last-minute because we weren't all filled up. It all works out in the end."

 Huff was one of two running backs who had orally committed to the Utes for the 2010 class.

 Princeton Collins, a 6-foot, 190-pound running back out of Westwood H.S. remains committed to the Utes.

 2010 Utah commitments

Dres Anderson, 6-2, 170-pound receiver out of North H.S. in Riverside, Calif.

Matt Anderson, 6-1, 200-pound athlete out of Industrial H.S. in Vanderbilt, Texas

Brian Blechen, 6-3, 190-pound quarterback out of Moorpark, Calif.

Princeton Collins, 6-foot, 190-pound running back out of Westwood H.S. in Round Rock, Texas

Jamil Douglas, 6-foot-5, 245-pound offensive tackle out of Cypress H.S. in California

Jacoby Hale, 6-1, 195-pound linebacker out of Central High in Beaumont Texas

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

Darian Lazard, 6-0, 170-pound wide receiver out of Pearland, Texas

Star Lotulelei, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman out of Bingham H.S. then Snow College

Archie Muniz, 6-foot-5, 265-pound tackle out of Cypress Creek H.S. in Houston, Texas

Damian Payne, 6-0, 185-pound corner out of Klein Forest H.S. in Houston, Texas

Terrell Reese, 6-2, 190-pound WR/safety out of from Brenham H.S. in Texas

Kenneth Scott, 6-2, 198-pound receiver out of Colony H.S. in Ontario, Calif.

Joseph Smith, 5-11, 185-pound corner out of Norco, Calif.

The Utah State Aggies continue to pick up instate football recruits.
According to the Tribune’s Tony Jones, USU’s program today got a commitment from Taani Fisilau, a 6-2, 285-pound offfensive lineman from Cottonwood High.
Although the Aggies were the first Division I program to offer Fisilau, he was receiving interest from Utah, BYU and Oklahoma State, among others.

If you are a high-school age basketball player, male or female, here’s a chance for you to get a gauge on whether or not you have the talent, athleticism and ability to play at the next level.
The Nike SPARQ basketball combine is Saturday (Nov. 7) at the BASICS Sports Training Center in the Cottonwood Sports Center, 4888 So. Highland Drive, Holladay.
It is open to all boys and girls grades 9-12, and costs $15.
It begins at 10 a.m.
For more information, contact Paul Putnam at 801-866-9928 or call the organization's Weber State facility at 801-626-8933.
Participants will receive a SPARQ rating, which is a number that identifies overall athletic ability and is used by coaches and trainers around the country as an initial indicator of a player’s potential on the court.
Participants go through six performance tests, and the scores are combined to come up with one rating, which can be sent to potential college recruiters around the country.