Wednesday, July 01, 2009

The BYU Cougars have 18 football commitments for their 210 signing class while the Utes only have eight, what is the deal? Shouldn't the Utes be the ones loading up on talent after all the momentum of the undefeated season?

Don't panic, says Morgan Scalley, Utah's assistant who is the recruiting coordinator.

While NCAA rules prevent Scalley from talking about specific players until they sign, he can speak in general terms and in general, he says he is extremely happy with the way things are going and that the Utes are getting commitments faster than in the past.

"No question this is one of our faster pace recruiting seasons," he said. "We're doing well in Texas and to do that this early is a good sign."

So far, the Utes have five commitments out of the Lone Star state, a number that is just one short of the amount of players signed from Texas in the Utes' 2009 class.

Scalley said the exposure from the Sugar Bowl has helped "big time," when competing against other top programs for athletes.

"There is still a perception out there of what Utah is, and it's tough to get the top guys, it really is, but we're breaking down that perception," Scalley said.

Joseph Smith, a 5-11, 185-pound corner out of Norco, Calif., is the Utes' latest commitment and said he wanted to commit early to ease the stress of the recruiting process.

"I checked it out at Utah and liked it," he said. "They've got a good football team and program."

He might be one of the last to commit to the Utes for a while since Scalley indicated many of the Utes' commitments probably won't come until the season has started. He doesn't want to rush things. "We don't want to necessarily fill up quickly," he said. "There are guys who are good football players who could come calling that we didn't have a shot at early on. A lot of our gems are guys who signed late."

Scalley isn't interested in comparing stars or ratings of the players the Utes have received commitments from thus far either and cautioned fans from doing the same.

"We trust our own evaluations," he said.

2010 Utah commitments

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

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

Josh Huff, 5-10, 185-pound running back out of Aldine Nimitz in Houston, 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 

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

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

 Story ran earlier in the week on Alex Smith on ESPN.com, in case you missed it.