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PROVO — A different recruiting approach, spearheaded by Geoff Martzen, BYU's football player personnel and on-campus recruiting coordinator, has paid dividends for the Cougars.
Wedensday, BYU announced the official signings of 20 players, a group head coach Bronco Mendenhall said “might be the strongest in terms of ability and impact” since he took over in 2005.
Two four-star recruits in wide receiver Devon Blackmon and linebacker Fred Warner stand out, especially since Mendenhall explained that both positions were among the top priorities after losing two seniors likely to play on Sundays in Cody Hoffman and Kyle Van Noy.
However, the Cougars also landed 15 three-star recruits. Six-foot-6 Nick Kurtz will compete with Blackmon and the returning seniors for minutes, and BYU also bolstered the depth of its much-maligned offensive line as well with four athletes who have experience at the position.
The overall group is loaded with athleticism, including a pass-rusher that dominated Class 4A Utah high school football in Isaiah Nacua from Timpview High, but fans will have to wait to see him and some of the other recruits on the field. A number of them plan to go on LDS Church missions.
By position, BYU signed six defensive linemen, four wide receivers, three linebackers, three offensive linemen, three defensive backs and one tight end. Some of the players have played numerous snaps at multiple positions and have the versatility to fill the need of top concern rather than adopt their previous roles.
The position of wide receiver appears to have received the strongest improvement: Blackmon was a highly touted recruit coming out of college and originally attended Oregon; Jordan Leslie led UTEP in receptions last season with 44; and Kurtz gives the Cougars a vertical threat that can elevate higher than most defenders due to his frame.
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Mendenhall, Martzen and other members of the coaching staff, as well as graduate assistant Preston Hadley, who Mendenhall praised for his efforts in recruiting, signed players from seven states: California (7), Utah (4), Texas (3), Arizona (2), Kansas (2) Alabama (1) and North Carolina (1).
Also factoring into BYU’s depth are 12 returning missionaries Mendenhall announced will join the squad: Austin Heder; Va'a Niumatalolo; Phillip Amone; Troy Hinds; Stephen Richards; Graham Rowley; Manu Mulitalo; Colby Jorgensen; Travis Tuiloma; Brian Rawlinson; Matt Sumsion; and Corbin Kaufusi.
