Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah prep football looks to be chock-full of college talent set to sign with major college programs following the 2011 season. As a result, whittling all the prospects down to a top five senior prospect list wasn’t the easiest of tasks.
The rankings are based on amount of offers, the quality of those offers and how early those offers were extended, among other factors.
- Troy Hinds: 6-foot-5, 225-pounds. DE/OLB, Davis High SchoolHinds started receiving offers right after completion of his sophomore season. He quit counting his offers several months ago, but at last count he had around 15 to 16 major Division I programs lining up for his services. He recently narrowed down those offers to six finalists, including BYU, Utah, Stanford, Cal, Nebraska and Notre Dame and will likely sign with one of those six schools. Hinds has stated he’ll make his commitment shortly upon completion of his final year with Davis.
- Brandon Fanaika: 6-foot-3, 295-pounds. offensive line, Pleasant Grove High SchoolFanaika was recently named as the top in-state prospect by rivals.com and currently holds nine scholarship offers to back up that claim. His offer list includes Utah, Utah State, BYU, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Washington State. Fanaika will likely make his commit decision late in January, as he plans on taking all of his five official trips allowed to him.
- Chase Hansen: 6-foot-3, 198-pounds. athlete, Lone Peak High SchoolShortly after his sophomore year, Hansen was offered by both BYU and Utah before committing to the Utes this past June. Both schools competed hard for his services, with the Utes winning out in the end. Hansen is regarded as a better safety or linebacker prospect than quarterback prospect by most services, but will compete at QB for the Utes. Should things not work out for him under center, he’s more than fine with being switched the defensive side of the football.
- Jared Afalava: 6-foot-2, 215-pounds. linebacker, Bingham High SchoolAfalava had seven offers extended to him at last count with BYU, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Nebraska and UCLA all vying for his services. That count is likely to increase as Afalava plans to take all of his official trips before deciding just prior to LOI day the first Wednesday in February. He’s stated that Utah and Oregon are his two current favorites, giving the slight edge to the Ducks.
- Rhett Sandlin: 6-foot-3, 225-pounds. Linebacker, Alta High SchoolSandlin committed to BYU as soon as it extended him his first offer during his junior season. Summarily, it’s not fair or accurate to gauge his worth as a college prospect based on amount of offers, as he short-circuited the process by his early commit. Nevertheless, Sandlin’s film shows a very capable athlete who draws comparisons with current Cougar linebacker Jordan Pendleton with regard to overall athleticism and ability.
Other top senior prospects:- Hunter Dimick: A 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end from Syracuse HS. He committed to Utah.
- Moses Foluahola: A 6-foot, 240-pounds defensive end from Hunter HS. He committed to Utah.
- Micah Hannemann: A 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back from Lone Peak HS. He committed to BYU.
- Sione Houma: A 6-foot-0, 210-pound running back from Highland HS. He committed to Michigan.
- Austin Lee: A 6-foot-0, 185-pound defensive back from Alta HS. He committed to Utah.
- Zach Lindsay: A 6-foot-8, 285-pound offensive lineman from Davis HS. He has offers from Utah and BYU.
- Moana Ofahengaue: A 6-foot-4, 200-pound linebacker from Westlake HS. He has offers from Utah, Cal, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon State and Washington.
- Nua Poteki: A 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman from Brighton HS. He committed to Utah.
- Steven Richards: A 6-foot-2, 240-pound tight end/defensive end from Alta HS. He committed to BYU.
- John Ursua: A 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete from Westlake HS. He's had offers from Utah, BYU and Hawaii.
- Vaha Vainuku: A 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle from East HS. He has offers from Utah State and Washington State.
