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BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall introduced his latest recruiting class to boosters, the media and Cougar Nation on Wednesday, declaring that the Class of 2012 is the class "most qualified...to do it all," speaking of his vision to lead "the most complete football program in the world"--a program emphasizing Top 25-caliber football, academics, spirituality and service.
In a LaVell Edwards Stadium presentation made to local members of the Cougar Club and members of the press, Mendenhall prefaced his introduction of recruits by listing a series of program accomplishments over the last seven seasons. Among them:
BYU is one of nine programs to be ranked in the final Coaches Top 25 Poll in five of the last six seasons.
BYU has the 15th-best record in college football over the last seven seasons (66-24)
BYU has the fifth-most 10-win seasons over the past seven seasons, with five in the last seven campaigns.
BYU is one of only seven programs to win five bowl games in the last six seasons; BYU has won three straight bowl games for the first time in school history.
BYU had the sixth-most nationally-televised games in 2011, with nine (five on ESPN, four on ESPN2; nationally-televised means viewership in 100-plus million homes. Two additional games were on ESPNU.)
"Sometimes it's nice just be reminded what's happening at BYU, but more importantly why, which is why we're here today," said Mendenhall. "It's difficult to be consistent, and it takes really special people around you, that you don't wonder what they're going to do; and you know what they're going to do, daily."
Mendenhall said recruiting at BYU "is wonderful and unique in a lot of ways. It's a phenomenal experience, when you have young men who want all the things that we offer...from the spiritual component, to the academic component, to the service component, to the teamwork component. Why not get it all? That's what we're after."
"What I'm interested in is the best players for BYU, to continue winning football games with the right type of character, morals, values, academics and spirituality--and (the seven-year results are) what it's producing to this point."
You can hear the entirety of Mendenhall's presentation and press conference comments, and recruiting coordinator Joe DuPaix's media session, in the "Cougar Cuts" section, above left.
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BYU's official National Letter of Intent release, with biographical information, is as follows below. I have added Mendenhall's presentation remarks about individual recruits, under the Bronco says headings:
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PROVO, Utah (Feb. 1, 2012) - BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall today announced the Cougars' 2012 football recruiting class featuring 17 talented prospects. The class includes 10 defensive and seven offensive players.
In addition, 12 scholarship players are joining the program after serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"We are excited to have this next excellent group of young men join our program," Mendenhall said. "We recruit young men who are excellent football players, quality students and exceptional individuals. This class, along with those we have returning from missions, will help us continue to build and grow as one of the nation's top programs."
Coming off its first season as a football independent, BYU earned a 10-3 record in 2011 and finished with a final top- 25 ranking for the fifth time in the last six years. The Cougars' 2012 recruiting class features 14 high school seniors, two returned missionaries starting their Division I careers and one community college transfer.
Joining the program as a mid-year enrollee, Taysom Hill, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback, was originally a Stanford commit before serving a mission in Sydney, Australia. Hill helped Highland High to a 5A Idaho state title, was an All- State selection and was rated the No. 1 prospect in the state by Rivals.com.
Also returning from the mission field as a mid-year enrollee is Ammon Olsen, a 6-foot-3, 198-pound quarterback. Olsen, a Utah Gatorade Player of the Year honoree, led Alta High to a 2008 state championship and then played his freshman year at Southern Utah before leaving on a mission to Mexico City.
Tanner Mangum, a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Eagle, Idaho, completes the quarterback class for 2012. Mangum was rated the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 59 overall prospect. Mangum is expected to serve a mission before enrolling.
In addition to Mangum, two more recruits are rated in the top 20 nationally at their respective positions by Rivals.com. Troy Hinds, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive end from Kaysville, Utah, comes in rated No. 14 as a four-star recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com. Rated the No. 1 recruit in the state by 247Sports, Hinds is expected to play outside linebacker at BYU and will also serve a mission before joining the team.
Another top linebacker recruit is Butch Pau'u, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound linebacker from Anaheim, Calif., who is rated the No. 20 middle linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com.
Jamaal Williams from Fontana, Calif., and Summit High is a 6-foot-1, 193-pound running back who committed to the Cougars over other schools such as Oregon and UCLA. Strengthening the linebacker class is Rhett Sandlin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker from Sandy, Utah, who is listed as the No. 7 recruit in the state by Rivals.com.
Five of the Cougars' 10 defensive recruits are linebackers, two are defensive backs and three are defensive lineman. The seven offensive recruits include three quarterbacks, two wide receivers, one offensive lineman and one running back.
Seven recruits hail from California while five are from Utah. Members of the class also include two from Idaho along with one each from Florida, Arizona and Washington. Of the 12 additional players returning from missions, seven are on the defensive side and five are offensive players.
Four players, including senior defensive lineman Russell Tialavea and sophomores Craig Bills (safety), Brett Thompson (wide receiver) and Fono Vakalahi (offensive lineman), are returning lettermen with Tialavea returning with three years of starting experience.
2012 Recruiting Class
Biographies and a complete list of the 2012 class are included below.
Phillip Amone^
Linebacker
6-0, 230
Orlando, FL
Dr. Phillips High School
Bronco says: "He's pretty big, he's fast, he's quick, but he's a great young man."
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Dylan Collie
Wide receiver
5-11, 175
El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Oak Ridge HS
Bronco says: "He knows probably as much about receiver play as anyone in the country other than maybe Coach (Ben) Cahoon."
First-team All-Metro, First-team All-League, and Offensive MVP as a senior caught 47 passes for 660 yards and 8 touchdowns and rushed 42 times for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns caught nine passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns in roughly just one half of work in one game senior year also played quarterback part of senior year due to injuries and passed for 345 yards and five touchdowns had at least 100 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in each his playoff games caught 42 passes for 543 yards and 8 touchdowns his junior year brothers Zac and Austin both played wider receiver for BYU, along with father Scott recruited by Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Utah and Washington State coached by Eric Cavaliere
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Matt Hadley
Defensive back
5-11, 190
Connell, Wash.
Connell High School
Bronco says: "(BYU LB) Spencer Hadley's younger brother, set the state rushing record for most touchdowns; he'll play safety for us."
Rushed for 2,516 yards and state-record 47 touchdowns as a junior while also scoring three more touchdowns on defense and special teams finished high school career with 6,881 rushing yards and scored a state-record 746 points had 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of 70 and 40 yards, in state title game as a senior won two 1A state titles (2009, 2011) 1A Player of the Year (2009, 2010) Played running back and defensive back had 2,162 rushing yards as a senior coached by Zach Fife
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Micah Hannemann^
Defensive back
6-1, 190
Alpine, UT
Lone Peak HS
Bronco says: "We think he's an excellent athlete and will play in the secondary for us."
5A First Team All-State in 2011 honorable mention All-State in 2010 won 5A state title in 2011 helped Lone Peak to 25-2 record in two years recorded 58 tackles, two sacks, six pass breakups and forced one fumble as a senior also caught 35 passes for 526 yards and eight touchdowns brother, Jacob, will also play defensive back for BYU also recruited by Southern Utah, Utah and Utah State coached by Tony McGeary
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Taysom Hill*
Quarterback
6-2, 210
Pocatello, Idaho
Highland HS
Bronco says: "Very mobile, very active, very talented...currently right now is winning most of our team's conditioning (drills)...already one of the fastest players on our team."
2008 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year as a senior after quarterbacking Highland to its first state title since 2002 listed as the 30th-best quarterback prospect in the nation coming out of high school in 2009 by Scout.com and Rivals.com ... listed as the top recruit in the state of Idaho by Rivals.com ... led Highland to the Idaho State 5A championship as a senior ... Idaho's Gatorade High School Player of the Year as a senior ... first team all-state selection also earned all-region and conference player of the year accolades ... completed 166-of-258 passes (64.3 percent) and threw for 2,269 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior ... also rushed for 1,491 yards and 24 TDs, averaging 10.2 yards per carry and 124.3 rushing yards per game ... holds school single-season and career records for total offense ... also lettered in basketball and track and field ... older brother Jordan played defensive tackle at Arizona State and other brother Dexter played quarterback at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, Northern Iowa and Dixie State (Utah) ... served LDS mission to Sydney, Australia originally committed to Stanford before mission also recruited by Arizona, Washington State, Boise State and Utah coached by Gino Mariani
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Troy Hinds^
Linebacker
6-5, 235
Kaysville, Utah
Davis HS
Bronco says: "Probably the highest-recruited athlete from the state of Utah this year...will play outside linebacker for us, probably in the David Nixon, Bryan Kehl mold. When you play 3-4 (defense), you need great players (linebackers); Troy Hinds is one of those. Recruited by basically everyone in the country--chose BYU."
Four-star recruit by Rivals.com, rated the No. 14 defensive end and No. 2 overall prospect in state of Utah ranked the No. 1 in-state recruit by 247Sports and and No. 2 in-state recruit by ESPN.com four-star recruit by Scout.com, ranked the No. 23 overall defensive end 5A All-State selection all four years of high school Maxpreps All-American All-Region MVP and All-Area MVP led team in sacks as sophomore (8.0), junior (7.5) and senior (9.0) led team in tackles sophomore (96) led Davis to a league title in 2009 and 23-9-1 record in three years recorded 7 tackles, one sack and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in a 14-10 victory over Syracuse as a senior forced four fumbles as a senior also lettered in basketball and track also recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma Stanford, UCLA, Utah and Washington State coached by Ryan Bishop
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Austin Hoyt
Offensive line
6-7, 260
Jackson, Calif.
Argonaut High School
Bronco says: "When you see him...he'll be a great offensive tackle."
2011 Cal-Hi All-State First Team 2011 League MVP, 2011 All-Area Second Team Defense, 2010 First team All-League ranked the No. 12 defensive end in the west and No. 78 overall player in California by Scout.com recorded 70 tackles, 2 sacks and scored two defensive touchdowns (1 fumble recovery and 1 interception return) as a senior also caught 10 passes for 325 yards, 4 touchdowns and caught a 2-point conversion at tight end recorded 109 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 blocked kicks and recovered a fumble as a junior while catching 8 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown at tight end Academic All-League in 2010 and 2011 was student-body president as a senior . honor roll all four years of high school also was All-League in basketball in 2010 and 2011 also recruited by Utah, Air Force, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona, Army, Harvard and Utah State coached by Rich Davis
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Marques Johnson*
Defensive lineman
6-2, 310
Los Angeles, Calif.
El Camino CC
Bronco says: "From inner-city Los Angeles...he'll play defensive line and nose tackle for us. He is so thankful to be at BYU. He's not a member of the (LDS) Church; he loves academics...came by my office, said 'Coach, I really like school,' and he kept walking. For a coach, that's music to your ears."
First-team All-League, Second-team All-City Team captain and lineman of the year led El Camino to a No. 2 ranking in sacks (38), pass defense (176.5 ypg) and scoring defense (19 ppg) and No. 3 in total defense (288.5 ypg) recorded a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss for minus-38 yards, four sacks, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble earned Scholar Baller Award has three brothers and sisters also recruited by Indiana, Washington State and Texas Tech coached by Ruffin Patterson
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Theodore King
Defensive lineman
6-3, 235
San Jose, Calif.
Valley Christian School
Bronco says: "Fantastic young man; big, fast, strong, tough, loves BYU and wanted to be here, for all the right reasons. Also not a member (of the LDS Church)."
All-Area First Team, All-Mercury honorable mention, All-League honorable mention led team to a conference title as a junior and a second-place regional finish participated in Nike SPARQ combine in Oakland and named to All-Combine squad with a 90.24 rating (sixth among defensive players) also recruited by Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon State, Sacramento State and San Jose State coached by Mike Machado
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Jherremya Leuta-Douyere
Linebacker
6-1, 235
Garden Grove, Calif.
Servite HS
Bronco says: "Great young man; also not a member of the (LDS) Church, but was drawn here by the morals and the values. He'll play outside linebacker for us."
First-team Trinity League First-team All-Pac 5 2011 Trinity League Defensive MVP team co-captain won state title as a sophomore played linebacker, defensive end, fullback and offensive guard in high school rated No. 5 fullback in the nation by Scout.com also recruited by Oregon State, Colorado, Hawaii and UCLA coached by Troy Thomas
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Tanner Mangum^
Quarterback
6-3, 195
Eagle, Idaho
Eagle HS
Bronco says: "What a refreshing thing to have someone that highly-recruited come in and be thankful to get an offer at BYU. Not entitled to get an offer at BYU, but thankful to have an offer at BYU. And that was so refreshing, because in this world of college athletics--families, in general--it's a big deal to handle all the attention, and Tanner's family is absolutely great, in terms of remaining grounded through the whole process, and we're lucky he's coming."
Rated No. 1 prospect in the state of Idaho, No. 3 overall quarterback in the nation and No. 59 overall prospect by Rivals.com rated No. 15 quarterback by Scout.com Co-MVP of Elite 11 Camp MVP of the Under Armour All-America Game participated in The Opening, a five-day Nike football event and was named to the 7on7 All-Tournament team after leading his squad to the championship game 5A Southern Idaho Conference Offensive Player of the Year All-State completed a school-record 268 of 393 passes for 3,885 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior set a single-game school record completing 37 of 53 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns threw for 874 yards and 10 touchdowns before missing most of his junior year with a an injury 2012 Recruiting Class Academic All-Conference all of high school ESPN lists him as "an efficient, technically consistent pocket passer that is an above average athlete as well" older brother, Parker, also played football at BYU while sister, Meredith, played soccer at Boise State also recruited by Arkansas, Boise State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah and Washington State coached by Paul Peterson
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Ammon Olsen*
Quarterback
6-3, 198
Draper, Utah
Southern Utah
Bronco says: "He chose to come back to BYU (after SUU and his LDS mission); we think he can help us as well. We really like the that he is working. He's tall, runs well and throws the ball well. We think he'll compete (at quarterback) well, also."
Utah's 5A Most Valuable Player and Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior while leading Alta High School to the 2008 state title completed 193 of 306 passes (63.1 percent) for 3,209 yards and 36 touchdowns and ran for 860 yards and another 11 scores as a senior while leading his team to four second-half comeback wins member of back-to-back state championship teams in 2007 and 2008 as well as three consecutive region title teams exceptional athlete was also a three-year letterman on the AHS basketball team, earning Region 2 MVP honors as a senior Attended Southern Utah University as a freshman in 2009, playing in six games while completing 57.1 percent of his passes (8-of-14) for 115 yards and two touchdowns added 44 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.4 ypc) served an LDS mission to Mexico City coached in high school by Les Hamilton
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Butch Pau'u
Linebacker
6-0, 220
Anaheim, Calif.
Servite HS
Bronco says: "An LDS boy at one of the Catholic high high schools--all-boys school...really good inside linebacker."
First-team All-State, First-team All-County and First-team All-Orange County while picking up Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year honors one of six ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports All-State Multi-Purpose First Team selections in 2011 as a LB/TE No. 19 overall middle linebacker and No. 51 overall prospect in California on Rivals.com No. 21 overall middle linebacker on Scout.com Earned MVP linebacker honors at the LA Nike Camp in 2011 played in state championship game in 2010 helped team to CIF titles in 2010 and Trinity League titles in 2010 and 2011 also played basketball also recruited by Colorado, Utah, Washington, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State coached by Troy Thomas
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Steven Richards^
Defensive end
6-4, 240
Sandy, Utah
Alta HS
Bronco says: "He'll be a defensive lineman for us; we think he'll be in the body type and mold of (former Cougar and Pittsburgh Steeler) Chris Hoke."
5A All-State honorable mention (2011) All-Region First Team selection (2011) recorded 30 receptions for 393 yards and four touchdowns as a senior at tight end led Alta to a 9-2 record, league title and regional runner-up finish as a junior caught 28 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown does a great job of catching the ball with his hands, shows surprising quickness and moves after the catch, and knows how to get open also recruited by Utah State, Stanford and UCLA coached by Les Hamilton
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Rhett Sandlin
Linebacker
6-3, 225
Sandy, Utah
Alta HS
Bronco says: "Tough, tough football player; reminds me a lot of Jordan Pendleton. Very fast, very physical."
Rated No. 59 at the safety position and seventh-best prospect in Utah by Rivals.com 5A All-State honorable mention (2010, 2011) All-Region First Team selection (2010, 2011) Utah Elite 33 Tanoa Bowl as a senior, led team to 9-2 record, league title and regional runner-up finish totaled 84 tackles, 3.0 sacks, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a senior at linebacker played safety and linebacker as a junior and totaled 117 tackles, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception 3-year starter and four-year letterwinner also recruited by Stanford, Oregon State, Washington, Wyoming and Utah coached by Robert Stevens
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Josh Weeks^
Wide receiver
6-4, 200
Show Low, Ariz.
Show Low HS
Bronco says: "Really tall, long strides, catches the ball well...built a lot like Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo."
Maxpreps All-American (2009, 2010) 2011 AzFCA All-State selected to play in 2011 Semper Fi All- American Bowl AZ Republic All-Arizona (2009, 2010, 2011) set six 3A Arizona high school records in career and is Arizona's all-time leader in career receptions (187) and receiving yards (3,851) and receiving touchdowns (46) played multiple positions as a senior and rushed 130 times for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught 38 passes for 540 yards and 5 touchdowns and threw for 527 yards and 8 touchdowns as a junior caught 73 passes for 1,561 yards and 20 touchdowns had 47 receptions, 1,223 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore won 2010 3A state championship also ran track and won the 2011 400-meter state title National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete of the Year (2011) also recruited by Florida, Florida State, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona, Arizona State and Ohio State coached by Randy Ricedorff
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Jamaal Williams
Running back
6-1, 193
Fontana, Calif.
Summit HS
Bronco says: "Jamaal's mom was on the (1980 U.S.) Olympic track team...(his) younger sister holds most of the records right now throughout the country in the 100- and 200-meters...Jamaal also runs track. He's 16 years old--senior in high school, but at 16. What a remarkable young man."
League and CIF offensive MVP First-team All-CIF, First-team All-League CIF Championship as a senior with a 13-1 record and league title had 141 rushes for 1,252 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior also recorded 13 receptions for 254 yards and 1 touchdown rushed 93 times for 717 yards a junior with 11 touchdowns assistant coach was Tony Crutchfield, former BYU defensive back also recruited by UCLA, Oregon, Boise State, Arizona State, Utah, Idaho, San Diego State coached by Tony Barile
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*Mid-year enrollee
^Plans on serving LDS mission before joining the team
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RETURNED MISSIONARY BIOS
Bronco says: "They're probably more ready now than they were after (being at BYU) for one year. So what we get b back: more mature, more experienced, better prepared young men, that will help our program over time, based on when they get back."
"We consider (the returned missionaries) part of our signing class, and that in an of itself gives you depth and experience, instantly, to perpetuate what we want in our locker room."
Terrence Alletto
Offensive line
RS Freshman
6-3, 287
Parker, Colo.
Ponderosa HS
Redshirted the 2009 season at BYU served in the California Riverside Mission Prepped at Ponderosa High ... First-team All-State ... invited to participate in the Hawaiian Prep Classic all-star event featuring more than 100 of the nations best seniors ... rated No. 8 offensive center nationally and No. 5 Colorado prep prospect by Rivals.com ... can bench 300 pounds and squat 440 pounds ... helped Ponderosa offense produce 24.3 points per game in 2008 ... team finished 4-4 in Colorado's 5A Southern league and 4-6 overall in 2008 ... also finished third in the shot put at the state championships ... coached by Randy Huff.
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Trevor Bateman
Defensive back
RS Freshman
5-9, 178
Desert, Calif.
Palm Desert HS
Redshirted the 2009 season at BYU served in the Texas Fort Worth Mission Helped Palm Desert to a 9-3 overall record in 2008 ... a savvy competitor with good athleticism and coveted foot-quickness at the corner position ... has a nose for the football and is dangerous in the open field after an interception with good speed, quickness and vision ... can jam and turn and run with faster receivers on vertical routes with good man technique ... runs 4.45 40, can bench 300 pounds and has 37-inch vertical ... also played running back and receiver ... recorded 25 catches for 320 yards and five touchdowns in 2007 ... racked up 70 tackles and four interceptions as a junior ... also recruited by Arizona and UNLV ... coached by Pat Blackburn.
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Craig Bills
Defensive back
Sophomore
6-1, 209
Provo, Utah
Timpview HS
Served in the California Ventura Mission earned letterman honors as a true freshman ... saw action in all 13 games, including a start against Florida State ... totaled 23 tackles on the season, including 15 solo ... recorded interceptions against Tulane and Wyoming ... contributor on special teams ... had a season-high six tackles against Florida State.
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Tui Crichton
Defensive line
RS Freshman
6-3, 357
Orem, Utah
Timpview HS
Redshirted the 2009 season at BYU served in the Texas Houston South Mission Three-year starter who missed senior season due to torn labrum (shoulder) ... earned first-team All-State accolades as a junior ... great technician on offensive line who helped Timpview win back-to-back 4A state titles as a sophomore and junior ... helped Thunderbirds achieve undefeated season during junior year ... also recruited by Utah, Colorado, LSU, Arizona State and Hawaii ... coached by Louis Wong.
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Jacob Hannemann
Defensive back
Freshman
6-1, 190
Highland, Utah
Lone Peak HS
Served in the Arkansas Little Rock mission Helped lead Lone Peak High School to a 9-3 overall record in 2009, including a 5-1 league-best mark in 5A's Region 4 along with Alta High School ... totaled 33 tackles with four interceptions ... had five or more tackles in four games ... had 19 receptions for 380 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed three times for 20 yards on offense ... recorded season-high 137 yards with two touchdowns against American Fork ... all-state second team ... team MVP ... coached by Tony McGeary ... selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 48th round (1,439 overall pick) of the 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft as a centerfielder.
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Bronson Kaufusi
Defensive line
Freshman
6-6, 220
Provo, Utah
Timpview HS
Served in the New Zealand Auckland mission Ranked the No. 9 strongside defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com ... rated the No. 1 recruit out of the state of Utah by Scout.com and Rivals.com ... Red Zone Player of the Year ... Utah County Defensive MVP ... was invited to play in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Football Game ... totaled 19 tackles and two sacks in 2009 before suffering a season-ending knee injury ... recorded over 70 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 23 forced fumbles and batted down a team record 21 passes in 2008 ... had 57 tackles and eight sacks as a sophomore ... also recruited by Stanford ... coached by Louis Wong ... father, Steve, is the defensive line coach at BYU.
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Mitch Mathews
Wide receiver
RS Freshman
6-6, 202
Beaverton, Ore.
Southridge HS
Redshirted the 2009 season at BYU served in the Florida Orlando mission Recorded 26 catches for 475 yards and seven touchdowns in only five games after returning from a broken leg early in his senior season ... was an All-Metro wide receiver with 42 receptions for 586 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior ... also an excellent baseball player who represented Oregon on the Junior Olympic 16-Under Baseball Team ... was a second-team All-State first baseman as a junior and honorable mention All-State outfielder as a sophomore ... coached by Brad Mastrud.
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Remington Peck
Defensive line
RS Freshman
6-4, 240
South Jordan, Utah
Bingham HS
Redshirted the 2009 season at BYU served in the New York Rochester Mission Served as team captain as a senior while earning first-team All-State honors ... made 27 receptions for 389 yards (14.4 yard per catch) in 2008 ... also rushed the ball twice for 31 yards (15.5 yards per carry) ... scored in six different games to rank second on the team with 6 touchdown receptions ... caught four passes for a season-high 109 yards and one touchdown against Jordan ... ranked No. 4 in the state with 14 sacks, including a season-high 3 sacks vs. Northridge ... totaled 65 tackles as a defensive end, including a season-high 12 tackles against Jordan ... recovered 1 fumble ... helped Bingham win 5A Region 3 title with 5-0 mark and earn a No. 3 ranking (MaxPreps) among all state classifications with an 11-3 overall record ... coached by Dave Peck.
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Brett Thompson
Wide receiver
Sophomore
6-3, 216
El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Oak Ridge HS
Served in the Kentucky Louisville Mission earned letterman honors as a true freshman ... Academic All-MWC ... saw action in 12 games ... totaled 95 yards receiving on six receptions, averaging 15.8 yards per catch ... had a season-long 46-yard reception at UNLV.
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Russell Tialavea
Defensive line
Senior
6-3, 266
Oceanside, Calif.
Oceanside HS
Three-year starter for the Cougars, served as missionary in the Chile Santiago West Mission... saw action in nine games, including six starts as a junior ... totaled 11 tackles on the season, including four solo ... recovered a fumble in the Air Force game Earned letterman honors as a sophomore ... saw action in all 13 games for the Cougars at nose tackle, starting 12 ... totaled 17 tackles on the season, seven solo and 10 assisted ... recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups ... blocked a field goal attempt versus UCLA ... totaled a season-high four tackles against New Mexico Earned letterman honors as a freshman ... started seven games at nose tackle for the Cougars ... saw action in all 13 games during the season ... credited with 22 tackles, including 11 solos and 11 assisted takedowns ... had three tackles for a combined loss of 10 yards, including one sack for a five-yard loss ... had a season high four tackles against both Utah and Oregon ... totaled a season-high three solo tackles in the Cougars' 38-8 victory over Oregon in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl ... credited with two blocked kicks
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Fono Vakalahi
Offensive line
Sophomore
6-4, 340
Bryan, Tex.
Bryan HS
Served in the Washington DC mission Earned letterman honors as a true freshman ... saw action in four games ... played for an offensive unit that led the conference and ranked No. 17 nationally in passing per game (281.46) and No. 21 in total offense (427.15) ... part of a unit that averaged only 1.77 sacks per game ... vital part of an offensive line that helped BYU lead the nation with a 55.62 third-down conversion percentage on the season.
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Brad Wilcox
Offensive line
Freshman
6-7, 265
Edmond, Okla.
North HS
Served in the California San Bernardino Mission An athletic offensive lineman with great height and excellent mobility ... an outstanding pass protector with a huge wingspan ... athletic when pulling and trapping and quick off the ball ... team captain ... rated as No. 39 offensive tackle in the nation by ESPN.com ... team offensive player of the year ... first-team all-district ... all-state honorable mention ... also lettered in wrestling and lacrosse ... also recruited by Oregon State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Washington, New Mexico, Boise State and Kansas State ... boached by Jeremy Dombek.
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Photo courtesy Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo
