Recruit Central: Signing Day 2013 Preview


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Today is Signing Day for high school athletes from across the country to officially sign letters of intent with the school that they wish to attend. Here are previews for BYU, Utah and Utah State.

BYU Cougars

Jason Shepherd, BYU Sports Producer, BYU Football & Basketball Studio Host

Signing Day for the BYU Cougars usually comes and goes without any huge surprises. The Cougars get so many early commits, that Signing Day is just a formality; this year's NLI Day is expected to follow suit.

BYU's main focus has been at the offensive line position. BYU is expecting to sign several O-linemen, some of which will be from the JC ranks. The biggest offensive line commit is Brayden Kearsley out of Aloha High School in Oregon. Kearsley is one of the country's best and is considered to be BYU's biggest "get."

The Cougars will once again be the landing spot for several local products. Bingham OL Keegan Hicks and Lone Peak WR Talon Shumway are just a few players from the state of Utah that will officially be Cougars in 2013. One of the most interesting local names that will be signing with BYU today is Logan High LB Chasen Andersen. Andersen is the son of former Utah State and current Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen.

BYU's Signing Day festivities get underway at 12:00pm MT. Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall will hold a press conference to announce all of the signings and take questions from the media. I'll have coverage of the Cougars all day long; with the full press conference audio posted in "Cougar Tracks."

Utah Utes

Mike Grant and Robert Jackson, Ute Insiders - contributing: Doug Kimmel, Brian Swinney and Thomas Karren, InsideTheUtes.com

Rewatching film on the 2012 Utes and it is glaringly obvious - Utah lacked the speed necessary to compete in the Pac-12.

The 2013 recruiting class is certainly addressing that need, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Locally the Utes grabbed the majority of the top prospects in the state. Defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei, Star's brother, picked the Utes, as well as Alta High's Harrison Handley and Filipo Mokofisi out of Woods Cross.

We will post player profiles and video highlights on each of these players as they come in throughout the day.

Here are the best recruits from outside the state of Utah:

  1. Dre'Vian Young - Anytime the Utes can go into the hottest high school football breeding ground and get a kid, you do it. Young is a absolute speedster running the 400 in track. He is the younger brother of Selvin Young who won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns in 2005. One thing that was very evident this year for the Utah football team was lack of speed in the Pac-12 and this is one player that helps address that need along with the fact that John White IV is done at Utah. He could return Punts, Kickoffs, 3rd down back or possibly even get some carries. He was also being recruited by Arkansas, Boise State, and Texas started to really show interest late. link
  2. Gaius Vaenuku - Another Texas kid from Trinity high School in what is becoming an absolute pipeline for Utah. They snagged three kids from Trinity this year. Vanuku is a 6'5" 260 lbs Defensive End. To give you an idea of how good this kid is all you have to do is look at his offer sheet. Offers include UCLA, Michigan, TCU, BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Missouri, etc. This is a big get for the Utes that is also much needed with the now thin defensive line at the U. link
  3. Quarterbacks - Brandon Cox and Connor Manning Cox- The word here is potential. This is possibly the most dynamic get. Brandon is a dual-threat quarterback who hasn't played since his junior year because of an injury. We had him on the UTEcast and he said he can read a defense. He likes to be called a quarterback, not just a runner, although he really can run. link Connor Manning - Manning is the only out of state recruit that we were able to see in person, and boy did he not disappoint. Down by 10 with five minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Manning lead his team to a 41-31 win over nationally ranked Tesoro High. Manning stayed cool under pressure, and along with his overall maturity, will help him be successful at the collegiate level. link

Utah State

Matt Glade, Aggie Insider

The Utah State Aggies are losing a lot of playmakers on offense from last season; Head Coach Matt Wells is reloading, especially at the Wide Receiver position. As of right now the Aggies have 5 verbal commits from wide outs, 4 from the state of Utah alone. Dax Raymond of Timpview, Hayden Weichers of Bingham, John Fakahafua of East, and Tyler Fox of Layton. The Aggies also have a commitment from JC wideout Ronald Butler from Contra Costa College; a speedster in the mold of Chuck Jacobs. Look for him to make an immediate impact for Utah State next season.

Receiver isn't the only position the Aggies are recruiting local players for; some other big names from Utah include offensive guard Tyshon Mosely, a 3 star recruit from Jordan High School; Caden Andersen, a 2 star defensive end from Logan; Cody Boyer, offensive tackle from Pine View High School; Kalei Kauhaahaa, linebacker from Juan Diego High School; Jacoby Wildman, defensive end from Logan; Braden Harris, linebacker from Gunnison High School; and Ian Togiai, linebacker from Hunter High School.

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