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PROVO, Utah (February 6, 2008) -- Following a second straight Mountain West Conference championship, a second straight Las Vegas Bowl victory over a Pac-10 opponent, a top-14 national ranking, back-to-back undefeated league records and posting the nation's longest active winning streak at 10 straight games, the Cougars added to their list of accomplishments on Wednesday by signing 21 highly touted recruits, including 18 high-school seniors and three junior-college players.
"I think we have a very good class," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We don't really care how many recruiting stars a player has when he comes here. Every player, once he comes to Provo, starts out with no stars. What we care about is how many stars he has when he leaves."
Bernard Afutiti Defensive Line 6-0, 260 Mt. San Antonio College Fontana, CA Helped lead Mt. SAC to a 10-3 record during the 2007 season, including a 4-0 mark in the Mission Conference ... advanced to the championship game of the California State junior college championships before losing to San Francisco City ... defeated Bakersfield in the Southern California junior college championships, 47-42 ... ranked fourth on the Mounties' roster with 41.5 tackles on the season, including a team-leading 22 tackles for a combined loss of 91 yards ... credited with 8 sacks and had five QB hurries ... earned JUCO All-America honors ... named team MVP ... received Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors ... named the California State Defensive Player of the Year ... a four-year letterwinner at Kaiser HS in Fontana, Calif., graduating in 2005 ... received scholarship offers out of high school from Michigan, Oregon State, Utah and USC ... earned All-CIF honors as a senior, junior and sophomore ... named the Division 8 MVP ... named the Coca Cola and Old Spice Player of the Year ... a four-year all-league recipient ... married to Crystal Purcell ... has a two-year-old son, Zak ... recruited by San Jose State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.
Michael Alisa Linebacker/Running Back 6-2, 220 Timpview High School Provo, UT Earned Deseret Morning News 4A Second-Team All-State honors ... earned All-Utah Valley honors ... helped lead TImpview to a 13-0 record on the season to claim the Utah 4-A State Championships, including a 50-7 victory over Pine View in the championship game ... a member of the 2006 Utah 4-A State Championship team ... credited with four interceptions and three sacks ... scored six touchdowns as a running back for the T-birds ... recruited by Boise State, California, Oklahoma, UNLV, Utah and Washington State.
Kevan Bills Linebacker 6-3, 225 Timpview High School Provo, UT Maintains a 4.0 grade-point average ... Salt Lake Tribune 4A First-Team All-State selection ... earned Deseret Morning News 4A First-Team All-State honors ... earned All-Utah Valley honors ... credited with 59 tackles on the season, including 18 stops for a loss ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU ... helped lead TImpview to a 13-0 record on the season to claim the Utah 4-A State Championships, including a 50-7 victory over Pine View in the championship game ... a member of the 2006 Utah 4-A State Championship team ... had 50 tackles, including five sacks as a junior ... a three-year letterwinner for Timpview ... joins brothers KC and Kelly who both played at BYU ... recruited by Colorado, California and Oregon.
Atem Bol Wide Receiver 6-2, 200 L.D. Bell High School Hurst, TX Born in the northern African country of Sudan ... named to the Dallas Morning News Top 100 list ... moved to the United States when he was 11 years old ... credited with 22 receptions for 242 yards ... led the 7-5A division with eight touchdown receptions during the season ... under head coach Gary Olivo, helped lead the Blue Raiders to the playoffs with a 6-5 overall record, including a 4-3 mark in district play ... recruited by Baylor, SMU, Tulsa, Missouri, and Kansas.
Jerry Bruner Running Back/Linebacker 6-2, 225 Evergreen High School Vancouver, WA Helped lead the Plainsmen, under head coach Tom Smythe, to an 8-2 overall record, including a mark of 5-0 in the 4A Greater St. Helens league standings ... as a senior, named defensive player of the year in the Greater Saint Helens League ... selected as a first-team all-league linebacker and second-team running back ... rushed for over 800 yards and had 11 touchdowns as a junior, despite playing only six games due to injury ... recruited by Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.
O'Neill Chambers Wide Receiver 6-3, 208 Harmony High School Harmony, FL Credited with 39 receptions for 965 yards ... totaled ten touchdowns as a senior, including four touchdown receptions, three touchdowns on special teams and three touchdowns coming on the defensive side of the ball ... named First-Team All-Central Florida as a wide receiver ... played for former Cougar standout Tyler Anderson at Harmony HS ... recruited by Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia, Clemson, Purdue and Texas Tech.
Cameron Comer Defensive Back 6-1, 185 Springville High School Springville, UT A three-year starter at Springville HS ... earned Deseret Morning News All-Utah Valley honorable mention honors ... team captain ... ranked as the 39th best prospect on the Scout.com Northwest Hot 100 ... recruited by Arizona State, Illinois, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State.
Spencer Hadley Linebacker 6-2, 220 Connell High School Connell, WA Maintains a 3.95 grade-point average ... a 1A SCAC East second-team receiver ... a 1A SCAC East first-team defensive back ... earned 1A SCAC East first-team honors on special teams ... an all-area first-team receiver ... an all-area first-team defensive back ... an all-area first-team kick returner ... an Associated Press 1A first-team offensive and unanimous defensive selection ... a four-year letterwinner, helping the Eagles to a combined 47-7 record during his four years ... also a four-year letterwinner in track and basketball ... one of only four players in Connell High School history to score over 1,000 points during his career in basketball ... totaled 2,713 yards receiving during his career ... had 60 carries for 606 yards as a senior, including nine touchdowns ... credited with 34 receptions for 541 yards and 11 touchdowns ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU ... under head coach Wayne Riner, helped lead the Eagles to a 13-1 record and a trip to the 1A State Championship game as a senior ... listed as one of the top defensive recruits in the western United States ... raised on a dairy farm and lists working cattle as a special skill ... one of seven children ... a member of the National Honor Society ... served as a student body officer ... recruited by Boise State and Oregon State.
Austin Holt Tight End 6-6, 230 Bingham High School South Jordan, UT A Salt Lake Tribune 5A First-Team All-State selection ... earned Deseret Morning News 5A First-Team All-State honors ... under head coach Dave Peck, helped lead the Miners to an 11-2 record, including a trip to the championship game ... finished with a perfect 5-0 record and a first-place finish in the Region 3 standings ... a member of the 2006 5A State Championship team that went 14-0 ... led the Miners with 29 receptions for 490 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a senior ... averaged 37.7 yards receiving per game ... a U.S. Army All-American ... ranks as one of the top high school tight end prospects in the country ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU .. recruited by Florida, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon and UCLA.
Solomone Kafu Defensive Line 6-5, 315 Rio Linda High School Rio Linda, CA Earned first-team all-city and second-team all-conference honors as a senior ... a Sacramento Bee second-team All-Metro selection ... credited with 50 tackles in 2007, including 35 solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles ... averaged 4.5 yards per game ... had two sacks on the season and was credited with two fumble recoveries ... recruited by UC Davis, Sacramento State, Weber State, and Utah State.
Tolu Moala Linebacker 6-1, 230 El Camino College Torrance, CA Helped lead the Warriors to the 2007 Mission Conference Championship ... recorded 23 tackles, including seven solos as a freshman at El Camino College, helping the Warriors to a 2006 State Championship ... also credited with 6.5 tackles for a loss, including three sacks ... also totaled four pass break-ups and four QB hurries ... prepped at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, CA ... served an LDS Church mission to Brazil.
Jake Murphy Wide Receiver 6-5, 215 American Fork High School American Fork, UT A Salt Lake Tribune 5A First-Team All-State selection ... earned Deseret Morning News 5A First-Team All-State honors ... an All-Utah Valley selection ... credited with 13 touchdown receptions as a senior ... had a team-leading 41 receptions ... totaled three receptions for 88 yards in American Fork's win over Hunter in the 5A semifinals ... defensively had three interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns ... totaled 30 receptions for 530 yards and eight TD's as a junior at American Fork HS ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU ... son of future Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Dale Murphy ... recruited by Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, USC and Utah State.
Garett Nicholson Defensive Back 5-10, 180 West High School Salt Lake City, UT A Salt Lake Tribune 4A First-Team All-State selection ... helped lead West HS to the state playoffs, playing both offense and defense and as a kick returner ... rushed for 1,071 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior ... clocked at 10.85 in the 100 meters ... father, Trey, played at Oregon State ... recruited by California, Colorado, Louisville and Utah.
Seta Pohahau Running Back 5-11, 205 Aragon High School San Mateo, CA Named the Palo Alto Daily News Player of the Year ... selected as Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division Offensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior ... rushed for 1,927 yards, scoring 21 touchdowns as a senior ... credited with 23 tackles for loss, including 11 sacks ... totaled two interceptions and two blocked field goals ... a three-year varsity player for coach Steve Sell ... totaled approximately 4,000 career rushing yards at Aragon ... recruited by Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
Iona Pritchard Linebacker 6-0, 220 Bingham High School South Jordan, UT A Deseret Morning News 5A First-Team All-State selection ... credited with 88 tackles and six QB hurries as a senior ... totaled 72 tackles as a junior, including 21 solos ... under head coach Dave Peck, helped lead the Miners to an 11-2 record, including a trip to the championship game ... finished with a perfect 5-0 record and a first-place finish in the Region 3 standings ... a member of the 2006 5A State Championship team that went 14-0 ... recruited by Boise State, Oregon, UNLV, California, Oregon State and Stanford.
Daniel Sorensen Defensive Back 6-2, 195 Colton High School Colton, CA Earned first-team all-conference honors on both offense and defense as a senior ... had 17 punts on the season, averaging 47.8 yards per punt to earn first-team all-league honors as a punter as well ... helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an 8-4 record and a trip to the state semifinals ... credited with 87 tackles, including 62 solo tackles ... credited with a team-leading 23 pass deflections and four QB hurries ... tied for the team lead with five interceptions ... totaled 82 tackles and seven interceptions in 2006 ... earned first-team all-league honors and second-team all-state honors as a junior ... cousin of future BYU teammate Justin Sorensen ... recruited by Boston College, Washington, Arizona State, Duke, Nebraska, Ole Miss, USC, UCLA and Colorado.
Justin Sorensen Kicker 6-2, 220 Bingham High School South Jordan, UT A 2007 Parade All-American ... a 2007 Salt Lake Tribune 5A First-Team All-State selection ... earned Deseret Morning News 2007 5A First-Team All-State honors ... a U.S. Army All-American ... Utah Gatorade Player of the Year ... a two-time all-state and all-region selection ... holds the state high school record for PAT's, FG's (28) and the longest field goal in state history (current BYU record is 56 yards) -- a 62-yarder ... connected on field goals of 59 and 51 yards to help Bingham to a 23-20 win over Alta early in the season ... missed one PAT all season, going 54-for-55 during the year ... credited with 88 kickoffs during the season, recording 81 touchbacks ... had a season-long kickoff of 85 yards ... totaled 30 punts on the season, averaging 41.53 per punt ... totaled 17 punts that landed inside the 20-yard line ... ranked as one of the top high school kickers in the nation ... as a junior, recorded 96 kickoffs with 81 touchbacks ... averaged kickoff was 70 yards.
Brock Stringham Offensive Line 6-6, 280 Mountain Vista High School Highlands Ranch, CO Selected as a member of the Denver Post 2007 All-Colorado offensive team ... twice named the MVHS offensive player of the week during the 2007 season ... a two-time all-conference recipient ... selected to play in the Colorado all-star game ... helped lead the Golden Eagles to an 8-3 record before losing to Bear Creek in the second round of the state playoffs ... recruited by USC, Stanford, Kansas State, Colorado, Colorado State and UNLV.
Jesse Taufi Offensive Line 6-5, 320 Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Served an LDS Church mission to Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... anchored an offensive unit that averaged 317.8 yards per game ... named to the Rivals.com Junior College Top 100 ... prepped at Long Beach's Carson HS ... earned all-city honors as an offensive lineman at Carson HS ... cousin of current BYU defensive lineman Russell Tialavea ... recruited by USC, Washington and UNLV.
Shiloah Te'o Defensive Back 5-11, 195 Kahuku High School Laie, HI A 2007 Honolulu Star-Bulletin First-Team All-State selection as both a junior and senior ... First-Team All-State selection by The Honolulu Advertiser as both a junior and senior ... named Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Division Defensive Player-of-the-Year ... threw game-winning 43-yard TD pass as time expired to help Kahuku win the 2006 state championship ... ranked as the 4th best prospect in the state of Hawaii by Rivals.com ... recruited by Utah, Hawaii and UNLV.
Michael Yeck Offensive Line 6-7, 260 Keller High School Keller, TX Earned 5A All-District 1 honors under head coach Kevin Atkinson ... named to Dallas Morning News Top 100 ... anchored an offensive line that averaged over 300 yards per game ... allowed just two sacks all season ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU ... received interest from Oklahoma ... recruited by Kansas State, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona and New Mexico.
