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SALT LAKE CITY — Only 17 days stand between now and the start of the Utah football season. Today, KSL.com will be highlighting the two players that will be prepping No. 17, Demari Simpkins and Conner Charles.
Demari Simpkins, FR, wide receiver
The Ute coaching staff has developed a decent recruiting pipeline from the Sunshine State, which is where Simpkins originates from. Hailing from Hallandale High, Simpkins joined high school teammates Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss by traveling clear across the country to become a Ute. A three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Simpkins chose Utah over Wisconsin and joined the program in January after graduating from high school early.
The Florida speedster played quarterback his junior year of his prep career, but after transferring schools, Simpkins soon realized that his future would be at the receiver position. He caught the attention of Utah after 38 balls for 506 yards and seven touchdowns at Hallandale.
Having a whole spring under his belt already, Simpkins, who is 5'10" and 184 pounds, has impressed the Utah coaches to the point that he’s now listed as the backup slot receiver as a true freshman. With this unit being one in question, don’t be surprised to see Simpkins get opportunities to prove his worth as a newcomer to the team.
Conner Charles, RS-FR, defensive back
Charles, though it be his second season in the program after redshirting in 2015, is a relative unknown to Utah fans. The walk-on wasn’t highly recruited out of Bishop Kelly High School, where he won Idaho state titles in 2013 and 2014. However, the 5'11," 175-pound defensive back, who led his 2014 team with five interceptions, is a good athlete, playing basketball and running track throughout his preps career.
On the scout team last year, Charles did earn Player of the Week honors on the defense a couple of times, but with the secondary set for 2016, he shouldn’t see much playing time this season, if at all, save a blowout.
Check out some of Charles’ high school highlights below.
Twitter: @GriffDoug
