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SALT LAKE CITY — Kyle Whittingham calls it the "lifeblood" to the football program.
Recruiting well, in Whittingham's eyes and generally backed up by the results on the field for teams around the country, is directly tied to the likelihood a team succeeds on the field. And the two complement each other: Have better recruits to win more games; win more games to get better recruits.
Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, Whittingham has made an emphasis to recruit at a high level and then maximize the talent to the highest ability possible. It's part of the reason his team has been in the Pac-12 championship game in three of the last four years and has claimed at least a share of the South division title in four seasons.
Continuity in the coaching staff helps, but the emphasis to find and develop talent has risen as the team's recruiting grows each season. Add to the fact that Utah is the Pac-12 champs and will represent to conference in the Rose Bowl game and the interest continues to grow.
"Being in the championship game absolutely outweighs losing some time in recruiting," Whittingham said ahead of beating Oregon in the title game. "The best thing you can do for recruiting is win. And the exposure and playing in that game is a big positive. Yes, we're gonna miss out on four or five days of evaluations and contacts, but well worth the trade off. And we'll take that scenario every single year."
Winning has certainly been good for the Utes, who have seen increased interest from recruits in the days since Whittingham led his team into Las Vegas and claimed the program's first Pac-12 title. And with the NCAA's early signing day beginning Wednesday morning, Utah may reap the benefits of winning on the field with some additional recruits.
"We expect good things," Whittingham said Monday. "We had some really good news in the last 24 hours that — of course we can't comment on or or get specific — but we're going to be, in our opinion, exactly where we want on signing day with enough scholarships still leftover from the portal and to cover up transfer losses and try to compensate there."
So where do the Utes stand on the eve of the early signing day period?
First off, here's a brief look at how a class is signed. Each year, a program can sign 25 new athletes as part of that year's recruiting class, so 100 scholarship athletes over a four-year period. But the NCAA only allows for 85 players to be on scholarship at any given time, so it's a balancing act of players coming in and going out to make sure a team stays under the allotment.
The 2020 season complicated matters because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all athletes who chose to take it, but the scholarship limit was not changed. The NCAA, however, approved a one-year waiver of the signing limit to allow schools to replace up to seven athletes who leave after the first term of school — so 32 total scholarships.
As a result, the 2022 recruiting class will likely be a bit smaller than in year's past in an effort to stay under the 85-man limit, though that number could change as more players declare their intent to pursue the NFL or simply transfer out of the program for whatever reason. Already, Britain Covey, Cole Fotheringham and TJ Pledger have announced they will not return for another season.
Whittingham said there's "not really a specific number" they're looking for, it just depends on the needs the program has at the end of the season. There's also a desire to leave some scholarship spots open for players that will enter the transfer portal in the coming days and weeks.
"The reason you keep some of those scholarships in your pocket is because the needs are not manifest yet," Whittingham said. "You could have two or three guys transfer out from a certain position group; that can be very damaging — you better have something in your pocket to be able to to get that situation rectified."
Already this week, Utah has secured the commitments from two transfer players: tight ends Landon Morris (Syracuse) and Logan Kendall (Idaho).
But for the high school players expected to sign on the dotted line as part of their letter of intent, Utah has 12 commitments in place, with some expected others to be made known Wednesday. The group is highlighted by four-star linebacker Lander Barton (Brighton HS), who is the younger brother to former Utes Cody and Jackson.
Just based on the players that have already verbally committed, Utah is expected sign two quarterbacks, receivers, and defensive backs, and a running back, offensive lineman, tight end and linebacker. Utah also has two commitments from players identified as athletes, which indicates multiple positions that player could fill.
For a list of the players who have verbally committed to Utah, click here. Check back at our KSL.com Recruiting Central on Wednesday as we update all the players that officially commit to the program by sending in their letter of intent.
