It's Signing Day (again): Here's what to expect from BYU beginning Wednesday

PROVO — There is no longer only one signing period, but two, and in between each a transfer portal that makes mid-year additions easier to bring to school.

Confused by the 24/7 nature of the college football calendar? Imagine how BYU coach Kalani Sitake feels.

The Cougars will welcome the newest recruits to the football program beginning Wednesday with the opening day of the NCAA's traditional signing period, but don't expect a full 25-player class to arrive, either.

Still, don't be surprised to see several new faces and new recruits confirm their intentions to Provo in the final year of the Cougars' decade as an FBS independent before joining the Big 12 in 2023.

The Cougars signed 18 recruits during the early signing day in December, a list that includes Pine View twin speedsters Dominique and Marcus McKenzie, Corner Canyon star receiver Cody Hagen, and Weber defensive lineman Aisea Moa.

Then came the program adding eight mid-year enrollees to the program in January, a group that includes Pac-12 transfers Christopher Brooks (Cal), Houston Heimuli (Stanford) and Kingsley Suamataia (Oregon), as well as returning missionaries like former Timpview star edge rusher Logan Fano.

Not all of the new additions will count within the recruiting class of 2022; the NCAA regulates all schools to a maximum of 25 players per class, though it did recently provide relief for programs that lose (and gain) players via the transfer portal. Those numbers can also be shuffled around; because Moa enrolled in classes in January, for example, his addition will be counted with the signing class of 2021 — as if he had signed a year ago and grayshirted this past fall, essentially.

Still, with all the new additions, how many players could BYU possibly look to add during the traditional signing period that begins Wednesday?

As it turns out, at least a few.

The Cougars brought in over a dozen recruits last week to make one final push for players before the signing period, and the move immediately provided dividends.

On Monday, BYU received a commitment from Florida wide receiver Dom Henry, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound speedster from Nease High who led the state's 7A schools with 1,590 yards and 15 total touchdowns in 2021.

Henry, who played at the same high school as former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, received an offer from BYU after his high school coach delivered game film to BYU's Kalani Sitake during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio in January.

The Cougars offered a scholarship less than two weeks later, and Henry will formalize his commitment with a letter of intent Wednesday, a late addition from a state's top receiver that bears similarities to Mater Dei's Kody Epps signing with the Cougars a year ago.

"Ever since I started playing football, my dad told me to have a chip on my shoulder," said Henry, who also had offers from Army, Air Force and Navy, among others. "I always brought that with me, to things outside of football, too. It's helped me be more productive and just go in better."

Both of Henry's parents served in the military — his father recently retired from the Army after 25 years — but the youngster with a 4.46 40-yard dash time was focused on baseball until his sophomore year of high school.

That's when he switched to football full-time — though if BYU coach Mike Littlewood wants to call him up as a dual-sport athlete, Henry would consider.

"Baseball was really my thing; it was my first love," Henry told ESPN 960 Sports. "But I dropped baseball this past year because I wanted to keep playing football. It's so much faster, and I feel like I can make a difference every time I touch the ball. It's up to me what goes on."

The Cougars also picked up a commitment from Korbyn Green, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound three-star cornerback from Oklahoma who also had interest from nearly half the Big 12, and two preferred walk-on commitments from Springville Porter Small at defensive line and Cole Clement at wide receiver. The two Red Devil standouts received scholarship interest from the state's three FCS programs before ultimately opting to play in Provo.

Perhaps the top recruit on the visit that included more than a dozen recruits going to Top Golf and spending time snowmobiling in Utah's back country was Snow College offensive lineman Lisala Tai.

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound tackle from Hawthorne, California signed with BYU in the Class of 2016 but ended up in Ephraim after serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tai returned to Utah before the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been a key player on the Badgers' top-tier teams during the spring 2021 season and this past fall, finishing at No. 2 and No. 3 in the NJCAA, respectively.

He'll choose between BYU, Boise State, Fresno State and Deion Sanders' Jackson State early Wednesday before formalizing his national letter of intent, he told ESPN 960.

"It's been a great experience for me and a lot of the guys I met here, guys who you don't know but end up being your brother," Tai said. "We have great players, a lot of players from different parts of the world who come together and had one goal in mind: to be the best we could be, and to win games. I think that's what happened last season.

"Everybody bought in, and we just had to prove ourselves every time we stepped on the field."

Bookmark KSL.com's Recruiting Central and check back throughout the day as new recruits are signed.

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