War Room - January 24, 2016
THE RULES: The contents of this War Room are confidential. Our goal is to supplement our normal content with a forum that allows us to talk about unconfirmed rumors and insider reports. We think this new feature adds value to your subscription, but if the contents of this War Room are leaked on other message boards or websites it cheapens what you pay for. Please do not share this on other message boards or websites. Anybody found to be violating these rules will be blacklisted from this board.
War Room for January 24, 2016: It was another wild week on the recruiting trail, and Utah is in good shape to close out on one of the strongest classes in program history. With 10 official visitors this last weekend, more coming next weekend, and a slew of in home visits, there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s get to today’s War Room.
-----------------------------------
Visit Weekend Recap:
Utah hosted ten official visitors on campus this weekend, and by early accounts from a few sources, it sounds like things went as expected. As we reported earlier, the following players were on campus:
Kurtis Taufa - LB (Utah commit)
Zack Moss - RB (Utah commit)
Fua Pututau - LB/DE
Pookie Maka - LB
Keaton Bills - - DL
Jackson Kaufusi - LB
Jonah Trinnaman - WR (BYU commit)
Jaren Hall - QB (BYU commit)
Maxwell Tooley - LB/S (BYU commit)
Doug Taumoelau - DE (Oregon State commit)
Here are a few notes on what we’re hearing so far:
- We caught up with Jonah Trinnaman, who said he liked his visit a lot. He was hosted by Brittain Covey, and they got along terrifically. He said that he spent over an hour with Coach Holliday talking about what a future at Utah could potentially look like. Although he liked the trip, based on what he told us (and the way he said it) it sounds like he’s probably going to stay committed to BYU.
- Utah made a strong impression with commit Kurtis Taufa as other schools are in hot pursuit. His family accompanied him on the trip and were reportedly blown away by what was presented them on the trip. Utah apparently does some things with Polynesian visitors that help them get a sense of the strong Polynesian connection in the program and the diversity at the school. Based on what we’re hearing, there is little likelihood of Taufa flipping.
- Stormageddon made it a little dicey for commit Zack Moss to make the trek from Miami, but he fought through flight delays and was eventually able to land in SLC. Although he’s still en route back home, we’re told things went extremely well with him. Utah still needs to fend off a late charge from Tennessee, but they enter the final week before signing day in the lead.
- Fua Pututau’s parents accompanied him on the visit, and I’m told the entire family was also very impressed with what Utah had to show. That’s an especially good sign since older brother Howard is getting ready to join the Utes after his mission this summer, and younger brother Taniela and cousin Tennessee both have offers from the Utes.
- Of all the BYU commits on campus, we’re told that Utah made the strongest impression on Max Tooley. Although it’s unlikely that any of the three would flip, Utah gave him something to think about.
We’ll have more on each individual as we reach them for comment.
-----------------------------------
Next Week’s Expected Visitors
With one final week of recruiting to go before signing day, it’s going to be another big week on the official visit front for the Utes. This week, Utah is expected to have one mid-week visitor in Miami Central LB Donovan Thompson. Thompson’s visit will be followed up with another big visit weekend on Friday. Next weekend’s expected visitors include:
- Leki Fotu (Utah commit)
- Cole Fotheringham (Utah commit)
- Tucker Scott (Utah commit)
- Alema Pilimai (Utah commit)
- Johnny Maea (Utah commit)
- Alec Dana (Utah commit)
- Wayne Kirby - Kirby is a three star DT out of Idaho that has Utah, Oregon and Washington State in his top three. He’s a former BYU commit.
- Bradlee Anae - Anae is a defensive end out of Kahuku HS in Hawaii that is choosing between Utah, BYU and Oregon State. He visited Oregon State this weekend, and will be on both BYU and Utah’s campuses later this week and into the weekend. Anae is the mystery guy I’ve been referring to the past couple of weeks.
- Kaelin Himphill - Although there has been chatter about Himphill using his last visit for West Virginia, we’re told that he assured Coach Ena that he was indeed taking an official to SLC this coming weekend. Of course, plans for all three of these players could change, but as of right now, that’s who is expected.
- Bapa Falemaka - Falemaka is an athletic TE from Judge Memorial HS in SLC. Utah is looking at him as a linebacker prospect and will bring him in on an official for a closer look. Utah State just offered him as well.
-----------------------------------
Johnnie Lang - A Clarification
Earlier this week on the message boards, there was a discussion on East HS ATH Johnnie Lang. The UteZone staff has done some digging, and we were able to come up with a more accurate picture in terms of his recruitment and whether Utah is a possible destination. First of all, we can confirm that Utah is taking a very close look at Lang. He’s likely going to take a visit to campus this weekend and have a deeper conversation with Ute coaches about a potential future on the hill.
In terms of his legal situation, it’s our understanding that once he serves his sentence in Florida after the school year is finished, that his record will be clean based on the deal that he was given. If everything were to go smoothly, Lang could potentially join a college football program (Utah included) next January as a grayshirt. Of course, Utah coaches would not try to bring him in without clearing it through the Athletic Department and all necessary parties in the administration first. Assuming everything goes smoothly and there are no hangups in the legal process or the admissions process, Lang - an explosive athlete and extremely talented player - could potentially have an opportunity to play at Utah if he so chose.
-----------------------------------
A Nugget About Maxs Tupai
Maxs Tupai is the top recruit in the state of Utah, and his approach to his recruitment has been unorthodox. Tupai has shied away from interviews, and generally has avoided a lot of the noise that so typically follows recruits of his stature. After talking to multiple sources close to his recruitment, there are a few potential developments that could take place before he signs. First of all, it was widely reported this week that Tupai would take official visits to USC (which happened this weekend) and Oklahoma (which will happen next weekend) before signing day. What hasn’t been reported and what we’re hearing is there’s a very real possibility that Tupai might not officially sign on NLI day. If it plays out that way, Utah may still be in the game despite not getting an official on the last two weekends. There are still some in his inner circle that are pushing him to go out of state, but he also has some around him that are encouraging him to stay home. It’s probably still a bit of a long shot, but the Utes aren’t completely out of the picture.
-----------------------------------
UteZone Top 10
1 - Maxs Tupai (DE)
2 - Nygel King (CB)
3 - Fua Pututau (DE)*
4 - David Luafatasaga (LB)
5 - Terrell Burgess (CB)
6 - Jonah Trinnaman (WR)
7 - Keaton Bills (DT)*
8 - Donovan Thompson (LB)
9 - Kaelin Himphill (LB)
10 - Pookie Maka (LB/DE)*
* Sign and send
Missed the cut: Victor Viramontes (LB), Wayne Kirby (DT), Jackson Kaufusi (LB), Maxwell Tooley (LB), Hussein Howe (RB), Jaren Hall (QB), Doug Taumoelau (DE)
Remaining Needs:
Linebacker (1-2)
Cornerback (1-2)
Defensive Line (1)
-----------------------------------
Playing Defense
Several Utah commits have other schools in hot pursuit. Here’s a quick breakdown of where those prospects stand as we get closer to signing day:
Semisi Lauaki - USC was coming hard after Lauaki and UCLA had gotten in the game as well. However, Lauaki announced this weekend that he is shutting down his recruitment and will be staying with the Utes. This is a huge win for the Ute staff, and Sharrieff Shah in particular, who had done a bulk of the leg work with Lauaki.
Alema Pilimai - Pilimai visited BYU over the weekend. We are told by one of our BYU insiders that although Pilimai liked the visit, he’s most likely going to stick with the Utes. He visits SLC this Friday.
Leki Fotu - Fotu visited USC along with his family over the weekend. The Trojans are making a major push, and Utah will need to make a big impression during his official next weekend to hang on to him.
Cole Fotheringham - Fotheringham visited BYU over the weekend and has his official to Utah coming up this Friday. Both Utah and BYU coaches made home visits to Fotheringham this past week, and both schools are pushing hard. A Rod and Fred Whittingham have been leading the charge on Fotheringham’s recruitment and have one last chance to close things out.
Johnny Maea - Maea flirted with BYU for a lot of the past week, but the fact that he scheduled his Utah official (instead of BYU) for this coming weekend, speaks well for the Utes. It would be surprising to see him flip at this point.
Zack Moss - Moss has an official to Tennessee set for this coming weekend. Utah is still the leader, but it remains to be seen if they can hang on. He has been pretty vocal on Twitter over the past 24 hours that he plans on sticking with the Utes.
-----------------------------------
Please post your questions in the thread below.
THE RULES: The contents of this War Room are confidential. Our goal is to supplement our normal content with a forum that allows us to talk about unconfirmed rumors and insider reports. We think this new feature adds value to your subscription, but if the contents of this War Room are leaked on other message boards or websites it cheapens what you pay for. Please do not share this on other message boards or websites. Anybody found to be violating these rules will be blacklisted from this board.
War Room for January 24, 2016: It was another wild week on the recruiting trail, and Utah is in good shape to close out on one of the strongest classes in program history. With 10 official visitors this last weekend, more coming next weekend, and a slew of in home visits, there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s get to today’s War Room.
-----------------------------------
Visit Weekend Recap:
Utah hosted ten official visitors on campus this weekend, and by early accounts from a few sources, it sounds like things went as expected. As we reported earlier, the following players were on campus:
Kurtis Taufa - LB (Utah commit)
Zack Moss - RB (Utah commit)
Fua Pututau - LB/DE
Pookie Maka - LB
Keaton Bills - - DL
Jackson Kaufusi - LB
Jonah Trinnaman - WR (BYU commit)
Jaren Hall - QB (BYU commit)
Maxwell Tooley - LB/S (BYU commit)
Doug Taumoelau - DE (Oregon State commit)
Here are a few notes on what we’re hearing so far:
- We caught up with Jonah Trinnaman, who said he liked his visit a lot. He was hosted by Brittain Covey, and they got along terrifically. He said that he spent over an hour with Coach Holliday talking about what a future at Utah could potentially look like. Although he liked the trip, based on what he told us (and the way he said it) it sounds like he’s probably going to stay committed to BYU.
- Utah made a strong impression with commit Kurtis Taufa as other schools are in hot pursuit. His family accompanied him on the trip and were reportedly blown away by what was presented them on the trip. Utah apparently does some things with Polynesian visitors that help them get a sense of the strong Polynesian connection in the program and the diversity at the school. Based on what we’re hearing, there is little likelihood of Taufa flipping.
- Stormageddon made it a little dicey for commit Zack Moss to make the trek from Miami, but he fought through flight delays and was eventually able to land in SLC. Although he’s still en route back home, we’re told things went extremely well with him. Utah still needs to fend off a late charge from Tennessee, but they enter the final week before signing day in the lead.
- Fua Pututau’s parents accompanied him on the visit, and I’m told the entire family was also very impressed with what Utah had to show. That’s an especially good sign since older brother Howard is getting ready to join the Utes after his mission this summer, and younger brother Taniela and cousin Tennessee both have offers from the Utes.
- Of all the BYU commits on campus, we’re told that Utah made the strongest impression on Max Tooley. Although it’s unlikely that any of the three would flip, Utah gave him something to think about.
We’ll have more on each individual as we reach them for comment.
-----------------------------------
Next Week’s Expected Visitors
With one final week of recruiting to go before signing day, it’s going to be another big week on the official visit front for the Utes. This week, Utah is expected to have one mid-week visitor in Miami Central LB Donovan Thompson. Thompson’s visit will be followed up with another big visit weekend on Friday. Next weekend’s expected visitors include:
- Leki Fotu (Utah commit)
- Cole Fotheringham (Utah commit)
- Tucker Scott (Utah commit)
- Alema Pilimai (Utah commit)
- Johnny Maea (Utah commit)
- Alec Dana (Utah commit)
- Wayne Kirby - Kirby is a three star DT out of Idaho that has Utah, Oregon and Washington State in his top three. He’s a former BYU commit.
- Bradlee Anae - Anae is a defensive end out of Kahuku HS in Hawaii that is choosing between Utah, BYU and Oregon State. He visited Oregon State this weekend, and will be on both BYU and Utah’s campuses later this week and into the weekend. Anae is the mystery guy I’ve been referring to the past couple of weeks.
- Kaelin Himphill - Although there has been chatter about Himphill using his last visit for West Virginia, we’re told that he assured Coach Ena that he was indeed taking an official to SLC this coming weekend. Of course, plans for all three of these players could change, but as of right now, that’s who is expected.
- Bapa Falemaka - Falemaka is an athletic TE from Judge Memorial HS in SLC. Utah is looking at him as a linebacker prospect and will bring him in on an official for a closer look. Utah State just offered him as well.
-----------------------------------
Johnnie Lang - A Clarification
Earlier this week on the message boards, there was a discussion on East HS ATH Johnnie Lang. The UteZone staff has done some digging, and we were able to come up with a more accurate picture in terms of his recruitment and whether Utah is a possible destination. First of all, we can confirm that Utah is taking a very close look at Lang. He’s likely going to take a visit to campus this weekend and have a deeper conversation with Ute coaches about a potential future on the hill.
In terms of his legal situation, it’s our understanding that once he serves his sentence in Florida after the school year is finished, that his record will be clean based on the deal that he was given. If everything were to go smoothly, Lang could potentially join a college football program (Utah included) next January as a grayshirt. Of course, Utah coaches would not try to bring him in without clearing it through the Athletic Department and all necessary parties in the administration first. Assuming everything goes smoothly and there are no hangups in the legal process or the admissions process, Lang - an explosive athlete and extremely talented player - could potentially have an opportunity to play at Utah if he so chose.
-----------------------------------
A Nugget About Maxs Tupai
Maxs Tupai is the top recruit in the state of Utah, and his approach to his recruitment has been unorthodox. Tupai has shied away from interviews, and generally has avoided a lot of the noise that so typically follows recruits of his stature. After talking to multiple sources close to his recruitment, there are a few potential developments that could take place before he signs. First of all, it was widely reported this week that Tupai would take official visits to USC (which happened this weekend) and Oklahoma (which will happen next weekend) before signing day. What hasn’t been reported and what we’re hearing is there’s a very real possibility that Tupai might not officially sign on NLI day. If it plays out that way, Utah may still be in the game despite not getting an official on the last two weekends. There are still some in his inner circle that are pushing him to go out of state, but he also has some around him that are encouraging him to stay home. It’s probably still a bit of a long shot, but the Utes aren’t completely out of the picture.
-----------------------------------
UteZone Top 10
1 - Maxs Tupai (DE)
2 - Nygel King (CB)
3 - Fua Pututau (DE)*
4 - David Luafatasaga (LB)
5 - Terrell Burgess (CB)
6 - Jonah Trinnaman (WR)
7 - Keaton Bills (DT)*
8 - Donovan Thompson (LB)
9 - Kaelin Himphill (LB)
10 - Pookie Maka (LB/DE)*
* Sign and send
Missed the cut: Victor Viramontes (LB), Wayne Kirby (DT), Jackson Kaufusi (LB), Maxwell Tooley (LB), Hussein Howe (RB), Jaren Hall (QB), Doug Taumoelau (DE)
Remaining Needs:
Linebacker (1-2)
Cornerback (1-2)
Defensive Line (1)
-----------------------------------
Playing Defense
Several Utah commits have other schools in hot pursuit. Here’s a quick breakdown of where those prospects stand as we get closer to signing day:
Semisi Lauaki - USC was coming hard after Lauaki and UCLA had gotten in the game as well. However, Lauaki announced this weekend that he is shutting down his recruitment and will be staying with the Utes. This is a huge win for the Ute staff, and Sharrieff Shah in particular, who had done a bulk of the leg work with Lauaki.
Alema Pilimai - Pilimai visited BYU over the weekend. We are told by one of our BYU insiders that although Pilimai liked the visit, he’s most likely going to stick with the Utes. He visits SLC this Friday.
Leki Fotu - Fotu visited USC along with his family over the weekend. The Trojans are making a major push, and Utah will need to make a big impression during his official next weekend to hang on to him.
Cole Fotheringham - Fotheringham visited BYU over the weekend and has his official to Utah coming up this Friday. Both Utah and BYU coaches made home visits to Fotheringham this past week, and both schools are pushing hard. A Rod and Fred Whittingham have been leading the charge on Fotheringham’s recruitment and have one last chance to close things out.
Johnny Maea - Maea flirted with BYU for a lot of the past week, but the fact that he scheduled his Utah official (instead of BYU) for this coming weekend, speaks well for the Utes. It would be surprising to see him flip at this point.
Zack Moss - Moss has an official to Tennessee set for this coming weekend. Utah is still the leader, but it remains to be seen if they can hang on. He has been pretty vocal on Twitter over the past 24 hours that he plans on sticking with the Utes.
-----------------------------------
Please post your questions in the thread below.
