I just ran an article breaking down some of the latest developments and what to expect over the next 24 hours. You can find that article here.
I wanted to add a few thoughts to that piece on the board as well:
- First off, the last three commitments have been really, really big additions to the class and I think the staff deserves a lot of credit.
- Williams was a guy that they really did their homework on and they went out and found him at a place that they haven't traditionally recruited. He's an incredibly talented player that filled a big need. I know a lot of people were upset about Taylor Thomas decommitting, but the truth is that Utah only had two spots for running backs, and the Utes probably would have taken Williams over Thomas anyway. His commitment had been a long time in the making.
- Tarzan Smith is the prime example of why you don't burn bridges with a kid when they decommit. When a kid decommits from a school, they almost never recommit. But that's happened to the Utes twice this year (Cory Butler and Tarzan). When Tarzan decided he didn't want to be at ASU, Utah was a natural place to look. Yes, in a way he kind of fell into the Utes' laps, but they had done a TON of groundwork during his junior season, so when he opened things up it was an easy decision to look at Utah.
- Paulo came as a result of a few things. First, Harding is a very solid recruiter. Kids like him and they relate to him. Second, the players and school made a big impression on Paulo and his family. The fact that Utah is close enough to drive to from Sacramento, and plays away games in Cali, along with a healthy Polynesian contingent on the team were enough to sell Paulo on Utah, even though he had some major programs after him still.
- As far as predictions go, I still think Togiai will be a Ute - although I'm not confident at all in that prediction. I think Wilson sticks too, but I'm not confident in that either. I think Hawkins will go to ASU, but a Utah decision wouldn't surprise me at all. Is it a copout to say all three are coin flips? Perhaps. But that's how I see them. It's very possible that Utah loses all three. It's also possible that they land all three. I think it will be a mix.
- Even if the Utes miss on all three remaining recruits, it's still a pretty solid class and I think the Utah coaches finished strong. When you look at the commit list on December 1st as compared to now, you have to like how the two lists compare. This class could have been a total disaster, but the Ute coaches rallied, worked their tails off, and did a great job selling kids.
- I personally don't expect any real signing day surprises. I've heard a couple of rumors about certain kids coming into play, but at this point I tend to immediately dismiss them as little more than misinformation or wishful thinking. I am excited for 24 hours from now when most of the fallout from signing day should be wrapped up.
Feel free to post comments, questions or predictions in the thread below.
I wanted to add a few thoughts to that piece on the board as well:
- First off, the last three commitments have been really, really big additions to the class and I think the staff deserves a lot of credit.
- Williams was a guy that they really did their homework on and they went out and found him at a place that they haven't traditionally recruited. He's an incredibly talented player that filled a big need. I know a lot of people were upset about Taylor Thomas decommitting, but the truth is that Utah only had two spots for running backs, and the Utes probably would have taken Williams over Thomas anyway. His commitment had been a long time in the making.
- Tarzan Smith is the prime example of why you don't burn bridges with a kid when they decommit. When a kid decommits from a school, they almost never recommit. But that's happened to the Utes twice this year (Cory Butler and Tarzan). When Tarzan decided he didn't want to be at ASU, Utah was a natural place to look. Yes, in a way he kind of fell into the Utes' laps, but they had done a TON of groundwork during his junior season, so when he opened things up it was an easy decision to look at Utah.
- Paulo came as a result of a few things. First, Harding is a very solid recruiter. Kids like him and they relate to him. Second, the players and school made a big impression on Paulo and his family. The fact that Utah is close enough to drive to from Sacramento, and plays away games in Cali, along with a healthy Polynesian contingent on the team were enough to sell Paulo on Utah, even though he had some major programs after him still.
- As far as predictions go, I still think Togiai will be a Ute - although I'm not confident at all in that prediction. I think Wilson sticks too, but I'm not confident in that either. I think Hawkins will go to ASU, but a Utah decision wouldn't surprise me at all. Is it a copout to say all three are coin flips? Perhaps. But that's how I see them. It's very possible that Utah loses all three. It's also possible that they land all three. I think it will be a mix.
- Even if the Utes miss on all three remaining recruits, it's still a pretty solid class and I think the Utah coaches finished strong. When you look at the commit list on December 1st as compared to now, you have to like how the two lists compare. This class could have been a total disaster, but the Ute coaches rallied, worked their tails off, and did a great job selling kids.
- I personally don't expect any real signing day surprises. I've heard a couple of rumors about certain kids coming into play, but at this point I tend to immediately dismiss them as little more than misinformation or wishful thinking. I am excited for 24 hours from now when most of the fallout from signing day should be wrapped up.
Feel free to post comments, questions or predictions in the thread below.
