By the end of last season, it became apparent where the biggest weakness was on the Utah football team. Or have you forgotten how many yards those BYU and Wisconsin running backs piled up in the final two games of the season?
So it makes sense that the Utes have recruited hard to shore up the D-line and the linebacking corps for 1997. As many as 10 of approximately 25 recruits the Utes will sign to letters of intent Wednesday will be players at those two positions.Wednesday is the first day colleges are allowed to sign players to national letters of intent. Coaches are prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting on recruits until they are signed, but Utah coach Ron McBride talked generally about his prospects.
"We're really going to help ourselves in the defensive line and at linebacker positions," said McBride. "Defensive line was a priority as was linebacker and if we get certain players it will be a real plus. We're also going to fill in at a couple of key spots, such as offensive line."
Besides going heavy on the defense, the Utes have concentrated on Utah preps and should sign more local players than they have in more than a decade.
The Utes expect to sign 11 Utah preps, in what is being called a banner year for Utah high school players. BYU will sign a similar number of local players, including several that the Utes would dearly loved to have.
"It's a very good year in Utah - we took as many players as we could," said McBride.
As of Monday, 11 Utah preps had made verbal commitments, already reported in this paper. Those players include Jason Kaufusi TE, East; Sione Pouha, DL, East; Jason Fullmer, DL, Jordan; Max Peterson, OL, Morgan; Andre Dyson, DB, Clearfield; Matt Hansen, TE, Mountain Crest; Taz Decker, OL, Dixie; Makai Aalona, OL, Cottonwood; Zach Hancuff, DB, Hunter, Cory Jones, LB, North Summit and Adam Smith, a defensive lineman from Skyline.
The Utes also hope to sign several players from Hawaii, which has been a fertile recruiting ground for them in recent years (Chris Ma'afala, Kautai Olevao, Darnell Arceneux, among others). They've already received verbal commitments from Wes Tufaga, the co-defensive player of the year in Hawaii and Maake Kemoeatu, a big defensive lineman.
Utah also hopes to sign Tafiti Uso, a wide receiver who is also considering Stanford, and Ed Taamu, a 6-1, 300-pound defensive lineman being pursued by Colorado and Washington State.
One of the biggest catches for the Utes if they can get him would be Thomas Fortune, a running back from Colorado Springs, who is being courted by Nebraska and Notre Dame.
According to a writer in Colorado, Fortune is a "big, raw talent," who is strong enough to excel at throwing the shot put and fast enough that he anchored his 4x100 relay team.
The Utes will also sign a few JC transfers and already have one in school - offensive lineman Lewis Park, a 6-3, 295-pounder from Mt. Sac JC.
Unlike past years, the Utes didn't go too far from home for its recruits. McBride said most of them will be from the west - California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico along with Hawaii and Utah. In recent years the Utes have gone to places like Florida, Virginia and Texas for recruits.
McBride said the Utes should sign a pair of good wide receivers and defensive backs, but didn't go after any quarterbacks this year. As many as seven of the Utah recruits will leave on LDS missions before they ever play for Utah, but they will be replaced by a similar number of returning missionaries.