The best thing about this monstrous Utah football recruiting Class of 2000, says coach Ron McBride, is that it addresses needs for now, and maybe for years to come.
"If we evaluated it all correctly," McBride says, "it will answer a whole bunch of questions for the next five years."
That's because Utah took 10 players bound for LDS church missions before they play, and this week it signed another bunch of players who will "grayshirt." That means they pay their own way to attend school part-time until perhaps this time next year, when they will get scholarships from a large 2001 graduating class.
Utah took more missionaries and more grayshirts than ever. Next year, the Utes won't have to frantically search for just anybody to fill those extra scholarships, because it will have grayshirts it already likes, and those players will already be accustomed to school.
The recruiting class of 2000, which began signing NCAA letters of intent on Wednesday and continued to do so Thursday, is not going to make any national Top 20 lists. Not even a Top 40 list. But it's "excellent" to McBride and staff.
With the bowl win, a 9-3 1999 record and all of Utah's physical facilities — the stadium, bubble, Smith football workout center and practice fields — McBride says, "We can attract any caliber of athlete we go after — we've got a chance."
Utah didn't get every player it recruited. It badly wanted wide receiver Keary Colbert, who signed Wednesday with Southern Cal. It sought a quarterback, running backs, linebacker, defensive back, linemen — they went elsewhere. But "elsewhere" put Utah in decent company — Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Washington State, Hawaii.
And many Utah did sign had options at Pac-10 or Big 12 schools or San Diego State or Colorado State.
For next season, McBride sees mainly a wide receiver, a couple of defensive backs and a couple of running backs and maybe a lineman or two breaking into the two-deep. The linebackers are pretty young and recruited for a bit down the road.
One local youngster McBride mentions is Hillcrest wide receiver James Neslen. At 6-foot-2, 195, he already has size and averaged 20 yards a catch as a junior. Nebraska, Notre Dame, Washington, Colorado, Stanford and Cal all showed him some interest, according to Internet recruiting sites.
Other names that could become recognizable by next season include Eastern Arizona Junior College corner Yohance Scott, a second-team All-American with five interceptions, four returned for touchdowns last season. He has 4.5 speed in the 40.
Another corner who could step in might be L.A. Harbor JC product Quincy Watkins, who claims 4.32-second 40 speed.
Running backs could include a couple of junior-college 230-pound all-conference loads. There's Chaffey (Calif.) College's Dameon Hunter, an All-Foothill Conference load who carried 33 times for 338 yards in one game. He considered Missouri and Wisconsin, according to JCFootball.Rivals.com. Also, Adam Tate of Mount San Antonio College, an All-Mission Conference selection who attended Washington after high school and made the Husky travel team. He had NCAA Clearinghouse problems and went to junior college before signing with Utah. He had 809 yards in 169 carries at Mt. San Antonio College.