When players are passing on teams like BYU, Baylor, Iowa and Boise State for the chance to play football for Southern Utah University, it can only mean good things are happening in Cedar City.
"That program is going nowhere but up," said Snow College wide receiver Ameen Shaheen, who signed to play at SUU on Wednesday.
Shaheen was one of six junior college players to sign with the T-Birds.
Snow College's Gordon Reid (running back)) and Mike Palefau (cornerback), along with linemen Mike Knight and Joel Butler (Dixie State) and cornerback David Zelasko (Phoenix College), also signed with SUU coach Gary Andersen.
"Spring practice just got that much more competitive," Andersen said. "We expect every one of them to come in and compete for a starting job."
All six will enter school in January and begin preparations for spring drills.
As of last week, Shaheen was still considering BYU, but promises there fell through.
"It was pretty frustrating the way (BYU) handled the situation," Shaheen said. " . . . I reflected on the way I was treated by SUU and they showed me how I would fit into the program."
As a two-year starter for the Badgers, Shaheen had 74 catches for just less than 1,000 yards. Reid, also a two-year starter, averaged seven yards a carry, and Palefau, a two-year starter, is one of the top defensive backs in the Western States Football League. Behind those three, the Badgers beat Georgia Military in the Garden Isles Bowl in early December and vaulted to No. 4 in the nation.
Butler and Knight were both two-year starters for the Rebels. Knight was hampered by a late knee injury and missed the 14-10 NJCAA national championship game loss to Butler. The Rebels finished third in the nation.
Zelasko is also considered one of the top defensive backs in the WSFL along with Palefau.
After finishing just 1-10 in 2002, the T-Birds posted a 4-7 mark in Andersen's first year.
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com