Ray Feinga, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound Hunter High School offensive lineman who earned Mr. Football honors in Utah as the player of the year by The Deseret Morning News, pledged to sign to play at BYU on Sunday.
"I made the decision Sunday morning after making my official visit to BYU," said Feinga, who helped lead Hunter to an undefeated season and the state 5A title last fall.
Recruits can sign letters of intent starting Feb. 4. Feinga, a lifelong Cougar fan, is following in the footsteps of his first cousin, current Philadelphia Eagle running back Reno Mahe.
Feinga chose the Cougars over Utah and Boise State, the only schools he visited. Feinga, who was recruited by schools in the Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC, decided early he would narrow his choices to teams where his family could see him play.
"I liked the coaches . . . that was the deciding factor," Feinga said. "I had visited the campus a while ago before the new facilities were completed. It was impressive to see them now they are done."
Feinga was the focal point of Hunter's dominating smash-mouth offensive ground attack this past season.
"I bet in every critical situation this year we ran behind Ray," said Hunter coach Wes Wilcken. "And I bet 95 or 98 percent of the time, whatever we needed, we got."
The Morning News picked Feinga Mr. Football — the second Hunter player to earn the honor — because he was the most dominating player in the state, according to the award announcement feature story. David Fiefia of Hunter earned the honor in 1998.
Feinga was one of 78 seniors nationwide invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 3.
"He could've been a player who big-leagued it," said Wilcken. "When you're a two-year starter and you've already been offered scholarships, you could dog it. But he didn't. He had a real hard-working season."
E-MAIL: dharmon@desnews.com