PROVO — This recruiting season, BYU's football staff targeted speed on both sides of the ball.
Coach Gary Crowton will hold a news conference in conjunction with a national letter of intent signing day event with the Cougar Club today at noon at LaVell Edwards Stadium. He's expected to detail a class that includes receivers, defensive backs and linebackers who have shown a penchant for quickness on film, the field and stop watch. The official Cougar recruit list for 2004 will be announced today.
Receiver Todd Watkins, already on campus after transferring from a California community college, posted a 40-yard dash time of less than 4.3 seconds at a Nike camp last summer.
The list of BYU recruits signed today will include at least 10 junior-college transfers, four of whom are already enrolled in school.
It remains to be seen if all players committed to sign at BYU will actually qualify with core classes, tests or associate degrees. In this regard, the Cougars are playing a numbers game, over-signing some positions to shore up against any exclusions, such as defensive back Walt Williams, a signee a year ago who never made it to Provo.
The Cougars could sign as many as five wide receivers today. That group will join three mid-year junior-college transfer receivers already enrolled and participating in conditioning drills. Other signees include two quarterbacks, three offensive linemen, two defensive ends, five defensive backs, a pair of linebackers and defensive linemen and one running back.
The signees will include a trio of Utah's best prep stars in Hunter lineman Ray Feinga, who was Mr. Football (Deseret Morning News); Box Elder tight end and defensive end Matt Putnam; and Isley Filiaga, a defensive lineman from Timpanogos.
The most noted receiver is junior college all-American Watkins (Grossmont) from San Diego, who is in school and already turning heads, according to another mid-year transfer, quarterback Jason Beck (College of the Canyons). Two high school receivers who have committed to sign, Austin Collie (El Dorado, Calif.) and Michael Reed (Baytown, Texas) were listed as the top receivers in their respective divisions in California and Texas.
Watkins, Mississippi's Michael Morris (Itawana) and Riley Weber (Glendale) have been working out in 7-on-7 conditioning drills with Beck and other Cougar quarterbacks.
"They are going to be great," Beck said. "They are fast, athletic and have something extra BYU isn't used to, according to the players who've been here. I have been very impressed with the receivers I've thrown to. If they learn the system and execute, I'm sure they will make an impact."
Quarterback Matt Berry, who is nursing a broken hand, said he was also impressed with the three junior-college receivers BYU added. "What they're doing is making the others push harder," Berry said.
Beck said he was surprised at how much support and cooperation he has received from the other quarterbacks in BYU's program.
"I didn't expect that, and it's been nice because it's made it easy for me," he said. "I'm trying to learn the system. It's a lot like what I'm used to, only more complicated."
Beck said the major shock to his system has been BYU's conditioning program under coach Jay Omer.
"It is so far beyond what I've ever experienced in my life," he said. "I didn't really lift weights that much before I came here, but now I'm working out every muscle I have in my arms, shoulders, legs and just all over. I was so sore after the first two weeks, I could hardly walk. I've worked body parts I didn't know I had. I recovered a little during that three-day weekend when I got a little rest."
The Cougars went heavily to the JC ranks and got juco all-American caliber transfers in Watkins, Foothill linebacker Justin Luettgerodt and defensive tackle Vince Feula (Cerritos via University of Arizona). A pair of Watkins' teammates, receiver Joe Griffin and defensive back Chanti Bloomer, are expected to sign.< Grossmont has historically given BYU key recruits over the years, including Casey Tiumalu, Larry Moore, K.O. Kealauluhi, Rey Brathwaite and Richard Zayas.
"With Todd, it was a matter of showing him how he could come in and make an immediate impact," said Lance Reynolds, who recruits Grossmont College. "For a junior-college player who has just two years to play two, that is very important. That is the selling point we used and he could see how he'd fit in right away.
"Todd is a talented player and a great person to be around. We're fortunate to have him in our program."
2004 BYU recruits
OL Nick Alletto
OL Nick Longshore
OL Ray Fienga
OL Terence Brown
QB Jason Beck
QB Jacob Bower
DE Matt Putnam
WR Riley Weber
WR Michael Morris
WR Joe Griffin
WR Travis Brown
WR Austin Collie
WR Michael Reed
WR Antwaun Harris
WR Todd Watkins
LB Justin Luettgerodt
LB Grant Nelson
LB Gary Lovely
LB Billy Turner
LB Karland Bennett
DB Gregory Lovely
DB Eddie Scipio
DB Billy Skinner
DB Drew Mugleston
DB Chanti Bloomer
DB Vince Feula
DL Isley Filiaga
RB B.J. Mathis
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com