A lot has happened on the Utah football recruiting front in recent weeks, and according to experts, a lot more could be in store for the final weeks leading up to national letter of intent day on Feb. 4.
Utah currently has 21 players committed, according to rivals.com, four short of the new NCAA-mandated maximum of 25 signees. The number of commitments has ebbed and flowed quite a bit recently due to some previously committed prospects electing to go elsewhere, coupled with an influx of new commitments.
The two decommitments (Taylor Thomas and Tuli Wily-Matagi) switched their pledges to Oregon State just weeks after defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki left the Utes for coaching spots with the Beavers.
The losses hurt, but were far from devastating, according to Dan Sorensen, publisher of Utezone.com.
"I know some people are making a big deal of losing recruits to Oregon State, but the impact is really quite minimal," Sorensen said. "Yes, they were nice players, but hardly guys who will make or break a recruiting class. In their place Utah has committed some really promising players and will likely commit some more."
Recent commitments for Utah include linebacker Christopher Hart and defensive back Tyson Cisrow, both out of south Florida powerhouse Saint Thomas Aquinas High. Offensive linemen Keven Dixon (Buena Vista, California) and Johnny Capra (Auburn, California) and receiver Deniko Carter (Gilroy, California) also recently pledged to sign with the Utes.
Dixon, Capra and Carter help address what Sorensen believes is Utah's biggest need for 2015.
"Utah needed to get some offensive tackles and some more skill-position players, but overall there's a lot returning from last year's team," he said. "So you're always looking for depth, but there really isn't a pressing need for a lot of these guys to come in and contribute immediately."
Utah is expected to return as many as 16 players who saw starting time on last season's 9-4 team that saw a breakthrough in Pac-12 play. That success in conference play has been well-noted by prospects.
"Utah being so competitive this year definitely helped my commitment," said defensive back prospect Quinn Fabrizio (Alta High), who committed in late November. "It's exciting knowing I'll be joining a team that can play with the best in the conference."
"I've always been a Utah guy, but it makes it that much sweeter knowing I'll join a program that is coming off such a good season," added fellow defensive back commit Cody Barton (Brighton High). "I'm so excited to go up there and get going."
The hope from now until NLI day for Utah is to reel in at least a couple of big names who are still in play. According to Sorensen those prospects include the following four-star prospects: receiver Jaylinn Hawkins (Buena Vista, California), linebacker Porter Gustin (Salem Hills High), and linebacker Christain Folou (East High). Others that could commit soon include American Fork offensive lineman James Empey and linebacker JayJay Wilson (Valencia, California), among others.
"Utah's class really isn't complete," Sorensen said. "These last few weeks are going to be as active as it's ever been since I started covering Utah recruiting. There's some guys Utah is still in play for that could really push this class over the top. It should be fun."
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney