PROVO — Raider Damuni was the first and it’s been a relative deluge ever since for top Timpview football prospects.
Damuni is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete who was first offered by BYU while he was in the eighth grade. Since then he’s received offers from many other notable programs, such as Utah, Nebraska and Wisconsin, and is considering all of them, while still claiming his prior commitment to the Cougars.
If you want to know who exactly is offering, check out his Twitter handle (https://twitter.com/raiderdamuni) where the three-star prospect frequently updates who has offered him a scholarship.
Damuni has also made a habit of retweeting the offers announced by his teammates, of which are several who have received loads of attention.
Take Timpview linebacker Logan Fano, who like Damuni was offered early by BYU before formally decommitting and opening up his recruitment. Graded a three-star prospect by the 24/7 Sports Network, the 6-4, 220-pound Fano has even surpassed Damuni with recruiting attention — citing offers from the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington, among many others.
“Raider really started it off, and has really set a great example and tone for the rest of our players to follow,” said Timpview coach Andy Stokes. “Logan, too, was offered very early and he’s helped set that example of what it takes to get noticed and get all that attention. If they didn’t work hard, and still got all the attention they’ve been getting, then that wouldn’t be the greatest thing for our team. It would be a negative, to be honest.”
Other top Timpview prospects include defensive lineman Howie Iongi, a new arrival to Timpview who claims offers from top programs like Texas A&M, Utah and LSU as a 6-2, 285-pound freshman defensive tackle.
Then there’s tight end Carsen Ryan, a sophomore 6-4, 235-pound junior tight end who holds offers from BYU, Arizona State and Nebraska among others, with several more likely on the way. Add Targhee Lambson, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound, junior running back, who has received offers from BYU, Colorado State and New Mexico, and it’s easy to see why Timpview is receiving so many visits from college recruiters.
“The guys getting the most attention are the guys who work the hardest, and that’s no accident. It’s been so great for our team to see guys like Raider and Logan set forth the examples they have to follow. They can see the opportunities that can open up for them firsthand, and it’s making us a better team because of it.” — Timpview coach Andy Stokes
“We have a lot more guys who are going to start getting serious looks — young guys who are just freshmen and sophomores right now, and it’s great for them,” Stokes said. “The attention Raider and Logan, and then some of the others are getting, is going to pay off big for a lot of these younger guys, and they know it.”
Football skills aside, Stokes believes the one quality his top players possess that sets them apart is work ethic.
“The guys getting the most attention are the guys who work the hardest, and that’s no accident,” Stokes said. “It’s been so great for our team to see guys like Raider and Logan set forth the examples they have to follow. They can see the opportunities that can open up for them firsthand, and it’s making us a better team because of it.”
Of course, putting in the work has been complicated with the social distancing restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, although Stokes believes his players are doing the best they can.
“Education is the most important thing for all of them right now, so that’s the main focus right now, and really is at any time” Stokes said. “We outline individual workouts for them to keep at — we’re doing everything we can. They’re impatient — we all are, but this is a time when the truly strong work to get through this and will hopefully become stronger because of it.”