This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Commiting a full year before Signing Day 2016 might just show Kurtis Taufa is finally maturing.
There was a time, he said, when he first came to Snow College and wasn't taking his classes seriously. Football has always come more easily to him.
But now he's spending more time in the library, and he's studying more dutifully. In part, he committed to Utah because he realized he didn't want the recruiting process to distract him from making sure he stays eligible.
That, and because Utah seemed like the right place to be.
"Coming into JC, I've gotten a little taste of the competition at the next level, and I like it," he said. "I want to make sure I'm doing the right things to get to the U."
Taufa became the fourth 2016 commitment for Utah on Wednesday, right after the frenzy of Signing Day for the 2015 class. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker has Pac-12 talent, but he just didn't have the Pac-12 grades following his prep at Lone Peak.
Snow College coach Britt Maughan sees it starting to come together for Taufa. The football side has never been a problem.
"He's one of the most athletic linebackers we've had here at Snow, and one of the best tacklers," he said. "He seemed to have something wrong with him all year, whether it was a groin or a hamstring, but he kept plugging through. He could be a really good football player."
Taufa, who is listed as Mailau Taufa on the Snow College roster, had 53 tackles including 9.5 tackles for a loss last season for the Badgers. He forced two fumbles and recovered another.
Maughan favorably compared Taufa's talent to two other Snow grads that have succeeded in the NFL following Utah careers: Star Lotulelei and Tenny Palepoi.
A huge factor in Taufa's decision was not only Utah's success with JC recruits, but also the scheme similarities between the Utes and the Badgers. Safeties coach Morgan Scalley told Taufa his role in the Utah defense will be almost the same as his role at Snow.
"The type of defense they run is almost the same as ours, so I'd be in the same situation," he said. "That's important to me."
Taufa added that he likes the home atmosphere at Utah — "the fan base is crazy, the crowd is so loud" — and Utah's coaches related well to him. Maughan said he sees Taufa as a Utah homebody who was happy to end his recruiting process early.
In academics, Maughan said Taufa's focus has narrowed in "the last few weeks," and it's good to put recruiting behind him.
"He needs to buckle down," he said. "That's a big thing a lot of people don't think about: Being recruited and loved up can sometimes almost be a detriment. He knew he wanted to be in the state of Utah, and I didn't think it was going to be anybody but Utah or BYU."
Taufa hails from Highland, and comes from a "hardcore BYU" family. That will change, he said.
"My parents are going to switch to Utah fans since that's where I'm going to play," he said. "My dad is happy I'll be continuing my education at Utah. That's what he cares most about."
Below are links to the recruits that the Tribune has reported on in the 2016 class.
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Twitter: @kylegoon