This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It's not every day (lately, anyway) that BYU beats out the likes of Ohio State, UCLA and Arizona State for a football recruit. But that is apparently what happened Monday morning, as towering offensive lineman Kieffer Longson of San Ramon (Dougherty High) Calif. picked BYU over offers from those national powers and others.

"I would like to thank my family, friends and coaches who have made a difference in my life," Longson wrote on Twitter. "I am committing to BYU!"

Longson, 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, is given four stars by Scout.com and three stars by Rivals.com. Scout ranks him as the No. 34 offensive tackle in the country, and No. 4 at that position in California.

Longson told Scout he plans to go on an LDS Church mission after he graduates from Dougherty and will enroll at BYU in 2017.

Longson narrowed his choices to UCLA, Utah, Ohio State and BYU in October, and many believed he would commit to UCLA because he talked openly about wanting an offer from the Bruins earlier this fall.

He told Scout.com that BYU offensive line coach Garett Tujague was the school's lead recruiter for his services, and that he has family at BYU and was more comfortable there than anywhere else.

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There was other recruiting news last week and last weekend:

* Stansbury High safety Zayne Anderson committed to BYU after having previously pledged to Utah State. The 6-3, 195-pound Anderson is rated as the No. 2 safety prospect in Utah by Scout.com.

* Washington State running back Squally Canada announced he is transferring to BYU. Canada, who played high school football in Milpitas, Calif., and was a four-star recruit, will have to sit out a year, per NCAA transfer rules, and will be a sophomore in 2016.