Utes get pledge from Cali OL Keven Dixon; RB Taylor Thomas switches commitment to Oregon State

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As signing day creeps closer and each team tries to offer its 25 initial scholarships to the best possible players, Utah picked up a pledge from one recruit and lost one from another Monday afternoon.

Buena Park, California offensive lineman Keven Dixon Jr., who stands 6-foot-6 and is rated three stars by Rivals, became Utah's fourth commitment in just a few days, after Chris Hart, Tyson Cisrow and Deniko Carter announced their intentions over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Florida running back Taylor Thomas tweeted that he will attend Oregon State, where former primary Utah recruiter Kalani Sitake became defensive coordinator over the holidays.

Oregon State promises to be a thorn in Utah's side not only because of connections to current Utah prospects, but a staff of eight coaches — led by former Utah defensive coordinator and Utah State head coach Gary Andersen — with strong Utah ties.

It is worth noting that in speaking broadly about recruiting earlier this month, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said that decommitments aren't always what they seem on the face.

Unspoken there, perhaps, is that sometimes a team may decide to stop pursuing a recruit.

Hawaii athlete Tuly Wily-Matagi chose to go to Oregon State instead of the U. not because of his close relationship with Sitake, he told The Tribune earlier this month, but because it allowed him to be closer to family who could help care for his 1-year-old daughter.

Over the weekend, 2017 Bingham defensive end Langi Tuifua told The Oregonian that he intends to decommit from the U., where Sitake and former defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki were his recruiters, and has received interest from Oregon State.

Immediate attempts to contact Dixon and Thomas were unsuccessful.

The list of current Utah football commits that The Tribune has reported on includes:

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2015

• California S Philip Afia

• Florida CB/WR Chris Barr

• Brighton S/OLB Cody Barton

• California RB Marcel Brown

• California CB Cory Butler

• Arizona OL Nick Carman

• California WR Deniko Carter

• Florida S Tyson Cisrow