This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utes keep talking about digging into the deep recruiting areas of the Pac-12 like California and Texas, but so far for their 2014 class they are staying close to home with six of their nine commitments coming from in-state players with East's Joe Tukuafu committing Monday. While some fans may wonder why Utah isn't landing more out-of-state guys, there is no reason to worry. Utah always makes it a priority to recruit local players first and local players have a tendency of committing earlier than out-of-state players. One Utah player the Utes would love to add to their list is Bingham tight end Dalton Schultz, who is being recruited by virtually every major program in the country. Stanford is pushing hard for the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder, so getting him to commit to Utah would be a huge get for the Utes. The Utes missed out on one sought after player when quarterback Aaron Sharp switched his commitment from Utah to Kansas State less than a day after committing to Utah, but the Utes are still in the running with a few other quarterbacks. Brandon Dawkins, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback out of Westlake Village, Calif., who also has offers from Arizona and Notre Dame, Donovan Isom, a quarterback out of Destrehan H.S. in Louisiana and Jarrett Hildreth, a quarterback out of League City, Texas are being recruited by the Utes. Isom is making an unofficial visit to Utah this week. With Sharp no longer available, Isom is a priority so the pressure is on for Utah co-offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to get a commitment from him. John Bonney, a safety out of Lamar H.S. in Texas, Jeremy Winchester, a corner out of Spring, Texas, Isaiah Johnson, a receiver out of Bryan, Texas and Mason Denley, a defensive end out of Columbus, Texas are among the others the Utes are heavily recruiting. 2014 commitmentsJackson Barton*Salt Lake City*Brighton*6-6*275*Still drawing interest from other schools despite early commitmentKyle Christiansen*Hyrum, Utah*Mountain Crest*6-4*320*Will go on a mission before joining UtesAmone Finau*Kearns*Kearns H.S.*Ath.*6-2*180*Good showing at camps helped his stock climbKenyon Frison*West Valley City*Granger H.S.*OT*6-8*290*Committed before taking a visitBobby Hartzog*Houston, Texas*Westside H.S.*CB*5-10*185*Playing receiver in high school but Utes have him pegged as a cornerAllan Havili*Tooele*Stansbury H.S.*6-4*270*DT*Highly sought after player a big get for the UtesRaelon Singleton*Crosby, Texas*Crosby H.S.*6-4*185*WR*Solid speedster also a very good blockerJoe Tukuafu*Salt Lake City*East H.S.*6-4*235*TE*Solid blocker who can also play defense - Lya Wodraska