This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The cost of Utah's month without a coordinator was, so the story goes, immeasurable.
On Monday, the Utes announced the hiring of John Pease and the promotions of Aaron Roderick and Jim Harding, but the damage, it's said, was already done.
Was it really, though?
Sure, Utah lost ace recruiter Kalani Sitake and in-state contact Ilaisa Tuiaki, who then helped persuade onetime Utah targets Christian Folau, Taylor Thomas and Tuli Wily-Matagi to attend Oregon State.
But coordinator-less Utah has received commitments from 11 players in the past month alone.
Two of those — Chris Hart and Tyson Cisrow — are from Florida, where Sitake was a heavy hitter, but where Utah running backs coach Dennis Erickson is a local legend. And two more — James Empey and Britain Covey — hail from the Beehive State, where Utah coaches made a concerted push in mid-January.
Kyle Whittingham repeatedly told media that recruiting was his top priority, and that if he had to take his time to make the right coaching hires, so be it.
Well, Signing Day is Wednesday, and though Utah's class ranked just 10th in the Pac-12 according to both Rivals (which has them 41st nationally) and Scout (48th), prior to Monday night's commitment from Sacramento offensive tackle Darrin Paulo, Whittingham and his staff carry significant momentum into the final 24 hours.
They can improve those rankings further by landing one or more of the following:
1. Hunter tight end/small forward Noah Togiai • Togiai would be a coup for Larry Krystkowiak's Runnin' Utes, who would get a scholarship-caliber player for free, because he'd count toward the football team's allotted 85. He's weighing dual-sport offers at both Utah and Oregon State, where head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle is a former Krystkowiak assistant and head football coach Gary Andersen worked under Whittingham.
2. California wideout Jaylinn Hawkins • A four-star receiver, per Rivals, Hawkins' family visited Utah on an unofficial visit over the weekend, following Hawkins' official visit in September. He's said to also be weighing ASU, Cal and Boise State — all of which he visited, according to his Rivals profile.
3. Salem Hills athlete Porter Gustin • Gustin, an outside linebacker, was paid visits last week by USC head coach Steve Sarkisian, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham, and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. Saturday, Gustin posed in Columbus with Meyer and the first-ever College Football Playoff championship trophy. Nonetheless, he recently told The Tribune that Utah has a shot after a recent official visit. Tuesday at 11 a.m., the five-star inside linebacker announces his decision at Salem Hills High.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Key Ute recruits
Philip Afia • Safety, 6-2/190, Chino Hills, Calif.; former soccer player also punted and kicked in high school.
Marcel Brown • Running back, 6-0/212, Sacramento, Calif.; mentored by former Utah running back Marty Johnson.
Johnny Capra • Offensive tackle, 6-5/282, Auburn, Calif.; lost to Brown's Rio Linda team in state playoffs.
Kyle Fulks • Wide receiver/cornerback, 5-9/175; Brenham, Texas; JUCO speedster ran a 10.21 100 in high school.
Chad Hekking • Athlete, 6-4/218 ; Vacaville, Calif.; after mission, brother of Nevada's Brock could play variety of positions.