This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
On the heels of a resounding win over Oregon, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham promised his coaches would be out on the road this weekend, looking to capitalize on the recruiting trail.
Those efforts provided early returns on Thursday afternoon: Nevada receiver R.J. Hubert and California linebacker Alema Pilimai both committed to the Utes as sign-and-send recruits.
In an extra bonus for Utah, both were being recruited by southern rival BYU.
Hubert is a 6-foot, 180-pound receiver from Moapa Valley High. He was considering offers from Army, Nevada, NAU and Weber State, and interest from BYU. Rating at three stars on Rivals and 247 Sports, Hubert caught 49 passes for 964 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, according to Maxpreps.
Pilimai, at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, is a former teammate of Utah freshman receiver Saiosi Wilson from Tustin High School. The three-star recruit is rated the No. 65 outside linebacker in the nation by Rivals, No. 85 by Scout. He had reported offers from BYU, Washington State, Oregon State and Utah State. It's worth noting that Pilimai was first offered by the Beavers after Kalani Sitake moved to OSU, according to The Oregonian.
Neither Hubert nor Pilimai were immediately available for comment on Thursday afternoon.
They are the 19th and 20th recruits that the Tribune has reported on joining the 2016 class (though both technically will go on LDS Church missions). Links to the Tribune's other recruiting stories on known Utah football commits below.
2016:
2017:
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