Provo » It remains to be seen what kind of impact superstar prep quarterback Jake Heaps will have on the football field for the BYU Cougars, but the product of Washington's Skyline High has already made his mark in other places.
Most notably, Heaps' fingerprints all over the recruiting class of 2010 that BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall will sign on Wednesday. Upon committing to BYU last June, Heaps became a recruiter himself, and helped lure some other highly rated prep players to Provo.
"When you look at the recruiting class that we're going to end up signing this year, a lot of it is because of him going to work to surround himself with the best players and best kids possible," Mendenhall said.
The Cougars lost one of their most prized recruits last week when they revoked a scholarship offer to defensive end Kona Schwenke of Kahuku, Hawaii, because he made recruiting visits to Notre Dame and Washington after having committed to BYU last July.
Another player who committed to BYU last August, running back Drew Phillips of Boaz, Ala., canceled a visit to Cincinnati last week when he learned doing so would put his BYU offer in jeopardy and re-affirmed his commitment to the Cougars.
The last-minute shuffling left BYU with 26 known commitments, including three players who are already in the fold because they signed scholarship agreements in December and are already enrolled at BYU so they can participate in spring ball: Heaps, his good friend Ross Apo of Arlington, Texas (a receiver) and Joshua Quezada, a running back from La Habra, Calif.
"This is the best potential class, based on talent, that we have ever had, at this point," Mendenhall said in early January.
Those who rate recruiting classes across the country agree.
Scout.com ranks BYU's class as the 21st best in the country.
Rivals.com calls BYU's recruiting class the best in the Mountain West Conference, but has the Cougars ranked just 37th.
One difference is that Scout.com has always had a higher opinion of Heaps than Rivals. com, although Rivals does rank Heaps as the best "pro-style" quarterback in the land.
ESPN.com puts BYU's class at No. 24 in the country.
Schools are allowed to hand out only 25 new scholarships per year; BYU's is higher than that because several players who sign on Wednesday are expected to leave on two-year LDS Church missions before enrolling and won't count against the 25 limit. There are also a few each year that don't qualify academically, Mendenhall said, although his staff has worked hard to limit that number after being burned by a few academic casualties the past few years.
"There is less risk in this class than any that we have taken in terms of not only conduct, but mission choice changes, etc.," Mendenhall said. "So this will be as tight as it has ever been."
Along with offensive stars Heaps and Apo, the other keys to this class appear to be defensive end Bronson Kaufusi of nearby Timpview High, son of BYU defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi; Zach Stout, a linebacker from Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif., and Stout's prep teammate, outside linebacker Alani Fua.
The Cougars apparently will not sign a single junior college transfer, although they looked hard for a safety to replace a void when projected 2010 starter Shiloah Te'o was kicked off the team last fall.
