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St. George

Advertising how Southern Utah University students can develop their career skills, the school markets itself with a theme of "SUU to Everywhere."

For some prominent alumni, a recent audition became a case of SUU to Desert Hills High School. Adaptability is part of the Thunderbird education, explaining how the football program moved its recent Pro Day from Cedar City to St. George. The strategy worked. Higher temperatures enabled the stars of SUU's 2016 NFL Draft class to perform well in front of 20 scouts, further positioning themselves as history-making players.

SUU safety Miles Killebrew and defensive end/linebacker James Cowser have made some Top 100 projections, so they could be selected in the first three or four rounds, and cornerback LeShaun Sims is expected to be taken late in the April 28-30 draft. That's a remarkable convergence for a program that claims one previous NFL pick, quarterback Brad Sorensen — who transferred from BYU.

Those three defensive players have become bonded through nearly 140 collective starts in four seasons. "The camaraderie we had on our team was incredible," Killebrew said.

Having enough prospects to stage their own Pro Day was a breakthrough for the Thunderbirds. Cowser, who's from Davis High School, once figured he would join Utah or Utah State for an in-state session. As he warmed up for a 40-yard dash last week, Cowser found himself thinking, "Whoa, this our Pro Day. This is SUU, right here."

How did it happen? SUU's coaching staff found players who were overlooked by bigger schools, developed them over five years and showcased them in a program that won the 2015 Big Sky Conference championship. Those players helped their defensive coordinator get a promotion — head coach Demario Warren was hired as Ed Lamb's replacement in January — and have created an identity for the school that makes it "a lot easier to recruit," Warren said.

SUU's Ammon Olsen, another BYU transfer quarterback, spent time in Provo with NFL draftees Ziggy Ansah and Kyle Van Noy and was impressed right away with the level of talent and commitment in Cedar City. "Watching them in the weight room was insane," Olsen said. "They were some of the strongest kids I've ever seen, and it shows in their game."

The Chuckie Keeton Quotient illustrates the SUU staff's ability to develop players. Killebrew, Cowser and Sims started as redshirt freshmen in a 2012 season opener at Utah State. Keeton, then a sophomore, completed 22 of 26 passes for 304 yards in the Aggies' 34-3 victory. Three years later, having redshirted the previous season, Keeton went 16 of 33 for 110 yards in a 12-9 win, with USU's offense failing to produce a touchdown.

Keeton never was the same player after his 2013 knee injury, but SUU's defensive players clearly improved. The NFL noticed. Utah running back Devontae Booker should become the state's first player drafted. Killebrew and Cowser join USU linebacker Kyler Fackrell in the next tier. Among Utah high school products, Cowser is competing with BYU's Bronson Kaufusi, Utah's Jason Fanaika and USU's Nick Vigil for the top selection, after those schools offered him only walk-on opportunities.

"There's a similar challenge for both SUU and BYU," said Lamb, now a BYU assistant. "The expectations are higher than our ability to recruit. We have to find guys that other schools are undervaluing."

Cowser received only one FBS scholarship offer, from Air Force, in his Davis High School days. Other recruiters wondered where he would play in a college scheme. Now that he knows the end of the story, Cowser can joke about having been "a 210-pound nose tackle" and agree with those evaluations. He thrived as a defensive end in Cedar City, becoming the FCS career leader in sacks (42.5) and tackles for loss (80).

"It's been phenomenal to watch his progress," said former Davis coach Ryan Bishop. "As he did progress, I know a lot of people said, 'Wow!' "

Killebrew, from the Las Vegas area, broke his collarbone in kickoff coverage on the first live play of his first SUU practice. And then he tried to make a tackle on the next kickoff. "Right then," Warren said, "we knew we had a guy who had the mentality, who always knew he was going to be great."

Like Cowser, Killebrew became an outstanding student with an outgoing personality. He excelled as an engineering major and led a Bible study at his house. Sims was much more shy. SUU's coaches were shocked during an FCS playoff game in 2013 when he received a taunting penalty, because he hardly ever spoke.

Even now, "I don't talk a whole lot," Sims said. That explains why one NFL team gave Sims a personality assessment after the Pro Day workouts.

"They think he's a mystery, but just talk to him," Cowser said. "He'll open right up. He's a smart, clever, funny kid."

Sims graduated from Agassi Prep in Las Vegas, which played eight-man football until shortly before he enrolled. Because Sims played at Nevada's lowest level, another Las Vegas coach criticized Lamb for taking him over his own cornerback. A couple of years later, that coach apologized to Lamb, whose knack for discovery and development will be validated by the NFL this month. —

Utahns in the NFL draft

CBSSports.com's draft prospect rankings for players from Utah schools:

Player, school Pos. Rank Round

Devontae Booker, Utah RB 60 2/3

Kyler Fackrell, USU LB 84 3

Bronson Kaufusi, BYU DE 112 4

Miles Killebrew, SUU S 113 4

Jason Fanaika, Utah DE 114 4

Nick Vigil, USU LB 115 4

Tom Hackett, Utah P 155 5

James Cowser, SUU DE/LB 183 6

Jared Norris, Utah LB 193 6

LeShaun Sims, SUU CB 248 7

Tevin Carter, Utah S 299 7