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Show Thursday, PAIIY February 7, 2008 HERALD BS FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY BYU Football Continued from Bl MendenhaD provided statistics for fans to chew on: Of BYUs 22 starters in 2007, 14 of them were unranked by the nation's recruiting services coming out of high school. The eight who were ranked averaged 2.5 stars (out of five). Also, Mendenhall said the recruiting process identified 40 recruits that met the school's selection criteria: A Division I athlete with high ecclesiastical and academic standards. "We had more than we needed," he said. One of those players BYU worked hard to get was r (Calif.) linebacker Uona recruit Kaveinga, a four-sta- r who made an oral commitment during his visit to BYU in January, At the signing day event, Mendenhall acknowledged one more commitment might be coming. But Wednesday evening on live television, Kaveinga instead chose USC, which had been hot after his tra il since his pledge to BYU. "It all came down to what was best for me, what was best for my parents and the school helps me become the best player 1 can be," Kaveinga said on WeAreSC.com. "My parents wanted me to go to BYU, but I wanted something else. When I went home after my official visit to USC, 1 was thinkng it was the best opportunity for me. It's also closer to home and my family can see me play." Leuz-inge- Another top prospect considering BYU, Hemet (Calif.) offensive lineman Hamani Stevens, had BYU in his top three but eventually chose ' Oregon. BYU had 19 commitments by last August, so most of the names on the 2008 list are familiar to Cougar fans. One Mt. San Antonio College (Calif.) defensive end Bernard Afutiti was a late addition. Afutiti is a defensive lineman with exceptional quickness. "We knew him when he graduated from high school as a linebacker," Mendenhall said. "He went on a mission and has grown physically into a defensive end position. AH through the process he's been working hard academically." Mendenhall indicated four of this year's recruits have yet to qualify academically for BYU. "We could get two of the four, but we're hoping all four can make it," he said. Atem Bol, a receiver from Dallas, Texas, is from the Su-- : dan and Mendenhall said while his core class work is exceptional, his language skills have made testing difficult. "If I hope anyone can make it, it's Atem," he said. Mendenhall also acknowl- . edged the Cougars didn't get everyone they wanted. BYU Football 2008 signees (Including mid-ye- BERNARD recruits; indicates number of stars) AFUTITI, dl, 60, 260, Mt. San Antonio College, Fontana, Calif. MICHAEL AUSA, Provo, Utah, Ibrb, 220, Timpview HS, 6-- ' KEVIN BILLS, lb, ATEM BOL, wr, Timpview HS, Provo, Utah. 200, L.D. Bell HS, Hurst. Texas. 63, 225, 62, JERRY BRUNER, Vancouver, Wash. rblb, 62, 225, 63, 208, HS. COLEBY CLAWSON. Harmony (Fla.) COMER, db, 61, 185, Springville (Utah) te, 66, 230, Bingham HS, South Jordan, Utah. T0LU M0ALA, lb, rance, Calif. 65, 315, 61, 230, JAKE MURPHY, wr, El Rio Linda (Calif.) HS. Camino College, 215, American 6-- Tor- Fork (Utah) HS. GARETT NICHOLSON, 180, West HS, Salt db, Lake City, Utah. SETA POHAHAU, rb, 611, 205, Aragon HS, San Mateo, Calif. I0NA PRITCHARD, Jordan, Utah. lb, 60, 220, Bingham HS, South DANIEL S0RENSEN, db, JUSTIN SORENSEN, k, 62, 195, Colton (Calif.) HS 62, 220, Bingham HS, South Jordan, Utah. BROCK STRINGHAM, ol, HS. Highlands Ranch, Colo. JESSE TAUF1, ol, Long Beach, Calif.; SHILOAH TE'O, MICHAEL YECK, ' 66, 280, 65, 320, Mountain Vista Interest Continued from Bl Stewart's desire to serve a r LDS mission after his freshman season. "That pushed me down on two-yea- people's lists for schools," the senior said. "But I think if a team wanted me enough, they'd be willing to doit." After mulling over options to go to schools like Weber State or Snow College, Stewart eventually decided to walk on at BYU and see what happens. "I know this is what 1 want to do; I just wish I had a scholarship," he explained. "I've always followed BYU, so playing there would be a dream come true." But the lack of opportunities still frustrates the Timber-wolves. "I'm disappointed that we weren't able to come up with a Division I scholarship opportunity for him," Molan said. "He's got preferred walk-ostatus, but he could've done that just about anywhere. "We're coming to the realization that if you don't attract attention by your junior year, it's too late by your senior year. Everyone is out of scholn arships." Stewart said that if the TWolves had used the same offense during his entire time in high school, he would've been better known. "I wish we'd run the spread offense all four years," he said. "The switch during my junior Gadsden decided to stay close to home and join the Crimson Tide. "We have a significant number of needs because we lack dept h on our team almost at every position," Saban said. "We were able to across the board attract some good players at just about every position." National champion LSU will need to reload fast just to stay on top of the Southeastern Conference. Aside from Alabama, Florida and Georgia added highly touted recruiting d classes to their already bally-hooe- Long Beach City College, r s, 611, 190, Kuhuku (Hawaii) HS. ol, 67, 260, Keller (Texas) HS. 0 ST. no-ne- - chose Utah)." Despite coming off lackluster seasons, Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama along with Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma came away with the top recruiting classes Wednesday, the first day of the national signing period for high school football players. "It's a statement about tradition," said Allen Wallace, the national recruiting editor for Scout.com and publisher of SuperPrep magazine: "It's the hardest thing to get and it's the hardest to kill." Terrelle Pryor broke with tradition and decided to put d off his big decision. The high school quarterback from Western Pennsylvania, who has been compared to ' Vince Young, Tiad Ohio State and Michigan at the top of his list but now wants to give Oregon and Perm State a better look. Rarely does a major recruit not announce on the first day. "I'd like to take more time and be fair to all the coaches that recruited me, who spent a lot of time recruiting me," Pryor said during a conference at Jeannette High School that must have left Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez exasperated. For Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, signing day went much better than the 2007 season, when the most storied program in college football finished Still, Weis was able to lure some of the best prospects in the country to South Bend, Ind. "It's still Notre Dame," said PRESS -- 62, 220, Connell (Wash.) HS. 61, 311. Snow Junior College S0L0M0NE KAFU, dl, players, is a sign Saban is starting to reclaim the state from coach Tommy Tuberville and the Tigers. x "They completely clobbered Auburn," said analyst Tom Lemming from CSTV. Alabama's class was strong heading into signing day and then got even better when Julio Jones, a wide receiver from Foley considered one of the best players in the nation, and ASSOCIATED 3-- SPENCER HADLEY, lb, TEVITA HOLA, dt, recruiting analyst Bobby Burton of Rivals.com, which had Alabama's class No. 1 and All those ugly losses didn't Notre Dame's No. 2. "At the stop Notre Dame from landing same time when a team is a beauty of a recruiting class. highly ranked kids see an opSame goes for Miami. portunity to play right away." The Fighting Irish class And while Alabama's first season under Nick Saban was includes a five-sta- r prospect so-sat quarterback (Dayne Crist . the first Crimson Tide from Sherman Oaks, Calif.), recruiting class the $4 wide receiver (Michael Floyd coach can truly from St.Paul, Minn.) and tight call his own turned out THE de. 63, 220, Snow Junior HS. AUSTIN HOLT, winning on National Signing Day Ralph D.Russo O'NEILL CHAMBERS, wr, CAMERON Evergreen HS, d "Maybe four players that fit all of our criteria didn't choose to come to BYU," he said. "After visiting with them in their homes, I think they are where they belong. In state, there were two that didn't choose us (Timpanogos defensive tackle David Kru-ge- r and Alta running back Sausan Shakerin, who both Losses on field don't keep Miami, Alabama and Notre Dame from : . A I 3-- 9. . MCCRANKDaily Breeze STEVE Uona Kaveinga, center, a linebacker from Lawndale, Calif., end (Kyle Rudolph from Cincinnati) and plenty of defensive line help. "I think our program needed this boost," Weis said. "I think this is a significant boost the right type of players, the right type of kids and the right type of day. This is the type of day where everyone has to feel good, saying, 'What a good day."' There were few good days for Randy Shannon in his first season as Miami coach. The Hurricanes went and, like Notre Dame, suffered several embarrassingly lopsided losses. This recruiting class provides the promise of better times for the Hurricanes. Miami came away with quite a haul, much of it from the fertile South Florida area that has stocked past Miami champion-shi- p 5-- 7 teams. "Randy Shannon has been a dynamic recruiter as a head coach," Burton said. Prized defensive tackle Marcus Forston was one of eight players the Hurricanes signed from powerhouse Northwestern High School in Miami. "This class is the foundation that we're building on, a foundation that's preparing us for the next step of what we're trying to get done at the University of Miami," Shannon said. ' Saban went in his first season at Alabama and the Crimson Tide's losing streak to archrival Auburn reached six games. Tide fans are hoping this year's stellar recruiting class, made up mostly of 7-- 6 linebacker Jerrell Harris from well-stocke- rosters. . Rivals.com had Florida's class ranked third and Georgia's" sixth. LSU Was No. 11, As usual, Oklahoma mined talent rich Texas to put together another top recruiting class. The Sooners' three highest rated players defensive end R.J. Washington, running back Jermie Calhoun and offensive lineman Stephen Good all played high school football in Texas. The Sooners' class was ranked fifth by Rivals. Southern California coach Pete Carroll has been the king of recruiting since he took over the Trojans in 2001, consistently landing classes ranked in the top two or three nationally, USC was 10th according to Rivals.com, but don't think the Trojans have slipped. Their ranking was held down because they signed only 18 players, while : most teams inked at least 20. Alabama and Miami both signed 33. -- announced Wednesday night he will play for USC, not BYU. BYU didn't recruit a quarterback in the Class Of 2008. "We felt like we didn't need one and had adequate players at that position," Mendenhall said. "We get (starter) Max Hall and (backup) Brenden Gaskins for two more years and (returned missionary) Stephen Covey will be our third quarterback." Timpanogos quarterback Christian Stewart is expected in the fall. Two to walk-oJason other quarterbacks will Munns and James Lark serve LDS missions and return n in 2010. Cougar Club members were treated to a video of this year's recruits, reacting to big hits "We're coming to the realization that if you don't attract attention by your junior year, it's too late by your senior year. Everyone is out of scholarships." from Jerry Bruner (Vancouver, Wash.) and Shiloah Te'o (Laie, Hawaii) and a interception by O'Neill Chambers (Harmony, Fla.). But they outright applauded - twice for Bingham kicker Justin Sorensen when he d kickoff and blasted a field goaL a "Justin Sorensen will play here in the fall and leave on a one-hand- 1st Annual Utah Valley Marathon -r- 104-yar- d Online Registration at www.active.com Mendenhall mission said, "and I think we're all happy about that." mid-year- I Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be 5 or reached at at ddickson by heraldextra.com 344-255- year has signing-da- y with multiple athletes going to D-- I schools. "I think one thing we do well at is evaluating talent," said Thunderbird head coach Louis Wong. "We put kids in position to where they'll get a better (In Search $1000 Grand Prize for Men's and Women's Champion look." '"mi Wong also said that he isn't the type of coach that is out there trying to get his players noticed. "I tell the parents in our coach that my job is to help football head meetings Timpanogos the kids at the skill level," he explained. "If coaches ask me about players, I'll give them a was big disadvantage year because I didn't have as good my opinion, but I see it as the of a year." parents' job to shop their kids . around and some have done a Not only did he have to deal with the frustration of limited very good job." Molan pointed out that while interest, Stewart also had seen coaches want to do everything the way schools had recruited teammate and fellow senior they can to get kids on to the David Krugar, who signed as a next level, their first responsilineman with Utah on Wednes- bility is to the team. "It's not an individual sport," day. he said. "You look at that be"It was disappointing because you want kids to be able cause I had to make stuff to while to out name there go on and get scholarships, get my but you take care of the team Krugar didn't have to," Stewand hope those other things art said. workout." Molan said that unless playStewart explained that his ers have the size and speed to young players that advice are for, looking they colleges have to be on the radar as might have a chance to go to the next level is to start early. sophomores and juniors or "You need to work retrouble. in they're "It's about luck and timing," ally hard as a freshman and the Timberwolf head coach sophomore," he said. "You said. "In Utah, you also need to also need to get your name have BYU or Utah after you or out there (particularly by goDivision I schools ing to camps and combines) for Brad Molan won't be interested." Being extremely successful doesn't hurt, either. Timpview has won three out of the last four 4A state titles and every before and during your junior year." I Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloydheraldextra.com. tab type Utah Marathon) flttah VtlUty Marathon 4 Course Map Date: Saturday April 1 2th 2008 Time: 6:00 am Cost: $45 All Proceeds tun. go to Primary Children's Hospital! Transportation Provided from Timpview High School to Start Deadline to sign up is April 3rd 1H7 ft ""TYTff"' Jt Sjftmlly foods |