This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • The 25 or so high school and junior college football prospects who will sign with BYU on Wednesday will officially be called coach Kalani Sitake's second recruiting class.
But don't be fooled. This is the first signing class with the second-year coach's personal stamp on it, because most of the recruits who signed last year were lured to BYU by Bronco Mendenhall and his staff. Assistant head coach Ed Lamb spoke to reporters on Friday about the most recent recruiting cycle, and said there's a night and day difference between this year and last, when staffers rushed to solidify commitments made to Mendenhall and fill some immediate needs with last-minute offers.
"We've been afforded the time to develop relationships and trust, and we've taken advantage of that," Lamb said.
Through Saturday night, the Cougars had received 18 commitments from high school players across the country, including prospects from Connecticut, Texas, Georgia and Hawaii. There's also the usual haul of players from Utah and California, and the annual caveat that many signees will leave on church missions this summer and won't enroll until 2019.
It doesn't appear that BYU will sign a prep quarterback on Wednesday, unless former Pine View QB Kody Wilstead counts. The 6-foot-6 Wilstead recently returned from a church mission and will join the Cougars in spring camp to compete with Tanner Mangum, Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr. for the starting job.
However, Lamb hinted that another quarterback could be heading BYU's way.
"We also have a player, I can't talk about his name right now, but we could have another quarterback that will be joining us in more of a transfer-type situation," Lamb said.
The former Southern Utah head coach said BYU is still talking to about 30 prospects right now, including 20 he considers "solid commitments" based on conversations with coaches "and the way they've used their social media accounts, etc."
There are five or so uncommitted prospects "who we feel confident about, where we are in their top two or three [final choices]," Lamb said. And then there are five or so players who "are trying to convince us that they belong here, or who we are trying to convince" to come to BYU, he added.
West Jordan's Alden Tofa, a three-star defensive end, and Westlake's Chaz Ah You, a four-star safety/receiver, were among the top prospects who made their official campus visits to BYU this weekend. Among instate prospects, the Cougars also have offers out to East High defensive end Jordan Lolohea, Hunter High defensive end Lorenzo Fauatea, Cedar High athlete Mason Fakahua and five-star Bingham High defensive tackle Jay Tufele, widely regarded as the top prospect in the state in this signing class.
Looking out of state, the Cougars are still holding out hope for four-star Iowa City, Iowa, receiver Oliver Martin and three-star offensive lineman Mo Unutoa of Kapaa, Hawaii.
"These stars that are arbitrarily awarded to the players based on any given recruiting site, these are really meaningless as far as our evaluation goes," Lamb said.
Barring some last-minute gets, this won't be one of the top signing classes ever at BYU, despite Sitake's philosophy of casting a wider net than Mendenhall ever did. Scout.com had BYU ranked No. 64 nationally on Saturday, while Rivals.com had BYU at No. 72 and 247sports.com had the Cougars at No. 71. BYU's only four-star commit, to date, is Bingham High defensive end Langi Tuifua.
Scout has BYU with 14 three-star commits, while Rivals has BYU with only six three-stars.
Lamb said immediate needs for the 2017 season, mostly to establish better depth, are at offensive line, cornerback, safety and defensive line.
"Those are areas we are looking to target and make sure that we have good representation from the signing class in those positions," Lamb said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU's 2017 class
Name Pos. Hgt/Wgt School
Jackson McChesney RB 6-0 Lone Peak HS
Committed in August of 2015, will serve LDS mission before enrolling
Isaac Rex TE 6-5/235 San Clemente (Calif.) HS
Son of former BYU tight end Byron Rex has always wanted to go to BYU
Tanner Baker DE 6-5/225 Allatoona (Ga.) HS
Also plays tight end, part of a state championship team in Georgia
Preston Lewis DE 6-2/225 Lone Peak HS
His recruitment picked up after strong showing at a camp in Seattle
Ammon Hannemann DB 6-2/190 Lone Peak HS
Younger brother of BYU starting safety Micah Hannemann
Donovan Hanna TE 6-5/230 Am. Leadership Acad. (Ariz.)
Tutored at Queen Creek (Ariz.) charter school by former BYU QB Max Hall
Ben Bywater LB 6-3/205 Olympus HS
Also plays running back, had offers from USU, AFA, Fresno State, Cornell
Tariq Buchanan WR 6-2/175 Elgin (Texas) HS
Texas speedster also plays defensive back, returns punts and kicks
Seth Willis OL 6-6/315 Newtown (Conn.) HS
Committed after attending a BYU camp last summer
Bentley Hanshaw TE 6-6/225 Moorpark (Calif.) HS
Son of former BYU offensive lineman Tim Hanshaw
Tongi Langi DB 6-1/180 Bingham HS
Brother of graduating BYU linebacker Harvey Langi
Ryan Rehkow K/P 6-4/190 Central Valley (Wash.) HS
Also had offer from Idaho, will serve church mission before enrolling
Keenan Ellis WR 6-1/170 Bonita Vista (Calif.) HS
Speedy athlete might end up playing safety for Cougars
Tyler Batty DE 6-5/220 Payson HS
Also had an offer from Princeton, will go on church mission before enrolling
Paula "Mango" Finau OL 6-4/330 Baldwin (Hawaii) HS
Two-way lineman from Maui once coached by BYU staffer Jack Damuni
Seleti Fevaleaki DL 6-2/250 Centennial (Calif.) HS
Late bloomer missed most of sophomore season with broken leg
Langi Tuifua DE 6-3/230 Bingham HS
Four-star playmaker picked BYU during the Polynesian Bowl
D'Angelo Gunter DB 6-2/180 Del Norte (Calif.) HS
Picked BYU last week over Vanderbilt, others
Mid-year signees
Ula Tolutau RB 6-1/230 East HS
4A MVP in 2013, originally committed to Wisconsin before church mission
Joe Tukuafu TE 6-4/230 East HS
Signed with Utah State before church mission to Argentina
John Vaka OL 6-4/270 Diablo Valley (Calif.) Col.
Decommitted from Oregon after coaching change, signed in December
A.J. Lolohea LB 6-3/230 West HS
Brother of BYU target Jordan Lolohea was ticketed to Weber State before mission
Wayne Tei-Kirby DL 6-3/315 Highland (Idaho)/Oregon
From same school that produced former BYU QB Taysom Hill
Austin Lee DB 5-11 205 Alta HS/Utah
Played in seven games for Utes during 2015 season
Keanu Saleapaga DL 6-5 265 La Mirada (Calif.) HS
Signed last February, but did not join the program last fall