This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Utah has received a third commitment in two classes from Fort Lauderdale powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, with running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole announcing his decision Saturday.
Given that Aquinas went 15-1 in 2014 and won its final 13 games (including Florida's state playoffs) by an average score of 50-3, that alone speaks well of Henry-Cole and incoming 2015 freshmen Chris Hart and Tyson Cisrow.
Fifteen Aquinas players signed with Division I programs in Feburary. That's not a typo.
Even in that company, Henry-Cole received a few starts and split carries in other games with Florida freshman Jordan Scarlet and Oregon State freshman Deltron Sands.
He's rated two stars by Rivals, which lists offers from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Florida Atlantic. Watch Henry-Cole's highlights here.
He's a shorter back (online heights range from 5'7 to 5'9) and describes himself as "balanced," mixing power and speed.
While co-offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick plugs in to SoCal powerhouse San Clemente (See below: Cole Fotheringham, Tucker Scott), Utah can thank running backs coach Dennis Erickson for the Aquinas connection.
Not only is Erickson of local renown, obviously, for winning a national title as Miami's head coach, but Aquinas safeties coach Darryl Williams is among a handful of area coaches who played for Erickson at Miami and elsewhere.
Henry-Cole said he also received good reports from Hart and Cisrow, and enjoyed watching another Devontae — Booker — play a key role in Utah's 2014 season.
"He's amazing," said Henry-Cole, who said he might study architectural engineering in college.
He'll take an official visit to Utah this season, he said. As for the possibility of visiting other schools, he is keeping his options open, "but right now, I'm excited to commit to the University of Utah."
Below are links to the committed recruits that the Tribune has reported on.
2016:
2017:
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper