Kyle Whittingham’s first recruiting class is in the books, and overall, the coach is pleased with how things turned out.
“We’ve definitely added athleticism and speed,” Whittingham said. “On paper, I’m going to give us a B+ to an A-“
The Utes signed 19 players to letters of intent Wednesday. Including returned missionaries, a mid-year junior college transfer and a freshman who originally signed last year, the complete class stands at 24 players.
“The positive was being No. 4 in the country and winning the Fiesta Bowl,” Whittingham said. “That got us in a lot of doors that we would not have otherwise gotten into.”
The Utes brought in players from seven states, including nine from California, five from both Utah and Hawaii, two from Arizona, and one each from Texas, Nevada and Minnesota.
With Alex Smith leaving, quarterback was one of the main focuses for Whittingham’s first class.
The Utes received commitments from two quarterbacks on Monday, one junior college transfer and one high schooler.
Brett Ratliff, a 6-foot-4-inch signal caller from Butte College, threw for a Butte College record 41 touchdowns in his two-year career.
The lone high school QB is Kevin Dunn, who set the Santa Barbara High School passing record as a senior with 3,322 yards in the air.
“We took steps in the right direction in the quarterback area,” Whittingham said. “We’re very high on Brian Johnson, but as of yesterday, he was the only scholarship quarterback in the program.”
Another area of high concern was on the defensive line. The Utes lose All-American Sione Pouha, but Whittingham thinks the unit will be just fine.
“We’ve had a great run with defensive linemen,” Whittingham said. “We restoked that furnace this year, and I don’t see a drop-off for next year.”
The big D-Line “get” for the Utes is juco transfer Tolifili Liufau. The 6-foot-1-inch 300-lbs. defensive tackle was pried away from Arizona at the last minute, and Whittingham sees big things in his future.
“He’s in the same mold as the guys we’ve been winning with for years,” Whittingham said. “He’s another in the long line of Sione Pouha’s and Steve Fifita’s.”
The most highly touted player on the list is homegrown wide-out Marquis Wilson. Ranked among the top receivers in the country, Whittingham expects Wilson to make an immediate impact.
“The guy is an excellent football player, and I don’t think there’s a doubt in anyone’s mind that he is the best skill player in the state of Utah,” Whittingham said about the Juan Diego High School star. “We told him to come into fall camp prepared and ready to compete for a job.”
While Wilson has wheels, the fastest player in the class is defensive back Brice McCain, a high school senior from Terrell, Texas.
“He’s going to be the fastest guy on the football team the minute he steps on campus,” Whittingham said. “He’s 5- foot-9. If he was 5-foot-11, he would probably be lining up for the (Oklahoma) Sooners this fall.”
Recruiting classes are not fully gradable until two or three years down the line, and often stars can come out of the most modest beginnings.
Steve Savoy and Alex Smith, two of the big reasons for Utah’s success were lightly recruited out of high school, and are now on their way to the NFL.
But with his first National Letter of Intent day behind him, Whittingham is pleased with the Utes’ future prospects.