It’s been a while since we’ve updated our Lawless Republic BYU Recruiting Big Board and a lot has happened since our last update. BYU just wrapped up a couple of official visits from key commits this weekend and they head back into the dead period of recruiting as they prepare for the Miami Beach Bowl. It won’t be long until the coaches hit the final stretch before National Signing Day and we’ll keep you up to date every step of the way.
Nov 15, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall walks the field before the game against the UNLV Rebels at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Team Needs
Offensive Line- This was our number one need back on Big Board 1.0 and I still feel that is the biggest need to round out this class and Brayden Kearsley’s transfer only makes that more important Highly rated linemen Kieffer Longson and Tyler Moore will make their decisions this week so BYU could get a much needed boost.
Defensive Back- Craig Bills, Robertson Daniel and Harvey Jackson are gone. BYU is trying to get a medical redshirt for Jordan Johnson but that is far from a sure thing. Dallin Leavitt announced he would be transferring to Utah State. BYU needs some DBs.
Running Back- Who knows how quickly Jamaal Williams will come back from his knee injury? Paul Lasike is graduated and BYU needs some talented bodies to fill for their (possible) voids next year.
Quarterback- The Cougars got lucky this year. If Christian Stewart would have gone down due to injury it’s possible that BYU would have ended up moving Safety Kai Nacua to the quarterback position. Yeah, the depth was that bad.
Wide Receiver- Guys like Inoke Lotulelei, Talon Shumway and Josh Weeks come back from missions this year. Dylan Collie just announced that he was transferring from BYU to Hawaii, Ross Apo and Jordan Leslie graduate and there is a need for wide receivers. I like what Mitch Matthews, Nick Kurtz and Devon Blackmon bring to the table next year, but the Cougars are going to need a whole lot more than those three options.
Big Board
*= already committed.
Dayan Lake*– DB prospect from Northridge High School. Lake has been committed for a long time. There have been some message board rumors wondering how solid his commitment is but I don’t think there is much validity to them. Lake will be in Provo and Lake will be a special player.
Mika Tafua*– DE/OLB prospect of Hawaii. Tafua is really talented. He’s starting to look at schools like Oregon. He’s been committed to BYU for a long time but as the big boys come calling it will be pivotal for BYU to hold on.
Will Sedgwick*– MLB prospect out of Laguna Hills, CA. He’s a tackle machine. BYU’s MLBs are required to be tackling machines. A position that didn’t really see anyone step up and solidify themselves as “the guy” needs someone like Sedgwick to come in and make an impact. Reminds me of Spencer Hadley.
Devin Kaufusi*– DE/OLB prospect from Timpview High School. He’s a Kaufusi. We need all the Kaufusis.
Khari Vanderbilt*– JUCO defensive from San Jose City College. He received a Utah State offer about a week ago. The Aggies know defensive backs and them putting their faith in Vanderbilt is a good sign. Don’t worry though, he’s a Cougar.
David Lui*– DE Pittsburgh CA. The guy can play. His recruiting hasn’t taken off as much as it should have yet, and it might not now that he’s committed. But don’t kid yourself, he would have had a handful of PAC-12 offers had he let the process play out.
Kody Wilstead*– QB Pineview High School, St. George, Utah. Wilstead is one of my favorite BYU commits. He’s a “sign and send” and is headed on his mission this spring. He’s going to be a good quarterback for BYU, but he’s not even going to be on campus for a couple of years.
Riley Burt*– RB from Box Elder High School in Brigham City, UT. It was unknown if Burt would play on the offensive or defensive side of the ball for a while, but it sounds like he’s going to be a running back. I’m not sure how D1 ready he is today, but he possesses all of the tools to develop into a solid player in the future.
WR from Desoto, TX. He just wrapped up his official visit to BYU this weekend. The guy is going to be a player. Here’s to hoping he’s just the start of the Texas wide receiver pipeline to BYU.
Tevita Mounga*– DT from Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, CA. This three star athlete is the prototypical NT for Bronco Mendenhall’s defense. He’s an Eathyn Manumaleuna/Romney Fuga type. Depending on what recruiting site you check, Mounga has reported offers from Washington, Arizona and Utah.
Jeremiah Ieremia*- LB from Hurricane, UT. Ieremia is one of the hardest hitting seniors in the West. Much like Sedgwick, he screams “tackling machine” in this BYU defense. Watch film of Uona Kaveinga and Uani Unga and you’ve got yourself Ieremia. The good thing for BYU, is the Cougars will get him for four years.
Trent Hosick* – QB transfer from Mizzou. I had left Hosick off previous recruiting boards because he was sort of part of the last class. But, because he chose to play Junior College ball instead of sitting out a year it’s left his recruitment open. When Taysom Hill announced he will be coming back for the 2015 season, Hosick’s commitment wavered. He’s got a lot of talent but this he’ll be heading into his fourth football program since high school when he signs. I’m not sure what to make of that. He’s still committed, but looking at other options. Until he says “I’m not going to BYU” we’re counting him as committed.
Beau Hoge* – QB Fort Thomas, KY. Hoge looks like he’s got some Taysom Hill in him. He’s athletic, he can throw the ball well and he’s got a family connection that could help BYU garner national attention. His dad is ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge and you can bet that if Hoge is at BYU and starts to play well, ESPN will pick that story up. He’s a talented player.
* – RB transfer from Washington State. After he committed, I tweeted Canada looks like the kind of back that will get you three yards up the middle on 3
rd
and 2 and the kind of guy that will get you 40 yards on 2
nd
and 9. He’ll have to sit out the 2015 season and will have three years to play three once he’s eligible in 2016.
Nov 29, 2014; Berkeley, CA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Michael Davis (15) celebrates with teammates after defending the final offensive play by the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. The Brigham Young Cougars defeated the California Golden Bears 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Zayne Anderson* – DB from Stansbury High School in Tooele, UT. The longtime Utah State commit recently flipped to BYU. He’s a Daniel Sorenson or Craig Bills mold. Anderson will be an impact player at BYU once he cracks the starting lineup. This was a great pick up for a BYU secondary that seems to need guys every year.
James Empey– OL from American Fork, UT. I think that James Empey would be this year’s Tejan Koroma. I think Empey is the most ready-to-play offensive lineman that BYU has an offer out to. I’m not sure what his mission plans are, but if BYU can land him he’ll be an impact player from the first day he gets to campus.
Kieffer Longson– OL from Doughtry Valley High School in San Ramon, CA. His top four schools are Utah, UCLA, Ohio State and BYU. Utah and UCLA are PAC-12 South contenders and Ohio State has Urban Meyer and is a National Championship contender. By all accounts, this would be a steal. I think Empey is more D1 ready today, but Longson has a future NFL lineman ceiling. He’s really talented.
William Auwae– OT Kapolei High School, Kaplei, HI. He just received an offer from Texas Tech while on an official visit there. Auwae is a talent from the islands. Not only would he help on the field, he would help BYU get the promising pipeline back in the islands.
Charles West– RB Speedy back from Coppell, Texas. After signing day we’ll rank all of the commits from “biggest get” to “hope it works out” and if West commits to BYU you would see his name right at the top of the list. He’s extremely talented. With Jamaal Williams’ knee being unknown for next year, West would be able to play immediately.
Gabe Reid– DE/OLB prospect out of Timpview in Provo. Not only is Reid an incredible player, it seems like he’s a package deal with Britain Covey. Reid is one of the best pass rushers that high school football in the state of Utah has seen in a really long time. It’s going to be tough to beat Stanford, but it would be absolutely huge.
Mufi Hunt– OLB that played at Brighton High School last season and is at Taylorsville this year. I stand by my “young Alani Fua” comparison for Hunt. One could also make a case that he looks like Utah’s Nate Orchard when he was coming out of high school. This will probably tell you why I’m not a coach, but why not throw him at tight end?
Chris Williamson– WR Gainesville, GA. BYU was his second or third offer. In the last 6 weeks or so he’s picked up a whole bunch of new offers bringing his total number to 14. I’m not sure what BYU’s connection is, but he’s a really talented receiver. Seems like BYU may be a long shot, but he would have a chance to make an impact next season in Provo.
Britain Covey– WR/QB from Timpview. When you have an extra 20 minutes go to YouTube and just watch Covey’s highlights. He’s a video game. He’s one of the most shifty and speedy players in the history of Utah high school football. I’m not sure how that will translate to the next level, but even if only half of his talent translates, he’ll have a big impact.
Trevor Brent– DB from Mesquite, TX. Brent only has two stars but he deserves more than that. He’s planning on a visit at the end of January. He has the skills and is flying under the radar. Brent wouldn’t grab headlines if he commits, but BYU fans would know his name before he left Provo.
Evan Curl– OL from Flower Mound, TX. His biggest offers are from Fresno State and Nevada but at 6’5”, 280 lbs. Curl has the potential to develop into a good player. BYU came in late and I’m not sure how much of an impact that will have, but if the Cougars can get him on campus that will go a long ways.
Oct 3, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars fan Nox O
Names to Keep An Eye On
We had to draw a line somewhere and couldn’t just keep adding names to the big board. But here are some names that BYU fans should keep an eye on. Some have offers and others are reporting interest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the following names decide to commit to Provo.
There are more players that have reported offers and more that are receiving interest but these guys are the ones I think you should listen for the most.
Recruits that BYU had their eyes on but won’t be heading to Provo
Quinn Fabrizio- DB Alta High School, Sandy, UT- He will be a really good safety/outside linebacker hybrid player. Unfortunately, he’ll be that kind of player for the Utes.
Elias Miller- RB from Las Vegas, NV- He had been committed to BYU before news broke that he had officially decommitted. Depending on what rumor you want to listen to, it sounds like BYU may have “decommitted” from Miller. He recently announced he’ll be attending Weber State. Wish nothing but the best for Elias Miller.
D’erren Wilson- WR from Greenville, TX- Early on it looked like BYU was seriously in the running for Wilson. He was set to announce his decision and many felt that BYU would be the benefactor before early on this football season. He delayed the process, played exceptionally well all year and picked up a whole bunch of new offers. He recently eliminated BYU from his top schools.
