HB Arnett’s
COUGAR SPORTSLINE
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hbarnett@fiber.net
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Vol. 32,
Issue 29 – February 6, 2012
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BYU’S FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
IS A CULT CLASSIC
BYU football fans need to face reality when it comes to recruiting.
Just like movies, forget the reviews and previews. The only thing that
matters is the box office.
BYU is never going to be among the stars and bars of Park City’s
Sundance Film Festival.
Mostly what Bronco Mendenhall
and his coaches are going to produce in recruiting is a cult classic; never
highly touted, but highly eclectic, efficient and Mormon.
Like most underrated cult
classics, BYU’s recruiting classes don’t draw rave reviews, but
they just keep on producing at the box office and in the win column.
There will be a few star cameo appearances in every year’s
recruiting production. This year those stars are Tanner Mangum and Troy Hinds,
but both will be at least three years removed from the marquee of this class
before they actually see the field. Chalk that up to serving LDS missions.
In the state of Utah, if you had to
give out awards for recruiting, Utah
would get the Oscar...for best foreign film. That means that it comes with
subtitles.
The subtitles to the annual BYU-Utah recruiting battles in this film
are that Utah
can admit many players that BYU can’t admit to school. Even so, Utah has had a distinct advantage
over BYU for the last decade when it comes to recruiting defensive lineman. They did it again this year.
Subtitles or not, BYU has been subpar to Utah in recruitment of defensive linemen. This year was no exception.
BYU signed 17 players to letters of intent last Wednesday. They also
announced another 12 players that will be returning from LDS missionary
service.
Like most Cougar recruiting classes, because of the comings and goings
of LDS missions, nobody will really know how it turns out for at last 4 years.
Regardless, we are often asked to give our evaluation of a BYU recruiting
class. We give this one 5 Stars.
This has nothing to do with how this recruiting class compares to Utah’s class or
other classes procured by the top teams in the country.
We give it five stars because we see at least five guys that will make
an immediate impact either this season or next.
Here they are:
Taysom Hill...We stick by our assessment of the true freshman
quarterback via Stanford. He is Riley Nelson on steroids; Bigger, faster,
stronger and just as elusive. Probably a better arm also. The key will be what
coaches want to do with him. Do they redshirt him to not waste a year of
eligibility or do they let him see some action this year so that in 2013, they
are not stuck with a starting quarterback who has never seen the field at the
collegiate level.
Bronson Kaufusi... Like Hill, it will be a case of this year or next.
Kaufusi is in our opinion, the most talented football player BYU has recruited
in the last five years. He has the biggest NFL upside.
He can be a beast at defensive end
for the Coguars, but if he bulks up, he could be a millionaire NFL offensive
lineman.
Craig Bills...We know it sounds provincial, but Timpview HS in Provo not only gave BYU
Kaufusi, but Craig Bills also. He won’t be back from his mission in time
for spring ball, but he will be back on the field at safety for BYU this fall.
He is a poster child for what Mendenhall
wants in his safeties. He hits, plays fearlessly and is cerebral. It
doesn’t hurt that he also has some physical talent.
Jamaal Williams...He has a good high school running back resume and BYU
is planning on that resume in rejuvenating a nondescript
running game. Timing is everything and in Williams’ case, he will be joining
the Cougars this fall when the running game will need help. Of all the new
incoming freshmen, he is the most likely to see the field the soonest.
Brett Thompson...BYU has re-tooled their wide
receiver mold. They are looking for bigger and more athletic receivers.
Thompson showed glimpses of that mold before missionary service. We see him as
a player who will see the field this fall alongside
Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo.
When it comes to BYU football recruiting and movies, if you want stars,
head to Park City or to the internet. You will likely
be disappointed with both if that is what you need to validate your passion for
BYU football.
We have been around the recruiting scene long enough to have fallen
victim to hype and hysteria in February before. What really matters is what
happens in October on the field.
It takes a consistent string of “Cult Classic” classes to
be a good football program. This is a nice Cult Classic class that will produce
wins and success on the field.
Below is BYU’s official press release of this year’s
football recruiting class. The recruits are listed alphabetically.
Phillip Amone…Linebacker, 6-0, 230, Orlando, FL,
Dr. Phillips High
School
2011
All-Metro West Conference … team captain and defensive
MVP … had 50 tackles in four games, including a season-high 16 tackles in
the third game of the season before tearing his ACL in October of his senior
year … as a junior totaled 128 tackles, 5 sacks and an interception
… led high school team to 45-4 record in career … helped
school win 36-straight regular-season games … in state title game junior
season … principal’s honor roll … National Honors Society
… has seven brothers and sisters … also recruited by Florida
Atlantic, Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Indiana and
Wisconsin … coached by Rodney Wells
Dylan Collie…Wide Receiver, 5-11, 175, El Dorado Hills, Calif., Oak
Ridge HS
First-team All-Metro, First-team All-League, and Offensive MVP …
as a senior caught 47 passes for 660 yards and 8 touchdowns and rushed 42 times
for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns … caught nine passes for 164 yards and
three touchdowns in roughly just one half of work in one game senior year
… also played quarterback part of senior year due to injuries and passed
for 345 yards and five touchdowns … had at least 100 receiving yards and
2 touchdowns in each his playoff games … caught 42 passes for 543 yards
and 8 touchdowns his junior year … brothers Zac and Austin both played wider receiver for BYU, along with father Scott
… recruited by Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Utah and Washington State
… coached by Eric Cavaliere
Matthew Hadley…Defensive Back, 5-11,
190, Connell, Wash., Connell High School
Rushed for 2,516 yards and state-record 47 touchdowns as a junior while
also scoring three more touchdowns on defense
and special teams … finished high school career with 6,881 rushing yards
and scored a state-record 746 points … had 168 rushing yards and three
touchdowns, including scoring runs of 70 and 40 yards, in state title game as a
senior … won two 1A state titles (2009, 2011) … 1A Player of the
Year (2009, 2010) … Played running back and defensive
back … had 2,162 rushing yards as a senior … coached by Zach Fife
Micah Hannemann…Defensive Back, 6-1,
190, Alpine, UT, Lone Peak HS
5A First
Team All-State in 2011 … honorable mention All-State in 2010 … won
5A state title in 2011 … helped Lone Peak to 25-2 record in two years
… recorded 58 tackles, two
sacks, six pass breakups and forced one fumble as a senior … also caught
35 passes for 526 yards and eight touchdowns … brother, Jacob, will also
play defensive back for BYU …
also recruited by Southern Utah, Utah and Utah State … coached by Tony
McGeary
Taysom Hill…Quarterback, 6-2, 210, Pocatello, Idaho,
Highland HS, *mid-year enrollee
2008 5A
All-Idaho Player of the Year as a senior after quarterbacking Highland to its
first state title since 2002 … listed as the 30th-best quarterback
prospect in the nation coming out of high school in 2009 by Scout.com and
Rivals.com ... listed as the top recruit in the state of Idaho by Rivals.com
... led Highland to the Idaho State 5A championship as a senior ... Idaho's
Gatorade High School Player of the
Year as a senior ... first team all-state selection also earned all-region and
conference player of the year accolades
... completed 166-of-258 passes (64.3 percent) and threw for 2,269 yards and 18
touchdowns as a senior ... also rushed for 1,491 yards and 24 TDs, averaging
10.2 yards per carry and 124.3 rushing yards per game ... holds school
single-season and career records for total offense ... also lettered in
basketball and track and field ... older
brother Jordan played defensive
tackle at Arizona State and other brother Dexter played quarterback at
Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, Northern Iowa and Dixie State (Utah) ...
served LDS mission to Sydney, Australia … originally committed to
Stanford before mission … also recruited by Arizona, Washington State,
Boise State and Utah … coached by Gino Mariani
Troy Hinds…Outside Linebacker, 6-5, 235, Kaysville, Utah,
Davis HS
Rated
No.1 recruit in Utah by 247Sports ... Four-star recruit by Rivals.com, rated
the No. 14 defensive end and No. 2
overall prospect in state of Utah and No. 2 in the state by ESPN …
four-star recruit by Scout.com, ranked the No. 23 overall defensive end … 5A All-State selection all
four years of high school … Maxpreps All-American … All-Region MVP
and All-Area MVP … led team in sacks as sophomore (8.0), junior (7.5) and
senior (9.0) … led team in tackles sophomore (96) … led Davis to a
league title in 2009 and 23-9-1 record in three years … recorded 7 tackles, one sack and caught a 39-yard
touchdown pass in a 14-10 victory over Syracuse as a senior … forced four
fumbles as a senior … also lettered in basketball and track … also
recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Colorado, Michigan,
Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma Stanford, UCLA, Utah and Washington State
… coached by Ryan Bishop
Austin Hoyt…Offensive Line, 6-7, 260,
Jackson, Calif.,
Argonaut High School
2011
Cal-Hi All-State First Team … 2011 League MVP, 2011 All-Area Second Team
Defense, 2010 First team All-League … ranked the No. 12 defensive end in the west and No. 78 overall player
in California by Scout.com … recorded
70 tackles, 2 sacks and scored two defensive
touchdowns (1 fumble recovery and 1 interception return) as a senior …
also caught 10 passes for 325 yards, 4 touchdowns and caught a 2-point
conversion at tight end … recorded
109 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 blocked kicks and recovered a fumble as a junior while
catching 8 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown at tight end … Academic All-League in 2010 and 2011 … was student-body president
as a senior …. Honor roll all four years of high school also was
All-League in basketball in 2010 and 2011 … also recruited by Utah, Air
Force, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona, Army,
Harvard and Utah State … coached by Rich Davis
Marques Johnson…Defensive Lineman,
6-2, 310, Los Angeles, Calif., El Camino CC
*mid-year enrollee
First-team
All-League, Second-team All-City … Team captain and lineman of the year
… led El Camino to a No. 2 ranking in sacks (38), pass defense (176.5 ypg) and scoring defense (19 ppg) and No. 3 in total defense (288.5 ypg) … recorded a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss for minus-38
yards, four sacks, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble … earned
Scholar Baller Award … has three brothers and sisters … also
recruited by Indiana, Washington State and Texas Tech … coached by Ruffin
Patterson
Theodore King…Defensive Line, 6-3, 235,
San Jose, Calif.,
Valley Christian School
All-Area First Team, All-Mercury honorable mention, All-League
honorable mention … led team to a conference title as a junior and a
second-place regional finish … participated in Nike SPARQ combine in
Oakland and named to All-Combine squad with a 90.24 rating (sixth among defensive players)… also recruited by Fresno
State, Nevada, Oregon State, Sacramento State and San Jose State …
coached by Mike Machado
Jherremya Leuta-Douyere…Linebacker,
6-1, 235, Garden
Grove, Calif.,
Servite HS
First-team
Trinity League … First-team All-Pac 5 … 2011 Trinity League
Defensive MVP … team co-captain … won state title as a sophomore
… played linebacker, defensive
end, fullback and offensive guard in high school … rated No. 5 fullback
in the nation by Scout.com … also recruited by Oregon State, Colorado,
Hawaii and UCLA … coached by Troy Thomas
Tanner Mangum…Quarterback, 6-3, 195,
Eagle, Idaho,
Eagle HS
Rated No.
1 prospect in the state of Idaho, No. 3 overall quarterback in the nation and
No. 59 overall prospect by Rivals.com … rated No. 15 quarterback by
Scout.com … Co-MVP of Elite 11 Camp … MVP of the Under Armour All-America Game … participated in
The Opening, a five-day Nike football event and was named to the 7on7
All-Tournament team after leading his squad to the championship game … 5A
Southern Idaho Conference Offensive Player of the Year … All-State
… completed a school-record 268 of 393 passes for 3,885 yards and 35
touchdowns as a senior … set a single-game school record completing 37 of
53 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns … threw for 874 yards and 10
touchdowns before missing most of his junior year with a an injury … Academic All-Conference all of high school … ESPN
lists him as “an efficient, technically consistent pocket passer that is
an above average athlete as well” … older
brother, Parker, also played football at BYU while sister, Meredith, played
soccer at Boise State … also recruited by Arkansas, Boise State, Oregon,
Oregon State, Stanford, Utah and Washington State … coached by Paul
Peterson
Ammon Olsen…Quarterback, 6-3, 198,
Draper, Utah,
SUU, *mid-year enrollee
Utah’s
5A Most Valuable Player and Gatorade
Player of the Year honors as a senior while leading Alta High School to the
2008 state title … completed 193 of 306 passes (63.1 percent) for 3,209
yards and 36 touchdowns and ran for 860 yards and another 11 scores as a senior
while leading his team to four second-half comeback wins … member of
back-to-back state championship teams in 2007 and 2008 as well as three
consecutive region title teams … exceptional athlete was also a
three-year letterman on the AHS basketball team, earning Region 2 MVP honors as
a senior … Attended
Southern Utah University as a freshman in 2009, playing in six games while
completing 57.1 percent of his passes (8-of-14) for 115 yards and two
touchdowns … added 44
yards rushing on 10 carries (4.4 ypc) … served an LDS mission to Mexico
City … coached in high school by Les Hamilton
Butch Pau’u…Linebacker,
6-0, 220, Anaheim, Calif., Servite HS
First-team All-State, First-team All-County and First-team All-Orange
County while picking up Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year honors
… one of six ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports All-State Multi-Purpose First Team
selections in 2011 as a LB/TE … No. 19 overall middle linebacker and No.
51 overall prospect in California on Rivals.com … No. 21 overall middle
linebacker on Scout.com …Earned MVP linebacker honors at the LA Nike Camp
in 2011 … played in state championship game in 2010 … helped team to
CIF titles in 2010 and Trinity League titles in 2010 and 2011 … also
played basketball … also recruited by Colorado, Utah, Washington, Iowa
State, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State …
coached by Troy Thomas
Steven Richards…Defensive Line, 6-4,
240, Sandy, Utah, Alta HS
5A All-State honorable mention (2011) … All-Region First Team
selection (2011) … recorded 30
receptions for 393 yards and four touchdowns as a senior at tight end …
led Alta to a 9-2 record, league title and regional runner-up finish … as
a junior caught 28 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown … does a great
job of catching the ball with his hands, shows surprising quickness and moves
after the catch, and knows how to get open … also recruited by Utah
State, Stanford and UCLA … coached by Les Hamilton
Rhett Sandlin…Linebacker, 6-3, 225, Sandy, Utah,
Alta HS
Rated No. 59 at the safety position and seventh-best prospect in Utah
by Rivals.com … 5A All-State honorable mention (2010, 2011) …
All-Region First Team selection (2010, 2011) … Utah Elite 33 Tanoa Bowl
… as a senior, led team to 9-2 record, league title and regional
runner-up finish … totaled 84 tackles, 3.0 sacks, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble
recoveries as a senior at linebacker … played safety and linebacker as a
junior and totaled 117 tackles, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 1.5
sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception … 3-year starter and
four-year letter winner … also recruited by Stanford, Oregon State,
Washington, Wyoming and Utah … coached by Robert Stevens
Josh Weeks…Wide
Receiver, 6-4, 200, Show Low, Ariz.,
Show Low HS
Maxpreps
All-American (2009, 2010) … 2011 AzFCA All-State … selected to play
in 2011 Semper Fi All-American Bowl … AZ Republic All-Arizona
(2009, 2010, 2011) … set six 3A Arizona high school records in career and
is Arizona’s all-time leader
in career receptions (187) and receiving yards (3,851) and receiving
touchdowns (46) … played multiple positions as a senior and rushed 130
times for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught 38 passes for 540 yards and 5
touchdowns and threw for 527 yards and 8 touchdowns … as a junior caught
73 passes for 1,561 yards and 20 touchdowns … had 47 receptions, 1,223
yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore … won 2010 3A state championship
… also ran track and won the 2011 400-meter state title … National
Football Foundation Scholar Athlete of the Year (2011) … also recruited
by Florida, Florida State, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona, Arizona State and
Ohio State … coached by Randy Ricedorff
Jamaal Williams…Running Back, 6-1,
193, Fontana, Calif.,
Summit HS
League
and CIF offensive MVP … First-team All-CIF, First-team All-League …
CIF Championship as a senior with a 13-1 record and league title … had
141 rushes for 1,252 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior … also recorded 13 receptions for 254 yards and 1 touchdown
… rushed 93 times for 717 yards a junior with 11 touchdowns …
assistant coach was Tony Crutchfield, former BYU defensive
back … also recruited by Boise State, Arizona State, Utah, Idaho, San
Diego State, UCLA and Oregon … coached by Tony Barile
Sawyer Powell,
Linebacker, 6-2, 205, Richland, Wash., Richland
HS
Enrolled in school in January, is gray shirting this
spring, but will not receive scholarship or listed as a recruit until after
serving an LDS mission.
Returned missionaries announced as
part of signing day list.
Terrance Alletto, 6-3, 287, OL
Trevor Bateman, 5-9, 178, DB
Craig Bills, 6-1, 209, DB
Tui Crichton, 6-3, 357, OL
Jacob Hannemann, 6-1, 190, DB
Bronson Kaufusi, 6-6, 240, DL
Mitch Mathews, 6-6, 202, WR
Remington Peck, 6-4, 240, DL
Russell Tialavea, 6-3, 266, DL
Brett Thompson, 6-3, 216, WR
Fono Vakalahi, 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, OL
Brad Wilcox, 6-7, 265, OL
New signees leaving for missions
before enrolling at BYU
Phillip Amone
Micah Hannemann
Troy Hinds
Tanner Mangum
Steven Richards
Josh Weeks
BYU
BASKETBALL BEGGING FOR SOME CONSISTENCY
Dave Rose and his BYU
basketball crew notched two wins last week in staying in the hunt for one of the
top two spots in the WCC standings.
The first win was a
beauty. The Cougars played one of their best games of the season in defeating Gonzaga in Provo 83-73.
It gave BYU a boost in
their aspirations for a NCAA postseason invite.
Two days later Portland almost took away
that hope by making BYU look like anything but a NCAA tourney team. Actually it
was BYU making themselves look average at best. Regardless, the Cougars came
away with a 79-60 win over the Pilots.
BYU is now 20-6 overall
and 8-3 in West Coast Conference action. That currently puts the Cougars at
third place in the league standings. They are tied with Loyola Marymount in
that spot. See complete standings below the Television Timetable.
TELEVISION
TIMETABLE
BYU vs. Pepperdine
Saturday, Feb 11 at Provo
Tipoff: 4:00 p.m Mountain Time
TV: BYUtv
BYU vs. San Francisco
Thursday, Feb 16 at San
Francisco
Tipoff: 8:00 p.m.
Mountain Time
TV: ESPNU
BYU vs. Santa Clara
Saturday, Feb 18 at Santa
Clara
Tipoff: 5:00 p.m.
Mountain Time
TV: ESPNU
West Coast
Standings