Mahina down to two

Although it's still relatively early in the recruiting process, Upland (Calif.) two way standout Devin Mahina said he has already narrowed his choices down to two schools, one out of the Mountain West conference and one in the Pac 10.

Mahina, 6-6, 225 pounds saw his stock soar as much as anyone this past spring and summer and is now sitting on nine scholarship offers. BYU was the first to offer and Colorado, Washington State, Oregon, UCLA, Utah, UTEP and San Diego State have since followed suit.

"I'm down to BYU and UCLA, those are really the only two schools I'm looking at right now," Mahina said. "I want to take official visits to each schools in the fall and then I'll be ready to make my decision.

"With BYU, I like them a lot because it's the church school and I really enjoyed myself at Junior Day. I also like how they use the tight end and I think they're an up and coming program. With UCLA, I like the Pac 10 a lot, they're close to home, they have a lot of tradition, they're strong academically and they also use the tight end a lot in their offense.

"It's going to be a tough decision for me. Right now, if I had to name a favorite, it would probably be BYU but it's really close between the two and I'm not close to being ready to make a decision right now."

Mahina said he plans to go on his Mormon mission after high school.

"UCLA wants me to go right out of high school and BYU, I don't think they care when I go but it would probably be after a year at the school," Mahina said. "UCLA only has a certain number of scholarships to give out this year so if I went there, I think I would maybe grey shirt my first semester, just take a few classes, then leave for my mission and come back with four years of eligibility left."

Mahina said he just returned last Thursday after spending the last month in Tonga.

"I had a great time there," Mahina said. "I just relaxed a lot and took it easy but I also kept in shape too. We have double days coming up in a couple of weeks so I made sure that I worked out a little so I won't be dying when I get back with my team."

Mahina is getting looks at both tight end and defensive end but said tight end is definitely where he wants to play in college. He has a great frame and is very athletic and once he fills out, he has a chance to be a very good player at the next level.