Pac-12 Spotlight: How Utah, Washington match up in recruiting
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It will be Utah vs. Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game this weekend. The two programs come into the contest from very different recruiting backgrounds. Here’s a look at some storylines:
BATTLE FOR TY JONES
One of the biggest crossover recruiting battles between Utah and Washington in recent years was for three-star receiver Ty Jones, who had originally been committed to the Utes, said his parents wanted to stay home and said he was most comfortable at Utah. But after hearing from other programs and especially developing his relationship with Washington assistant coach Bush Hamdan things definitely changed.
The former Provo, Utah, standout backed off his pledge to Utah and remained open to other programs until he committed to the Huskies. Hamdan was a big reason and once he got on campus he was definitely sold on the place. It was a big decision and a major win for Jones, who is third on the team with 28 catches, second with 469 receiving yards and first with six touchdowns.
OTHER RECRUITING COUPS
Tevis Bartlett is second on the Huskies in tackles but in the 2015 class he was a three-star athlete out of Cheyenne (Wyo.) East who was really unproven, played both ways, put up big numbers as a running back and was serious about Washington, Utah, Oregon and possibly playing at Wyoming.
Four-star defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa was a long-time USC commitment but when he backed off that pledge, the Concord (Calif.) De La Salle was seriously reaching out to Utah. But the Utes had other targets higher on the board and Letuligasenoa ended up signing with the Huskies. He has not had a major impact yet in Washington’s defense, but he could play a major role on the defensive line in years to come.
Three-star linebacker MJ Tafisi and four-star offensive lineman Sam Taimani are two other prospects that Washington has pilfered from the state of Utah, both in last year’s recruiting class. Three-star defensive tackle Jackson Cravens, from Provo (Utah) Timpview, is one that the Utes convinced to stay home, instead of going to Washington, Michigan State and others that were pursuing him.
RECRUITING BATTLES CONTINUE
There is a marginal amount of crossover recruiting between these two teams as the Huskies have had some success recently dipping into the state of Utah and landing top prospects and the two battle for some California prospects as well.
One recruitment that should be watched this recruiting cycle is that of four-star linebacker Daniel Heimuli from Atherton (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton. The Huskies are definitely the front-runner but Utah is among the favorites as well and have not backed down in Heimuli’s recruitment.
Another one that has already wrapped up is four-star offensive tackle Julius Buelow from Kapolei, Hawaii. Over the summer at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas, the massive offensive lineman talked highly of Utah but it was clear that Washington was the front-runner. Since that time, he has committed to the Huskies.
STATUS FOR THE 2019 CLASS
Ranked second in the Pac-12 team recruiting rankings, Washington continues to amass an outstanding class and if it wasn’t for the incredible run by Oregon this recruiting cycle, the Huskies probably could’ve pulled off the top class in the conference.
A recent commitment by four-star defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele was huge - and expected. Josh Calvert from powerhouse Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian will play linebacker for the Huskies and should fit in perfectly in that scheme. The recruiting across the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been outstanding and quarterback Dylan Morris has a lot of talent as well.
As for Utah, it’s been a different story with only nine commitments - the only team in the conference not in the double digits - but for a long time recruiting rankings have not much mattered to the Utes’ success. A strong finish could be coming with four of the top five players in the state still uncommitted and top target, four-star quarterback Jayden Daniels, still weighing his decision. Wide receiver Darren Jones is the lone four-star in the class and he has the potential to be a game-changer from Day 1.
