Utah: 2021 Recruiting Trail
Last Updated: September 6, 2020
Recruiting is where a majority of a college football roster is built. Obviously a team wants to get the best players they can each year, but no two years are the same on the recruiting trail. Based on what a team is able to do one year the needs and expectations for the next year change. In this feature we will track what the Utah Utes have done and what they still need to achieve on the trail in the 2021 cycle.
2020 Recruiting Recap
Utah’s 2020 recruiting class was a good group with a few stars at the top of the class. The Utes added four players rated four stars or higher in the 247Sports Composite. All of those four players play on the defensive side of the ball. The headliner of the class, Clark Phillips, plays cornerback and is joined by a four star safety and two four star defensive ends. All four of these players are expected to make an early impact for the team when they finally play football in the Pac-12.
While there was good amount of star power added on defense the offensive side of the ball did not add any four star recruits. Utah also failed to sign an impact quarterback for the second cycle in a row. The Utes had some talented prospects commit at running back, tight end and wide receiver but the class could have used another impact offensive linemen and linebacker as well. Overall the 2020 class was talented and had some star power but there are areas to address going forward.
Utah may not have signed the number one prospect in the state in 2020 but they did a good job of getting most of the top in state talent. After Noah Sewell, there were three four star prospects in Utah and the Utes were able to sign all three of them. Obviously it would have been nice to land Sewell as well but Utah kept most of the top talent home and away from rival BYU. Outside of Utah, the Utes were able to pull Clark Phillips from California, along with a couple of high three star prospects and were also able to secure the signature of running back Ty Jordan from Texas. Utah will need to continue to keep the top in state players home and expand their reach into some of the recruiting hot beds like California, Texas and Florida.
Utah 2021 Recruiting Landscape
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t get enough credit nationally for the job he has done building the Utah program. The program has grown into a Pac-12 power and has continued to raise it’s recruiting profile year after year. Whittingham returns as does his entire football staff which is a rarity in this day and age of college football. Continuity should be an advantage on the field and when it comes to building relationships on the recruiting trail. Utah should be in good position to recruit the 2021 class.
There is not as much premier talent in state this cycle as there was in 2020. Depth wise there are a few decent prospects but in order to build a class like the 2020 class Utah will be forced to find talent out of state. The Utes will have to fight off competition from Oregon and BYU in state. The Ducks landed the top prospect in Utah last year and have become the premier team on the recruiting trail in the Pac-12. BYU is the hated in state rival and would like nothing more than to sign the top prospects in the state away from the Utes.
Goals For Utah 2021Recruiting
1. Find a high end quarterback recruit to build around going forward. Utah has not landed a highly touted quarterback prospect in the 2019 or 2020 class and will need to find one in 2021. The quarterback position continues to be the most important in football and it is imperative to have strong play at the position.
Status: Utah has secured a commitment from California QB Peter Costelli. He is a talented prospect who fits the bill as a high end quarterback Utah can build around.
2. Recruit top prospects out of state, especially in California, Texas and Florida. The lack of premier talent in Utah this cycle means Whittingham and company will need to go out of state to find top talent. The Utes have had success in California, Texas and Florida in the past and would like to build on that in 2021.
Status: The aforementioned Costelli is from California, LB Mason Tufaga is from Hawaii and star RB recruit Ricky Parks is from Florida. Utah is off to a good start here but will need to add a couple more top prospects.
3. Recruit an impact linebacker to support the strong defensive group from last year. The only position on defense in the 2020 class where Utah did not land a four star prospect was linebacker. If Utah can fill that gap with one or two quality prospects in 2021 the defense will be that much stronger going forward.
Status: Utah has received a commitment from Mason Tufaga who fits the bill as an impact linebacker in the class.
4. Sign a strong group of recruits on the offensive side of the ball, especially on the offensive line. The 2020 class was top heavy toward the defensive side of the ball and a good group of offensive recruits in 2021 would help to balance out the roster going forward.
Status: Costelli and Parks are quality offensive prospects and will help add firepower on that side of the ball. Utah still needs to find some offensive linemen to close this class out.
This post will be updated throughout the cycle.
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