BYU coach Kalani Sitake focused on versatility in his first full recruiting class after being hired to replace Bronco Mendenhall following the 2015 season. There was a premium on adding players that can play multiple positions.
”When you look at the positions, it’s not really their final position that they’re recruited at and they’re assigned at,” Sitake said. ”They can grow and mature and have all the intangibles as far as what they need to play football. We got bigger. As far as O-line goes, I’m used to the O-linemen at BYU being humongous, so we added some humongous kids.”
Sitake said there will be long conversations between the offensive and defensive staffs over some signees that can play either receiver or cornerback and either safety or running back.
”That’s a good thing,” he said. ”There’s a lot of potential there to grow with. Whether it’s speed or size or power, there’s a lot of things that can come from their athletic foundation.”
Sitake said there weren’t any significant surprises within the class and the coaches pretty much knew who they’d be signing.
BYU was a recent surprise inclusion in the final group for defensive tackle Jay Tufele, but the No. 1 ranked player in the state signed with USC.
Other things to know:
Top 25 Class: No
Best in class: Chaz Ah You, S, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Best of the rest: Langi Tuifua, DL, South Jordan, Utah
Late addition: Lorenzo Fauatea, DL, West Valley, Utah
One that got away: Jay Tufele, DT, South Jordan, Utah
How they’ll fit in: The Cougars are set at quarterback and have four starters back on the offensive line. The school’s all-time rushing leader Jamaal Williams is headed to the NFL, so there’s opportunity there and offensive coordinator Ty Detmer expects competition at receiver. The defensive system often plays four cornerbacks, so defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said there should always be competition at that positon.
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For the full list http://www.byucougars.com/
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More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .
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