The early national signing day period for the 2020 recruiting class started Wednesday with a bunch of players committing to play for Utah. The early signing period will last through Friday before high school athletes will have to wait until February to sign. As it’s been over the past two years, roughly 80% of the top players in the nation will sign during the early period.
Here is the full list of the Letter of Intent signings for the Utes. 247Sports currently ranks Utah’s class the 50th best in the nation, with an average rating for players at 0.8591. This is well in-line for past years where Utah averaged 0.8612 in 2019, and 0.8569 in 2018.
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Jake Bentley: QB 6-4, 225 pounds (South Carolina)
Bentley held a 19-14 record as a starter at South Carolina. The gun-slinger threw for 7,527 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Jake is a big addition for us. We are excited to have Jake in the room. He has a big arm and is more of a pro-style guy. He played in the SEC, put up 500 yards in one game against Clemson, which is a pretty good accomplishment since Clemson is an outstanding football team. Coach Ludwig got a chance to see him up close and personal while at Vanderbilt and really loved him. He came out on a visit, loved it, and committed on the visit. So, we are excited he is going to be joining us.”
Van Fillinger: DE 6-3, 250 pounds (Corner Canyon HS)
Fillinger, a four-star prospect, decommitted from Texas before signing with Utah. Fillinger is the third player to leave Texas for Utah. You can bet the Alamo Bowl is going to be a lot of fun between these two teams!
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Van Fillinger, from Corner Canyon, he was a national recruit. He could have gone pretty much anywhere. He was committed to another school for a period of time and when he didn’t feel right about that we were right there to try and get him to Utah, and he fell in love with us the last part of the recruiting period.”
He chose Utah over: Texas, Michigan, USC, LSU, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Washington
Nate Ritchie: S 6-2, 200 pounds (Lone Peak HS)
The local product out of Lone Peak High School was a playmaker in the secondary as Ritchie recorded seven interceptions during his senior season. Safety has been a big priority for Utah this year and Ritchie announcement helps solidify this area for the Utes.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Nate Ritchie was a big get for us. With our safety situation, Nate is going to fill an immediate need. He was another guy with multiple Pac-12 offers along with other offers from around the country. He has size, and runs very well.”
He chose Utah over: Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, USC
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Kamo’i Latu: S 6-1, 180 pounds (St. Louis HS)
Like Ritchie, Latu was also one of Utah’s top priorities at the safety position. Latu has been committed ever since his announcement and has had to turn down other offers from Pac-12 programs who have come calling.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “We are going to take a big hit this year in the secondary, so that was the reason for taking three safeties. I talked about Nate, but Kamo’i Latu, he is a hitter. He is a guy that had a lot of good offers as well. So it will be good competition at safety this fall and this spring for some of them.”
He chose Utah over: Colorado, Nebraska, USC, Washington, Washington State
Jaren Kump: OL 6-5, 250 pounds (Herriman HS)
Kump originally signed with the Utes in 2018 before serving an LDS mission. The three-star prospect held offers from a number of Pac-12 schools. A one-time BYU commit, Kump flipped his commitment during his senior year and has kept that commitment.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Jaren Kump, a returned missionary from Herriman. We think he is a prototypical offensive tackle. When he gets back, we will put some weight on him, but he has that huge frame and great length that you look for in your offensive tackles.”
Alex Harrison: OL 6-4, 310 pounds (Viewmont HS)
Harrison was one of the top recruits in the Beehive State. With his commitment, the Utes were able to sign four of the state’s top five players.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Alex Harrison is a big, strong offensive lineman that had a lot of offers – pretty much everyone in the Pac-12 wanted him among other schools in the country. He played both ways in high school, but we are going to use him exclusively on the offensive line. He played every rep for his team up in Bountiful. We think he is a guy that is ready made. He is a big, strong kid that is ready to show what he can do.”
He chose Utah over: Nebraska, Oregon, USC, Arizona State, BYU, Tennessee, Washington
Caine Savage: WR 5-10, 170 pounds (Western HS)
Savage recorded 4,622 receiving yards in his career. The 5-10 speedster totaled 285 catches and hauled in 55 receiving touchdowns. Savage flipped his commitment from Arizona State to Utah. The two-way athlete will likely play cornerback, but don’t be surprised to see him get some playing time as a receiver either.
He chose Utah over: Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, San Diego State
Check out (GoUtahUtes.com) to find all of the latest news about the Utes!
Tyler Wegis: DE 6-6, 210 pounds (San Juan Hills HS)
During his senior season, Wegis made 92 tackles to go with 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The three-star defensive end committed to Utah a while ago and quickly became one of the most sought after prospects in the region.
He chose Utah over: Boise State, California, Oregon State, Virginia, Washington State
Ty Jordan: RB/WR 5-7, 183 pounds (West Mesquite HS)
Ty Jordan recently switched his commitment from Texas to Utah. Over the course of his high school career, the speedster has totaled 2,448 rushing yards to go with 29 rushing touchdowns. Jordan can also catch the ball out of the backfield as he had 705 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Jordan is Utah’s second highest-rated player in this year’s recruiting class.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “He is fast. He is a 10.50 100-meter guy. He is thick, he isn’t very tall, but he is put together really well. He had a lot of offers and was very sought after. He is a guy that we think will be very dynamic in this system and we think Andy will put him to work right away.”
He chose Utah over: Texas, USC, Tennessee, Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin
Sione Fotu: LB 6-1, 225 pounds (Bingham HS)
Fotu had 52 tackles, a sack and an interception in his senior season for the Bingham Miners. Fotu committed to Utah over offers from Washington State, Tennessee, Cal, and UCLA.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “Sione Fotu, from Bingham High School, he is a tough kid. He has great range. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he is physical. He is very instinctive and was very productive for Bingham this year. He has a lot of upside.”
Hunter Lotulelei: OL 6-3, 290 pounds (Highland HS)
Fresh off an LDS mission, Hunter Lotulelei is the cousin of former Utah greats in Lowell and Star Lotulelei. The four-star prospect can play both offensive line and defensive line so it will be interesting to see where he ends up. No matter where he’s slotted, he should be ready for instant playing time.
He chose Utah over: Colorado, Fresno State, New Mexico
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Ben Renfro: S 6-1, 190 pounds (Magnolia HS)
Renfro is Utah’s third safety in this year’s recruiting class. The standout defender can also play offense as well as a return specialist. Renfro reminds us a lot of Britain Covey. Over the course of his high school career, Renfro totaled 2,197 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Money Parks: WR 5-11, 172 pounds (Aledo HS)
Committing in 2018, Money Parks was Utah’s first commitment in the 2020 class. The wide receiver got a lot of attention this past season as a number of P5 programs came calling. Parks finished his senior season with 54 catches for 957 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He chose Utah over: Arkansas, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas Tech
Tennessee Pututau: DT 6-2, 260-pounds (East HS)
Pututau originally signed with the Utes in 2018 before serving an LDS mission. Now back, Pututau will join a Utah defense that is notorious for putting guys in the NFL. The 6-foot-2, 260-pounder played outside linebacker and defensive end in high school. However, he has bulked up significantly and is expected to be a defensive tackle for the Utes.
Kyle Whittingham qoute: “We have two more Pututau’s, Tennessee and Taniela, who will both be on the defensive line, at least initially. Taniela was an excellent in tight end in high school as well, so we might take a look at him there.”
He chose Utah over: Michigan State, BYU, Tennessee, Arizona State and Washington
Graham Faloona: OLB 6-3, 205 pounds (Southlake Carroll HS)
During his high school career, Faloona racked up 340 tackles (214 solo) with five sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in just three seasons.
He chose Utah over: Houston, Navy, Oklahoma State, Utah State, Wyoming
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