UTEopia
03-05-2013, 08:15 AM
I wrote this over a month ago and offered it to the Rivals guys, but it looks like they are not interested so I decided to post it here:
Most of the current seniors were in the 2009 recruiting class, when a PAC 12 invite was not even on the radar. The 2009 class had 25 signees. The highest rated signee in the class was 5* DT James Aiono from Snow College and the highest rated high school signee was 4* DT Latu Heimuli from Highland HS. The class consisted of one 5*, two 4*, fourteen 3*, seven 2* and one unrated player. Of the 25 signees, two never made it to campus (JC’s Maxwell Lacy and Ray McGee), three left after short stints in the program and before really showing what they could do (Eric Dago, Colby Goodwin and Jarrad Stewart), one left after not being able to crack the lineup for meaningful playing time (Jamal Smith ) and two others left to play their senior years elsewhere (Kapua Sai and Nick Marsh). Two saw their football playing careers end before they started by injury (Beau Burton and Chris Washington) and it appears that two more will suffer the same fate after strong starts (Jordan Wynn and Latu Heimuli), So of the 25 signees, only 12 have completed their eligibility at the U.
With the benefit of hindsight, how would that class rate now? Well, here is my take based on my own rating system: 5*- all american candidate and multi year starter; 4* - all conference candidate and multi year starter; 3*- significant contributer for a minimum two years; 2* - career backup and special teams contributor; 1* - mistake.
2009 Class
James Aiono DT (JC) Rivals 5*. While James had a lot of talent as is evident by his sticking on an NFL roster, he did not see the field as a full-time starter in either of his two years at Utah. It is hard to call James a bust as he did provide some depth at DT, but he cannot be rated more then a 2*.
Conroy Black CB (JC) Rivals 3*. After taking a redshirt year to acclimate, Conroy became a 2 year starter at CB. Solid 3*
Beau Burton RB (HS) Rivals 2*. Although Beau did not get a real chance to prove himself because of injury, it appears from what we did see that he would have been a 2* at most.
Terrance Cain QB (JC) Rivals 4*. Terrance was a starter for the first 8 games of his junior year and then a periodic starter his senior year. Terrance had an impressive winning record as a starter, but was never an all conference caliber player and was not a full-time starter for two years. Nonetheless, I would rate him a 3* for his contributions were significant over a two year period.
Eric Dago DE (HS) Rivals 2*. Dago was built in the mold of Trevor Reilly, but did not seem to thrive at Utah and left after two years. Whether he could have exceeded his Rivals 2* rating is doubtful but unknown.
LT Filiaga LB (HS) Rivals 3*. One of the higher profile recruits from the state of Utah in 2009, LT has played just one year since returning from an LDS mission. He still has time to establish himself.
Colby Goodwin TE (HS) Rivals 2*. Left Utah after one or two months. Certainly a bust. Whether he had talent sufficient to start at Utah is doubtful but unknown.
Latu Heimuli DT (HS) Rivals 4*. The jewel of the 2009 high school class, Latu has had recurring injury issues that has prevented him from performing at a high level. It appears that his football career might be over. I don’t believe Latu was overrated, but he certainly did not live up to a 4* rating and can only be considered a 2*.
Vyncent Jones OL (HS) Rivals 3*. With his senior year still ahead of him, Jones has already proven himself to be a valuable back-up and part-time starter for the past two years. He will likely solidify himself as solid 3* recruit this coming year. Having said this, I believe Jones has outplayed his physical talent due to hard work and a no quit attitude.
Nick Marsh PK (HS) Rivals 2*. Nick got himself in some trouble upon arriving at Utah and while his strong leg has helped Utah excel at kickoff coverage, his erratic field goal kicking resulted in him never making a significant mark. Marsh has likely played his last game at Utah and will go somewhere else for his senior year. 2*
Kapua Sai OL (HS) Rivals 2*. After being unable to crack the lineup, Kapua transferred to Hawaii for his senior year. His 2* rating was accurate.
Jamal Smith WR (HS) Rivals 3*. Mally could never get on the field at WR or DB and transferred to Sacramento State. It is amazing that he could play at any level with eye sight in only one eye. Probably a 1*.
Shaky Smithson WR (JC) Rivals 3*. Shaky undoubtedly provided more highlights than any other player in the 2009 class. He was a threat to do something special every time he touched the ball. His success as a returner did not always translate to success as a receiver and as a result, although he was definitely all conference as a returner, he was probably correctly rated a 3*.
Victor Spikes DB (HS) Rivals 2*. Vic is the classic tweener. Not quite fast enough to play safety and not quite big enough to play LB. Vic has never really made it as an every down player, but has made a significant contribution as a special teams player and therefore a 2* is justified.
Jarrad Stewart DB (HS) Rivals 3*. Left after redshirt year and we don’t know whether he could have been a full-time starter as an undersized safety.
Percy (Bot) Taumoelau OL (HS) Rivals 3*. Bot has had every opportunity to establish himself as a starter and on occasion has filled in admirably as a backup. However, he has not shown himself to be a 3*. I suspect that Bot will be a backup again this coming year.
Jeremiah (JT) Tofaeono DT (HS) Rivals 3*. Recruited as a DT, JT was quickly moved to OG where he has struggled to maintain his starting position due to injury and inconsistent play. Although he has one more year, he should probably be considered a 2*
Siosaia (LT) Tuipulotu DT (HS) Rivals 3*. After a redshirt year, LT showed promise as a back-up and possible starter in his freshmen and sophomore seasons. An injury at the end of his sophomore season and increased depth at DT limited his playing time his junior year. LT could move from a 2* to a 3* if he can become a significant contributor on the defensive line this upcoming season.
Chris Washington DB (HS) Rivals 3*. Remember when it was a huge recruiting win to get Chris to sign with the Utes over BYU. Well, that was a long time ago and unfortunately for Chris, we were never able to see what he could do. Chronic shoulder problems caused him to take a medical retirement. From what we did see, my guess is that Chris would have
he would have been a 2*.
Jason Whittingham LB (HS) Rivals 2*. Jason still has three years to show us if he can improve upon this rating.
Jordan Wynn QB (HS) Rivals 3*. After switching his commitment from CU to Utah, graduating early and participating in spring ball, Jordan made a strong showing and had a chance to open the season as the starter. As it turned out, Terrance Cain started the season but was replaced by Jordan in the eighth game as the offense struggled. The highlight of Jordan’s career was the Poinsettia Bowl victory over Cal and I think we all saw what he could do in that game as well as against Iowa State a year later. Repeated shoulder injuries ultimately caused Jordan to hang up the pads. Jordan might have been able to reach the 4* level had he stayed healthy. However, his body of work probably suits him to a 3* rating and leaves Utah fans wondering what might have been.
Kamaron Yancy DB (JC) Rivals 3*. Yancy contributed on special teams and played some at corner, but did not make the type of impact needed of a JC recruit. 2*
Joape Pela DT (JC) Rivals unrated. Joape is a great kid and was a fantastic teammate, but did not have the physical talent to play at Utah. 1*
Most of the current seniors were in the 2009 recruiting class, when a PAC 12 invite was not even on the radar. The 2009 class had 25 signees. The highest rated signee in the class was 5* DT James Aiono from Snow College and the highest rated high school signee was 4* DT Latu Heimuli from Highland HS. The class consisted of one 5*, two 4*, fourteen 3*, seven 2* and one unrated player. Of the 25 signees, two never made it to campus (JC’s Maxwell Lacy and Ray McGee), three left after short stints in the program and before really showing what they could do (Eric Dago, Colby Goodwin and Jarrad Stewart), one left after not being able to crack the lineup for meaningful playing time (Jamal Smith ) and two others left to play their senior years elsewhere (Kapua Sai and Nick Marsh). Two saw their football playing careers end before they started by injury (Beau Burton and Chris Washington) and it appears that two more will suffer the same fate after strong starts (Jordan Wynn and Latu Heimuli), So of the 25 signees, only 12 have completed their eligibility at the U.
With the benefit of hindsight, how would that class rate now? Well, here is my take based on my own rating system: 5*- all american candidate and multi year starter; 4* - all conference candidate and multi year starter; 3*- significant contributer for a minimum two years; 2* - career backup and special teams contributor; 1* - mistake.
2009 Class
James Aiono DT (JC) Rivals 5*. While James had a lot of talent as is evident by his sticking on an NFL roster, he did not see the field as a full-time starter in either of his two years at Utah. It is hard to call James a bust as he did provide some depth at DT, but he cannot be rated more then a 2*.
Conroy Black CB (JC) Rivals 3*. After taking a redshirt year to acclimate, Conroy became a 2 year starter at CB. Solid 3*
Beau Burton RB (HS) Rivals 2*. Although Beau did not get a real chance to prove himself because of injury, it appears from what we did see that he would have been a 2* at most.
Terrance Cain QB (JC) Rivals 4*. Terrance was a starter for the first 8 games of his junior year and then a periodic starter his senior year. Terrance had an impressive winning record as a starter, but was never an all conference caliber player and was not a full-time starter for two years. Nonetheless, I would rate him a 3* for his contributions were significant over a two year period.
Eric Dago DE (HS) Rivals 2*. Dago was built in the mold of Trevor Reilly, but did not seem to thrive at Utah and left after two years. Whether he could have exceeded his Rivals 2* rating is doubtful but unknown.
LT Filiaga LB (HS) Rivals 3*. One of the higher profile recruits from the state of Utah in 2009, LT has played just one year since returning from an LDS mission. He still has time to establish himself.
Colby Goodwin TE (HS) Rivals 2*. Left Utah after one or two months. Certainly a bust. Whether he had talent sufficient to start at Utah is doubtful but unknown.
Latu Heimuli DT (HS) Rivals 4*. The jewel of the 2009 high school class, Latu has had recurring injury issues that has prevented him from performing at a high level. It appears that his football career might be over. I don’t believe Latu was overrated, but he certainly did not live up to a 4* rating and can only be considered a 2*.
Vyncent Jones OL (HS) Rivals 3*. With his senior year still ahead of him, Jones has already proven himself to be a valuable back-up and part-time starter for the past two years. He will likely solidify himself as solid 3* recruit this coming year. Having said this, I believe Jones has outplayed his physical talent due to hard work and a no quit attitude.
Nick Marsh PK (HS) Rivals 2*. Nick got himself in some trouble upon arriving at Utah and while his strong leg has helped Utah excel at kickoff coverage, his erratic field goal kicking resulted in him never making a significant mark. Marsh has likely played his last game at Utah and will go somewhere else for his senior year. 2*
Kapua Sai OL (HS) Rivals 2*. After being unable to crack the lineup, Kapua transferred to Hawaii for his senior year. His 2* rating was accurate.
Jamal Smith WR (HS) Rivals 3*. Mally could never get on the field at WR or DB and transferred to Sacramento State. It is amazing that he could play at any level with eye sight in only one eye. Probably a 1*.
Shaky Smithson WR (JC) Rivals 3*. Shaky undoubtedly provided more highlights than any other player in the 2009 class. He was a threat to do something special every time he touched the ball. His success as a returner did not always translate to success as a receiver and as a result, although he was definitely all conference as a returner, he was probably correctly rated a 3*.
Victor Spikes DB (HS) Rivals 2*. Vic is the classic tweener. Not quite fast enough to play safety and not quite big enough to play LB. Vic has never really made it as an every down player, but has made a significant contribution as a special teams player and therefore a 2* is justified.
Jarrad Stewart DB (HS) Rivals 3*. Left after redshirt year and we don’t know whether he could have been a full-time starter as an undersized safety.
Percy (Bot) Taumoelau OL (HS) Rivals 3*. Bot has had every opportunity to establish himself as a starter and on occasion has filled in admirably as a backup. However, he has not shown himself to be a 3*. I suspect that Bot will be a backup again this coming year.
Jeremiah (JT) Tofaeono DT (HS) Rivals 3*. Recruited as a DT, JT was quickly moved to OG where he has struggled to maintain his starting position due to injury and inconsistent play. Although he has one more year, he should probably be considered a 2*
Siosaia (LT) Tuipulotu DT (HS) Rivals 3*. After a redshirt year, LT showed promise as a back-up and possible starter in his freshmen and sophomore seasons. An injury at the end of his sophomore season and increased depth at DT limited his playing time his junior year. LT could move from a 2* to a 3* if he can become a significant contributor on the defensive line this upcoming season.
Chris Washington DB (HS) Rivals 3*. Remember when it was a huge recruiting win to get Chris to sign with the Utes over BYU. Well, that was a long time ago and unfortunately for Chris, we were never able to see what he could do. Chronic shoulder problems caused him to take a medical retirement. From what we did see, my guess is that Chris would have
he would have been a 2*.
Jason Whittingham LB (HS) Rivals 2*. Jason still has three years to show us if he can improve upon this rating.
Jordan Wynn QB (HS) Rivals 3*. After switching his commitment from CU to Utah, graduating early and participating in spring ball, Jordan made a strong showing and had a chance to open the season as the starter. As it turned out, Terrance Cain started the season but was replaced by Jordan in the eighth game as the offense struggled. The highlight of Jordan’s career was the Poinsettia Bowl victory over Cal and I think we all saw what he could do in that game as well as against Iowa State a year later. Repeated shoulder injuries ultimately caused Jordan to hang up the pads. Jordan might have been able to reach the 4* level had he stayed healthy. However, his body of work probably suits him to a 3* rating and leaves Utah fans wondering what might have been.
Kamaron Yancy DB (JC) Rivals 3*. Yancy contributed on special teams and played some at corner, but did not make the type of impact needed of a JC recruit. 2*
Joape Pela DT (JC) Rivals unrated. Joape is a great kid and was a fantastic teammate, but did not have the physical talent to play at Utah. 1*