2016 Recruiting Class Awards
We've had almost a week to digest what took place last Wednesday on Signing Day, so let's take some time and hand out some awards for the 2016 recruiting class.
Offensive MVR (Most Valuable Recruit)
With only nine of BYU’s 26 signees coming on the offensive side of the ball, there aren’t many options to choose from the offensive side of the ball. Trinnaman is the easy choice here, as he possesses the ability to be a home run threat in the deep game for BYU’s passing attack.
Out of high school, Trinnaman signed with Utah State but they immediately switched him from WR to safety.After that switch, Trinnaman went to Snow College and now he will be one of BYU’s top targets in the throw game this fall.
Defensive MVR (Most Valuable Recruit)
Not very often do you see a kid who’s committed to a school announce that he will have a new ceremony to announce his school of choice. Usually that results in a flip to the other school pursuing that potential student-athlete. That wasn’t the case for Troy Warner who was committed to BYU after witnessing the Cougars win over Boise State last fall in person.
When Bronco Mendenhall and Nick Howell left for Virginia, Warner didn’t de-commit from the Cougars, but he was listening to suitors, one of which was the hometown USC Trojans. After taking an official visit to the land of Troy, it looked like the Semper-Fi All-American could be a possible flip, but Sitake and his staff reaffirmed the commitment of Warner who is already enrolled in school and will compete in spring ball.
BYU’s previous staff envisioned Warner playing on both sides of the ball, but don’t expect that with Sitake’s crew.Warner is going to play at either cornerback or safety this fall.
Newcomer to make immediate impact on offense
Once a track athlete in high school, Trinnaman has the speed and strength to create space and make plays.I’ve said it before; Trinnaman is the best deep threat receiver BYU has had since Austin Collie & Todd Watkins.
Newcomer to make immediate impact on defense
If BYU incorporates some 4-3 packages this year, they know two of the better defensive tackles out west in the middle of their line with Travis Tuiloma and now Snow College transfer Handsome Tanielu.
Tanielu is enrolled in school right now and will participate in spring football.When you watch Tanielu’s highlights, you see a classic defensive tackle that can push offensive linemen into the quarterback.Has excellent strength, and for his size, his get-off was elite at the JUCO ranks.Hence the reason the likes of Texas, Penn State, Utah, and more than 20 other schools were pursuing Kalani Sitake’s first commitment as head coach.
Steal of the Class
A Semper-Fi All American, Pili committed to BYU last summer and was always 100-percent committed to the Cougars despite the coaching change and a number of Power 5 schools that were trying to sway his decision.
Pili fits the mold and measurements of previous pursuit linebackers that BYU has had in recent years.
When you look at Pili’s offer list, and to think there was no drama or speculation as to where he might end up.That’s a steal for a program like BYU, and these are the type of prospects that BYU has to land on a consistent basis if they want to build their depth and continue to improve recruiting in the state of Utah.
Most likely to surprise
When you have a prospect who can make an impact in all three areas of the game, and he’s only a two-star rating, there’s a good chance he is going to see the field right away and surprise some folks. Aleva Hifo fits that description perfectly.
Hifo is slated to play cornerback, but he could see time in the return game and at receiver as well.
Greatest Potential
A defensive end that was once committed to USC, Keanu Saleapaga is a byproduct of this new recruiting regime under Kalani Sitake and his staff. Saleapaga will play four straight years at BYU and is at a premium position where BYU needs help right away in 2016 to replace four-year starter and eventual NFL Draftee Bronson Kaufusi.
Defensive Coordinator Tuiaki and defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi have a track record of producing players to the NFL during their coaching careers, so it’ll be interesting to see if Saleapaga can reach that potential as he has the perfect blend size at 6’6 265-pounds and speed off the edge.
Patience Award
Hall is a quarterback who can get the job done through the air and on the ground with his ability to run. But according to BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, don’t underestimate Hall’s ability to sit in the pocket and throw the football on a consistent basis.
Spoke with Detmer after the Signing Day press conference for 1320 KFAN in Salt Lake City, and Detmer had great things to say about Hall. Detmer said he has already had experience working with Hall through the QB Elite Camps that guys like Detmer, Kurt Warner, and Mark Brunell hosted for kids in the area.
Hall had a late push from schools like Utah & Arizona State before Mike Norvell took the head coach job at Memphis.
Hall will serve a mission right away, and when he gets back in 2018, he will get the chance to compete with Kody Wilstead who will already have a year in BYU’s program under his belt.
It could take awhile before we see Hall line up the Cougar’s top signal caller, but when it does happen, Hall could be a special athlete for the Y.
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Mitch Harper is the Publisher of CougarNation.com and host of the Cougar Center Podcast available on 1320KFAN.com & iTunes. Follow Mitch on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.