The University of Utah scored on the recruiting trail Wednesday afternoon, when they received a commitment from three-star running back Micah Bernard, out of Cerritos, California. The 6-foot, 200 pound, Bernard, who plays for Gahr High School, also had offers from USC, Oregon, San Diego State, Oregon State, and San Jose State.

"I talked to a lot of the coaches up at Utah," Bernard said. "With Coach (Kiel) McDonald, we'd talk up to twice a week, actually. It felt right, they talked with me about how I'd fit in and what they could do with me, and I felt like it would be a perfect place for me to get out there and continue my football."

Bernard has an unofficial visit scheduled to check Utah out, and is working on setting up an official visit sometime during the season. Interestingly, he hasn't actually been to Salt Lake City yet, but knows all about Utah's reputation as a school that likes to run the ball. That reputation, along with Utah's success in sending players to the NFL, was a big part of Bernard's decision to be a Ute.

"That's a big factor, actually," Bernard said. "I want to go to the NFL myself, so knowing that they actually get running backs out, that's something that I took into consideration."

The other major factor for the talented California back's commitment was his relationship with Coach McDonald, who has been his primary recruiter, and their conversation proved extremely valuable.

"We got closer, talked about family, there were a lot of little things that weren't really football-related, but when we did get on football topics, he was very straightforward," said Bernard. "I really liked the way he persuaded me."

Bernard is the type of back that shows a lot of patience and vision, though he does have good speed and is capable of being a physical runner. His style fits what Utah likes to do with their running backs, and he should be the type of player that Utah can plug right in to their offense, after he arrives.

There's still a long time before signing day, and even longer still before Bernard will be on campus, but he's fired up to be a Ute, and is hungry to get to work and help the Utes bring a Pac-12 title to Salt Lake City.

"Let's go get it," said Bernard. "Let's go get a championship, that's what I'm thinking."