Bills signs with Utes
Out of the two elite 2016 local recruits looking at the University of Utah and Stanford, the Utes got the one they most coveted on Signing Day, as Corner Canyon HS (Draper) defensive linemen, Keaton Bills (6-foot-5 250 pounds) chose to stay close to home. In the end, the mammoth defensive end chose the Utes over the Cardinal as well as Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars. Bills was kind enough to give UteZone an exclusive, before his big announcement
“It makes me stoked (to be a Ute). It makes me excited for my future—I couldn’t be more excited,” said Bills.
BYU made a lat push, but it just was not enough. “The coaching change had a big effect,” said Bills, who was extremely close with BYU defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi. No matter what though, Utah was always on his mind.
“I can’t say one bad thing about BYU and I can’t say one bad thing about Utah, but the deciding factor was that Utah kept popping up in my head,” he said. “I think that’s just where I’m supposed to be and that’s where my destiny lies. I’m excited.”
Bills finally came to a decision around 11 PM, Monday night, before calling the Utah coaches the next day. “I called coach Scalley first and I think I kind of scared him because I told him to sit down for the news. When I did tell him, he said that he was more excited than I could even imagine. I truly felt the genuine happiness coming from his voice, so I’m super excited and I can’t find any other words than, excited,” said Bills with a laugh.
The talented defender will be a sign-&-send, as he will serve a mission before he takes the field. When he does, the staff anticipates him being a defensive tackle, who can also slide over to end.
When he was evaluating his schools, Utah’s NFL D-Line factory was never the big thing on his mind. “My main philosophy the whole recruiting was, if I’m good enough, I’ll make it to the NFL, no matter where I go,” he said. “That (NFL pipeline) never really had the biggest impact on me, but it’s obviously really cool. Then you’ve still got some pretty good coaches, so you can’t go wrong there.”
The Utes have typically been on the losing side with Stanford in recent recruiting battles, but Bills commitment, could help turn the tide. Some guys—locals especially—have more important things than a big academic name on their minds. In this case, they just did not fit, so Stanford did not make his final two.
“I kind of kept it going for a long time because Stanford has a great name, but I kind of just towards the end, realized that’s not my place.,” explained Bills. “It’s too far from home and it wasn’t my fit.
While he still is a few years away from strapping on the drum and feather, Bills enthusiasm is apparent.
“I’m excited to play for them. I’m excited to be there for them and I’m excited to be on the field where I can hear their cheers. I’m just excited,” he said.
And, the program and fan base is excited to have another local stud, in the fold.