Countdown 98 Days: Looking Back at the Utes' 2014 Class
It's 98 days to kickoff for the University of Utah. Happy Jaxson McBride Day. Today we take a look back at the Utes' 2014 class, in true Rivals.com ratings fashion. Who elevated their previous rating? Which prospects weren't able to match or surpass what they were given by our recruiting service?
Some are debatable, but here's a breakdown of Utah's 2014 class, then and now:
Jackson Barton: 4-Star OL, 6.0 rating (5.8)
After an initial redshirt year, Jackson has played in all 39 games in his college career. Jackson committed to the Utes very early in the process and was the highest rated player of the 2014 class. Barton has had a solid career as a Ute so far, but with a great senior season, he has the chance to live up to the hype he received when he signed with the Utes. Given his size and athleticism, Barton should receive plenty of interest from NFL scouts as long as he performs even slightly above league average in 2018.
Career Stats: Played in 39 games, 13 starts at LT (2017), 2 starts at RT (2016)
Alani Havili-Katoa: 3-Star OL, 5.6 rating (5.4)
Alani came to the Utes as a defensive tackle with high upside and was pursued by several upper echelon P-5 teams. He has bounced back and forth to both sides of the ball, but appears to have found his place as a guard on the offensive line. With his senior year ahead of him, he will have the opportunity to make a bigger impact on the field and be a key role player. Havili-Katoa still has an uphill battle ahead of him, but saw plenty of snaps in spring camp, which could work in his favor as the coaches determine who will contribute on the offensive line this season. Whatever happens, he’s been the ultimate team player, with all the position changes.
Career Stats: 30 Games played, 2 starts at RGDefensive Stats: 5 Tackles
Donovan Isom: 3-Star QB, 5.6 rating (5.2)
After redshirting his freshman year, Donovan could see that his playing time would be limited at Utah and transferred to Southeastern Louisiana where he has been able to stick at quarterback. Donovan could have had a nice Utah career, but it would have been at defensive end or tight end, not as a leading signal-caller. After transferring, he has seen limited action at Southeastern Louisiana, completing 53.6 percent of his passes for 437 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Career Stats: None
Andre Godfrey: 3-Star DB, 5.6 rating (5.4)
Andre was pegged as an athlete that could help the Utes sooner rather than later and this was a projection that turned out to be fairly accurate. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman and worked his way into the two-deep at safety playing in several games as a rotational player. Unfortunately, due in part to injuries, Andre started getting surpassed for playing time by other up-and-comers and became buried on the depth chart until he decided to transfer after his junior year.
Career Stats: 27 games played, 15 Tackles, 0.5 sacks
DJ Law: 3-Star RB, 5.5 rating (5.2)
One of the most infamous Utes to never get on campus, DJ originally committed to three schools on signing day. Because of grades,he ended up having to attend East Mississippi Community College. At EMCC he stared on the Netflix documentary “Last Chance U.” where he was a featured athlete for both his play on the field as well as his poor academics and starting a fight in his final game. DJ attempted to transfer to UAB, but academics again held him back.
Career Stats: None
Marcus Williams: 3-Star DB, 5.5 rating (6.1)
If you are looking for your biggest jump in ranking boost, look no further. Marcus had only one P-5 offer out of high school, and it was Utah. Morgan Scalley was able to see the potential of an under recruited athlete, who turned out to be a two-time All Pac-12 safety before declaring early for the NFL Draft. Missing only two games in his Utah career, Marcus made an impact early taking some lumps his freshman season. He then went on to earn first-team All Pac-12 in his sophomore campaign, and then was eventually selected 42nd overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He could be a breakout star in the NFL, during the 2018 season.
Career Stats: 189 Tackles, 11 INTs, 4 TFL, 19 PD, 4 FF, 3 FR
Raelon Singleton: 3-Star WR, 5.5 rating (5.6)
After missing the first year and a half due to injury, Raelon came on strong as an all-around receiver for the Utes. He was the second-leading receiver as both a sophomore and junior, as he looked to be large part of Utah’s game plans. However, inconsistency plagued Raelon during his Utah career, and he never really hit his ceiling as a Ute. After his junior season, Raelon requested a graduate transfer release. He recently announced that he would be attending the University of Houston for his final season of eligibility.
Career Stats: 69 REC, 1,044 YDS, 8 TDs, 15.1 YPC
Kaelin Clay: 3-Star WR, 5.5 rating (5.8)
Utah was willing to take a chance on Kaelin, even though he was only a one for one athlete, and it paid off big-time. He was voted as a First-Team All Pac-12 and All-American as a returner, in his lone season. he tied for 1st in the country in punt return touchdowns and led the Utes in receiving yards and touchdowns. While there’s no doubt that Clay was a fantastic return man, as a receiver, he sometimes struggled with fundamentals. Nonetheless, his athleticism and upside as a returner has allowed him to stick in the NFL, since being drafted in the 7th round back in 2015.
Career Stats:
Return Stats: 1 KR TD, 3 PR TDs, 894 total return yards
WR Stats: 43 REC, 523 YDS, 4 REC TDs, 12.2 YPC
Pita Tonga 3-Star DL, 5.5 rating (5.7)
Committing to the Utes just before the beginning of his senior season, Pita remained solid to Utah throughout his recruitment. After serving a two year mission, he redshirted his freshman year, so we have only been able to see one season from him. He played sparingly but still in Utah’s deep defensive line rotation. Having a little experience under his belt now, Tonga is competing for a starting position as a redshirt sophomore, and will contribute plenty on Utah’s defensive line this season. Expect to see Pita play a bigger role in the coming years.
Career Stats: 13 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
Amone Finau: 3-Star DB, 5.5 rating (5.2)
A jack of all trades prospect, Finau chose the Utes out of high school over the other in-state schools. After returning home from a two year mission Amone decided to commit to BYU. The Utes would have taken him, but didn’t see him as a priority to push too hard for. Seeing that Finau has yet to show what he can do at the college level, it’s yet to be determined whether or not he will live up to his three-star rating.
Career Stats: None
Kenric Young: 3-Star WR, 5.5 rating (5.5)
During his career, Young never could quite put it together as a receiver, but he was always the ultimate teammate. A solid contributor on special teams, he switched to cornerback for his senior year, where he flashed potential, and made a much bigger impact in his one year as a corner than he did in his three years as a receiver. Ultimately, a redshirt year would have been ideal and who knows how he could have progressed from one. His upside as a cornerback earned him an invite to the Colts rookie minicamp, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to make a roster or practice squad in 2018.
Career Stats:
WR stats: 5 REC, 21 YDS
DB stats: 10 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
Pasoni Tasini: 2-Star DL, 5.4 rating (5.7)
As a JuCo prospect, Pasoni was able to outperform his initial rating in his two years at Utah. After only playing a small part in the rotation his junior year, Pasoni came on strong and was part of the reason why Stevie Tu’ikolovatu decided to transfer. Tasini turned into a regular starter by his senior season and earned honorable-mention status on the All Pac-12 team. Although he wasn’t drafted, Tasini made the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad in 2017.
Career Stats: 38 Tackles, 10.5 TFL, 1 Safety, 2.5 Sacks, 6 PD, 2 FF
Tavaris Williams: 2-Star DB, 5.4 rating (5.3)
After an impressive high school career Tavaris was brought into Utah and got a look on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Due to his speed and athleticism the coaches put him at cornerback where he looked to fit right into the rotation, before injuries cut his career short. Due to his injuries, we never really got to see what Williams was capable of, so it’s hard to say whether or not he lived up to or exceeded his initial rating.
Career Stats: 4 Tackles, 1PD
Kyle Christiansen: 2-Star OL, 5.4 rating (5.2)
Another two-way player in high school, Kyle looked to play either nose guard on defense or offensive guard on the other side of the ball. Unfortunately, he never made the active roster and his void was immediately filled by other promising players.
Career Stats: None
Boobie Hobbs: 2-Star DB, 5.4 rating (5.6)
Hobbs started to make an impact immediately after getting on campus. He returned a punt in Utah’s season opener his freshman year and worked his way from a special teams role player to a starting nickelback. He ranks 4th all-time at Utah for return yards and although undersized, he will likely get looks in an NFL team camp. However, as a defensive back, his ceiling wasn’t as high. Although he contributed at nickel plenty during his senior season, he eventually lost the starting job to true freshman, Javelin Guidry.
Career Stats:
Return Stats: 651 PR YDS, 63 KR YDS, 2 TDs
DB Stats: 47 Tackles, 1 INT, 1TFL, 7 PD, 2 FR
Casey Hughes: 2-Star DB, 5.4 rating (5.6)
After redshirting his initial year, Casey worked his way up the depth chart to become a regular in Utah's cornerback rotation, as a junior. Due to Utah's depth at the position Casey elected to transfer after graduating early. Although his ceiling isn’t as high as some of the other cornerbacks currently on Utah’s roster, Hughes has plenty of potential and will look to make an impact at Michigan next season. With a solid senior season for the Wolverines, Hughes could have a shot at making the NFL.
Career Stats: 41 Tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 PD, 3 FF, 1 Sack
Monte Seabrook: 2-Star DB, 5.4 rating (5.2)
The man without a true position, Monte joined the Utes as a pure athlete. After getting a look at safety he was moved to wide receiver and then to running back. After playing in only eight games, he transferred to Southeastern Louisiana to play receiver.
Career Stats: 3 tackles
Hauati Pututau: 2-Star DL, 5.3 rating (5.5)
After serving a two year mission Hauati redshirted and then played sparingly his redshirt freshman year. However, the fact that he is already playing in the rotation of Utah's deep defensive tackle group shows that he is progressing and still has three years of eligibility to make his mark. In spring camp, Pututau competed for the starting job alongside Leki Fotu, and showed that he is more prepared to contribute as a part of Utah’s defensive tackle rotation. Look for Hauati to become a larger part of Utah’s defensive line rotation next year.
Career Stats: 2 Tackles, 1 PD
Thor Katoa: 2-Star LB, 5.3 rating (5.2)
After originally signing with Utah, Thor flipped to Oregon St. to reunite with his main recruiter Kalani Sitake following a grayshirt year. At Oregon St. Thor has suffered with injuries and has not seen the field.
Career Stats: None
Overall Class Thoughts:
Outside of Marcus Williams, this overall class has so far ended up having a minimal impact. Still, there were some gems, including a few who will be key contributors this season, and their rating could bump if we were to evaluate this again, at the end of the year.
Ultimately, this group appears to have been exactly the type of class that you would expect following a 5-7 season, early in Utah’s time in the Pac-12. There were a few who dazzled, such as: Williams, Barton, Hughes, Clay, and Singleton. There were also plenty who turned out to simply be role players or placeholders until the higher-rated classes of 2015-17 were signed. Transfers and early retirements also hurt this class, and between that and those who never made it to campus, 10 of the 19 members of this class didn’t finish their college eligibility as Utes.