Mateaki Helu did not have to travel far from the west side of the Salt Lake valley to decide where he wants to play his college ball. The Stansbury HS linebacker is rated the 9th best player in the state--in a stacked class--and he'll look to become one of the next Hometown Heroes for the Utes. He was one of the Utes earliest commitment of the 2023 class. Helu took a late official visit to BYU after Jay Hill was named the Cougars' Defensive Coordinator, however, Helu stuck true to his commitment.

The 3-star outside linebacker held 7 offers in total from some high-profile schools, including Baylor, BYU, California, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

EVALUATION:

Man I love this kid, I trained with him in-person and he loves to do it all! Helu plays a lot in space and over the slot in HS. I hope to see him at Mike or Will with the Utes! With how many carries he’s had as a RB, I think he’ll be reading run blocks and the back action no problem as a freshman. Also he’s been on varsity for 4 years, so he fears nothing. Once he's back from his mission, he should get immediate playing time his first year with the Utes. He’s a party starter--meaning he hits hard enough that it can get the rest of the D going.

-Brian Blechen, S/LB, 2010-2014

WHAT THIS SIGNING MEANS:

The versatile Helu was the first of Utah’s 2023 commits, and despite taking a last minute official visit to BYU, Helu is sticking with his Utah pledge. Before enrolling, however, Helu will serve a LDS mission.