Stanley Raass is one of the three athletes from Kahuku HS on island of Hawaii in this recruiting class and will help fill in the depth of the defensive line. Raass was originally a BYU commit but flipped to the Utes in early November. Reports were that even though Raass had a standout season, something was handled poorly by the Cougars in his recruitment. Despite being listed at defensive end on Rivals and playing on both sides in high school, Raass is projected by the Utah staff to play defensive tackle.

The 3-star recruit held offers from BYU, Oregon State, and Washington State before flipping to Utah. He will have some time to grow into the position, both physically and mentally. His skills from playing defensive end should help him learning Luther Elliss' attacking style on the interior.

EVALUATION:

Raass is the ultimate utility tool when working in the trenches. While he has been recruited for DT at Utah, his ability to be a blocking full back and RT in high school shows his versatility and athleticism. Raass plays with great knee bend and will be difficult for taller blockers to be able to get underneath his pads for any type of leverage.

-Derek Tuimauga, OL, 2008-2009, 2013

WHAT THIS SIGNING MEANS:

A once stacked defensive tackles room thinned out quickly at the start of the season: Tevita Fotu stepped away right before the Florida game, then Tennessee and Fua Pututau did the same after that game. It’s too-be-determined if any of them return. Because of this, Utah relied primarily on a four-man rotation. One of those, Bronson Kaufusi, has graduated. Raass has a perfect opportunity to step into the rotation immediately.