Utah lineman makes the call

For months, Mountain Crest (Hyrum, Utah) defensive tackle Kyle Christiansen has had his eye on the University of Utah. On Monday, Christiansen got his wish by committing to play for Kyle Whittingham's Utes.

"There's just something about Utah that I just couldn't deny it was the place for me," Christiansen said of his commitment.

"I like everything about Utah. I like how they play football, the emphasis on family, the character and honesty. The football family, I love how close they are. There is nothing judgmental up there. Everything is just one unit," he explained.

Christiansen made his commitment while meeting with coaches after touring Utah's newly opened football facilities. "I met with them and took a tour of the new facility. Then I met with Coach Whittingham and that's when I committed," he explained. "Coach Whittingham was real excited, so was Coach Sitake and Caoch Tuiaki. They were happy to see it end the way they wanted it to."

According to Christiansen, the plan is to start his career as a defensive tackle. However, he may also see action on the offensive side of the ball. Christiansen believes that his skill set will serve him nicely on the Utah defensive front.

"I feel that I'm really good with reacting with blocks, taking on double teams and slowing down the line of scrimmage. I make tackles. I have good instincts to take on blocks and shed blocks. I like to play defense a lot more. I just like to tackle. It doesn't matter to me though. I'll do whatever I need to help the team," he said.

The ability to play for Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, who has taken the lead on Christiansen's recruitment, is another big plus for the big lineman.

"Coach Sitake is the recruiting coach in my area. He's been at my school talking to me since I was a sophomore. I really like him and I feel comfortable with him. I feel like he's a father figure to me," Christiansen said. "I really like Coach Tuiaki as well. Him and Coach Sitake are pretty similar. I really like both of them."

Christiansen is LDS and plans on serving a two-year mission prior to enrolling at Utah. "What I'm planning on doing is graduate in November the week after the state championship game and try to leave around January. Then I can get back and do spring ball," he explained.

"My commitment is set in stone. It's everything I wanted," he said.