The 2020 recruiting class is now signed sealed and delivered for the University of Utah, and it was quite the haul. Undoubtedly the program had its best class in their 126 year history, as they signed four 4-stars, three of those being top 150 recruits.
Here’s my take and some predictions as the Utes signed 21 total recruits, not counting the returned missionaries:
Biggest 2020 recruiting win
This one is almost too easy with it being Clark Phillips. His high ranking doesn’t even need to be considered when making this proclamation. Just the fact that Utah stole an elite recruit committed to Ohio State right before the December signing period, is absolutely huge. The best thing was, the Buckeyes did everything in their power to keep him, and peppered him with calls and texts from players, recruits, and coaches. His signing is a huge deal.
Biggest 2020 miss (recruit or unfulfilled position group)
The biggest miss for a recruit would have to be Noah Sewell. The Utes were out of the running early, but that doesn’t change the fact that Utah got five of the top six 2020 in-state recruits, with the lone exception being the crown jewel of the group. This brings me back to something his father told me three years ago, that had Utah had a committable offer to Nephi out of high school (who is now a Ute), all the brothers after Nephi would be Utes. Oh well, woulda-coulda-shoulda. At the time, no one could fault the Utah staff as Nephi battled through some serious injuries in high school.
The biggest miss position group wise, would have to be the Utes not finding success luring an elite high school linebacker. Sewell is one, as was Edgerrin Cooper—both top 10 backers. Mercier is an intriguing late find, both the latter two could have been sure-fire starters on Day-1.
Recruit most excited to watch
This is a talented class with three guys in the Rivals 150: Phillips, Van Fillinger, and Xavier Carlton. However, this honor goes to a guy that made a gigantic late jump in his position group rankings: safety Nate Ritchie. His measurables (6-foot-3 and 200 pounds), athleticism, and high football IQ are all tools that defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will be eager to plug into the safety position and give him every chance to see valuable reps and hopefully start right away.
Earliest impactful contributor (not including Bentley)
This is going to be either Phillips or Ritchie, but Fillinger could also push for this honor. That being said, I’ll go with Phillips as he should be viewed as a near lock to start. Yes, I take into account that nothing is just handed to anyone, but I expect Phillips to take a starting spot and run with it, since he’s already on campus.
Best Ute career and why
I’m going with Fillinger here and when all is said and done I think he progresses through Utah like Ute legend Luther Elliss. What I mean by that is starting off as a defensive end and finishing his Ute career as a highly sought after NFL defensive tackle prospect. Regardless, I see him not only as an early-impact player at defensive end, but also the next to challenge the school sack record. This was a big flip from the Texas Longhorns. If Maxs Tupai makes the move to linebacker in the spring—something that has been discussed—Fillinger could even be an immediate starter.
The recruit that will surprise and outperform their rating
I’m going with the sleeper, quarterback Cooper Justice. The program absolutely loves his potential and strongly believes that offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig will help him unlock it. At the current moment, they’ll want to focus on refining Justice’s throwing motion and footwork in the pocket, but that is a relatively easy fix when Justice begins to focus 100% on football, instead of also playing baseball. Look at the progress Tyler Huntley made under Ludwig, as he greatly improved his decision-making and the touch on his passes in one year. Also, remember back to what Ludwig accomplished with Brett Ratliff, who was lightly recruited out of JuCo and had a five year NFL career.
I’m really really intrigued to see the progress of Justice by spring and fall camp of 2021.
