Utes in Pickett's top four
With weeks to go before the start of the 2016 football season, Utah is very much in the mix for Nick Pickett, a 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back at Salesian High School in Los Angeles, California.
Pickett recently released a top four, which included Utah, Washington State, Nebraska and Oregon. “I like the coaching staff and the style of play from all the schools, just the schools in general,” Pickett said. “I’ve always liked them growing up. Since I’ve gotten offers from them, my interest has gained over [the past] few months.”
Pickett then went into greater detail regarding what he likes about each program. “I haven’t visited [Nebraska], but the fan base is real huge, I see it on Twitter,” he said. “I also like their coaching staff, their new coaches that they brought in. I like [receivers] coach [Keith] Williams. I see that he’s a great coach to get you NFL-ready for playing receiver and things like that. Oregon’s one of my dream schools. So I’ve just been holding for an offer from there. I’d probably commit if I got that offer — on the spot — but ever since I was little they’ve been one of my dream schools. I’ve been in contact with the coaches as well.
“Washington State, they have a good recruiting class. They have a good bunch of kids that go to that school every year. I’ve been recruited by the commits they have now, as well as the coaches. The quarterback Connor Neville, and Isaiah Hodgins the receiver, they’ve both been recruiting me to come to Washington State, so I’ve been keeping a close eye on them, and I might take an official [there] this season. Utah, they’ve always been the school that’s been there since day one, they were the first to offer me. They've always got [good] communication. And I liked when I took my unofficial out there, I enjoyed it, it was [different] than what I expected, so I kept them as one of my top schools.”
Pickett visited Salt Lake City for Utah’s Junior Day, and was impressed with the campus and the program. “It was in the beginning of the year, it was for the Junior Days,” he said. “The campus is great, the stadium is even better. Everything, it looks fake, that’s how good it is. Just seeing all the mountains for the first time, out in L.A. the mountains are pretty far, so it was just different, being able to see the mountains, [the] different landscapes that Utah has. It was my first time being out there, so I got a good feel for the school. One thing that was surprising was just how welcoming the coaching staff was. Everybody, when I first got there they accepted me, they showed me around and they had good hospitality when I first got there, so it went well."
Over the course of his recruitment, Pickett has developed strong bonds with Utah coaches Morgan Scalley and Sharrieff Shah. “[I talk to] coach Scalley and coach Shah [the most],” he said. “Coach Scalley, when I first got up there, that was my first time meeting him. He’s a good coach, he knows what he’s doing, and he always seems to have a good defensive back group that gets out to the league, they always make plays in college football. It would be a great experience for me if I was to go there. I like [coach Shah’s] attitude towards the game. Ever since he first came out to recruit me, when he first offered me, he always had a great attitude about getting me out to Utah. And he has a great passion for the game, and I think that’s key for a coach to have to push his players."
An L.A. native himself, Shah has been able to talk to Pickett about growing up in a tough neighborhood. “He [talked to me about L.A.] a couple times, when he came down to my school to visit,” Pickett said. “He understands the struggles that kids like me face, just overcoming adversity to be able to go to a four-year school on a full scholarship, to take advantage of what you have in front of you.”
Pickett plans to visit all of the schools on his list, starting with Utah on September 10th. “I have Utah set for September 10th, when they play BYU,” he said. “If I get [an] Oregon [offer], [I'll] probably [go] when they play Oregon State, I’m not sure what weekend that is. But I’ll probably take that game if I get the Oregon offer. Nebraska is still underway, I don’t know what week they want me to come. Washington State, I talked to coach [linebackers coach Roy] Manning and he told me that he wanted me to come after the season, so I’ll set the official during the season.”
Despite offers from several P5 programs, Pickett still considers himself underrated and feels like he still has a lot to prove as a football player. “I’m an underrated … kid,” he said. “A lot of schools will sleep on me, so I just distill from the schools that didn’t. Just seeing a lot of the other people get recruited and things like that, it humbles me and it keeps me hungry. I know that I’m capable of receiving more offers, so I just stay humble, and I’m always burning for the top spot.”
Pickett attributes his relatively low number of offers to the fact that he’s a bit of a late bloomer. “My sophomore season, a lot of people started getting recruited and it did take me a while to start getting recruited,” he said. “I’m probably a year behind as far as getting recruited. That’s all I can think of. I feel like I can compete with anybody in the country [though]. My confidence level is real high, I just feel like I can compete with the top guys, and prove myself if I have the chance to, to show that I’m one of the top guys, even though I’m not rated as one.”
Pickett is still in the thick of the decision-making process, and isn’t exactly sure when he’ll commit. “I know I want to [commit] before signing day, but I’m not sure yet, probably in the middle of the season or towards the end. [My decision will come down to] the foundation of the school itself; my relationship with the coaching staff, how hard they recruit me; early playing time is [important], although I don’t mind working for a spot. [Playing time's] not even been an issue for me, but most likely, my relationship with the coaching staff is what’s going to be the main factor to where I commit to."