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SALT LAKE CITY — With high school football season here, at KSL.com we’ve compiled a list of BYU and Utah’s top in-state and out-of-state 2018 recruits to watch for. Many of these athletes are getting not only local attention but national attention and are expected to continue to make a name for themselves this upcoming prep season. The rankings come from Scout.com.
BYU in-state recruits
Jaren Kump, Herriman — Kump is a 6-foot-6, 261-pound offensive tackle who has been a standout at Herriman High School. The three-star recruit also had offers from Oregon and USC before committing to BYU. In the 2016 season, Herriman finished 5-5 on the season and lost in the 4A play-in game of the state tournament.
Tevita Fotu, Herriman — Fotu will join his high school teammate Jaren Kump at BYU in 2018 as a tight end. He is a three-star recruit and is 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds.
Connor Pay, Lone Peak — Pay plays at offensive tackle for Lone Peak High School. He is a three-star recruit and stands at 6-foot-5. Last season, Lone Peak lost to Bingham in the 5A title game. In a quote obtained by the Deseret News, Lone Peak coach Bart Brockbank said of Pay, "He's had a lot of top programs try to get him to change his commitment, but he seems solid on BYU. So that speaks for itself. He's a real good player for us and someone who will lead that offensive line."
Nathan Latu, Olympus — Latu is an outside linebacker and a three-star recruit. Olympus lost in the first round of the 4A state playoffs last year but will have several returning starters accompanying Latu to redress their loss in the playoffs last year. Latu stands at 6-foot-4 and has a twin brother Cameron who recently committed to Alabama football after having previously committed to BYU last summer.
Brach Davis, Olympus — Davis will join Olympus High teammate Nathan Latu at BYU in 2018 as both a running back and defensive back. He stands at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds and is a two-star recruit.
Dallin Holker, Lehi — Holker, a 6-foot-5 three-star tight end, will join BYU after turning down offers from many schools such as Colorado State, Hawaii, Oregon State, Southern Utah and Utah State. In his junior season, Holker had 105 receptions for 1,295 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lehi lost to Bingham in the quarterfinals last year.
Chinonso Opara, Juan Diego — Opara is a 6-foot-8 defensive end three-star recruit. Opara committed to BYU over Utah after playing only one year of football at Juan Diego after moving to the United States in 2014 from Nigeria. He was a part of the 3A state championship team last season at Juan Diego.
Brayden Cosper, Bingham — Cosper will join BYU as a wide receiver in 2018. He is a three-star recruit and received offers from Air Force, Navy, Nevada and Weber State. Last season he had 792 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. At Bingham High School last season, his team went undefeated before winning the state title.
Tysen Lewis, Weber — Lewis is a two-star offensive tackle. Weber finished 3-7 on the season last year and will look to improve in the new 6A Region 1.
Utah in-state recruits
Hunter Lotuleiei, Highland — Lotuleiei will join the Utes as an offensive guard as a three-star recruit. Last season, Highland finished with an 8-3 record and second in Region 5. Lotuleiei is one of six returning starters for Highland and is on the Polynesian High School Player of the Year Award watch list.
Top BYU out-of-state recruits
Brandon Kaho, Reno, Nevada — Kaho is perhaps one of the best BYU recruits of the 2018 class. The four-star recruit plays inside linebacker and had several offers from schools such as Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, Utah, Stanford and Washington before committing to BYU for next season.
Gunner Romney, Chandler, Arizona — Romney is a wide receiver who stands at 6-foot-2 and is a three-star recruit. He also had offers from Utah, Arizona and Boise State before committing to BYU.
Zadock Dinklemann, Somerset, Texas — Dinklemann takes after his uncle, Ty Detmer, and plays quarterback as well. The 6-foot-5 three-star recruit also had offers from LSU, Alabama and Texas among many other schools before committing to BYU to play under his uncle.
Jacob Smith, Rosemount, Minnesota — Smith is an offensive tackle and a three-star recruit for the Cougars. He also received offers from many schools such as Arkansas, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Top Utah out-of-state recruits
Jack Tuttle, San Marcos, California — Tuttle is a pro-style quarterback and four-star recruit. Tuttle has received a lot of national attention and has already been labeled as a potential first-round NFL draft pick. He stands at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds. Tuttle committed to Utah last December after offers from Alabama, LSU, Nebraska, Arizona, USC, Wisconsin and a host of other schools.
Malone Mataele, Rancho Santa Margarita, California — Mataele, a four-star recruit, is an all-purpose back and had various offers from schools but most notably from BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA and Virginia.
Kenyon Sims, San Diego — Utah recently committed Sims, a running back, after offers from Utah State, Arizona and Washington among others. Sims is a three-star recruit. Lindsey Peterson is a Brigham Young University student studying broadcast journalism. Contact her at lindspeterson4@gmail.com.
