Three potential flip candidates the Utes are still recruiting hard
It may be the month of September, and the COVID-19 pandemic may be seriously hindering recruiting for most of the college football programs throughout the country. But for the University of Utah, head coach Kyle Whittingham and co. got off to a stellar start in recruiting but have since slowed down and missed out on a couple of top prospects.
Headlining Utah's 2021 recruiting class is quarterback Peter Costelli, one of the top-ranked passers in the country according SI All American's John Garcia.
Joining Costelli is one of the premier running backs in the country in soon-to-be four-star running back Ricky Parks out of Gaither High School in Tampa, Florida. The Utes the secured their first wide receiver commit of the 2021 class when Deamikkio Nathan, the playmaker out of South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas, announced his commitment to the Utes on July 1.
All three players have been named SI All-American nominees.
Joining them as All-American nominees is three-star linebacker Trey Reynolds out of Queen Creek High School in Queen Creek, Arizona.
But while the Utes may still be in the running for some top recruits throughout the country, the coaching staff is still working hard at flipping a couple of prospects committed to other schools.
Here's a breakdown of three recruits who could not only realistically flip to the Utes, but change the entire trajectory of the 2021 recruiting class.
Raider Damuni, 3* DB — Committed to BYU
*The most obvious recruit on this list is Damuni, a player from the state of Utah that the Utes have been after for a very long time. He's been committed to BYU since he was an eighth grader, largely because his father is on the coaching staff, but that hasn't stopped the Utes from picking up their recruitment over the past year or so. His HS teammate Logan Fano (and one of his closest friends) decommitted from the Cougars following a trip to Utah with Damuni and some of the other top recruits in the state. While Fano is considered a Utah-lean, Damuni has also been linked to the Utes as well so this one should come to the end.
Junior Alexander, 4* WR — Committed to Arizona State
*This is a commit the Utes desperately wanted in red, white and black due to his game-changing abilities catching the ball — a massive position of need. Alas he committed to Arizona State, a Pac-12 south division foe. He's already been on campus once before and left with a great understanding of the program, so much that the Utes were one of his final schools. If the Utes can get him back on campus for an official visit and combined with the recruitment of Costelli (who's pushing hard for Alexander to join Utah), the Utes could potentially find themselves in a good spot when it's all said and done.
Jay Toia, 4* DL — Committed to USC
*An absolute game-changer in the middle of a defense, Toia has been committed to Utah since he was a freshman in high school. While he remains committed to the Trojans, he recently released a top-5 with the Utes in it and wants to go through the full recruiting process. He's already been on campus and vibed extremely well with the coaching staff, who've stayed close with him throughout the process. Flipping Toia would be a huge win for the Utes as a whole, but stealing him from rival USC would be the cherry on top.
In the end, flipping one of these recruits would be a win — but flipping all three would be incredible. Not only would these three be instant game-changers on the field, they would attract other big-time recruits to the Utes. But the biggest win would be stealing recruits from Utah's two biggest threats in the Pac-12 South division and their most-hated rival.
Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:
Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka