Utah makes top-10 for four-star athlete Titus Mokiao-Atimalala

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.

The defense is starting to thrive as well, with four-star linebacker Mason Tufaga and three-star linebacker Trey Reynolds, both SI All-American nominees, already on board.

Now it's all about filling holes and as of now, the Utes still need some help in either the secondary or at wide receiver.

Enter Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, a four-star athlete from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the state's No. 2 ranked prospect.

Blessings @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/SQhlF3YFcV
— Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (@TITUS_ATIMALALA) August 2, 2020

Mokiao-Atimalala has recently narrowed his final schools down to 10, with the Utes making the cut.

Notre Dame is the perceived front-runner but the Utes have made up a tremendous amount of ground as of late and could be looked upon as one of his top choices due to his strong ties to the program.

What's helping Utah is the fact they've recruited islands extremely well as of late, and already have a commitment from Tufaga, the No. 3 prospect in Hawaii. The Utes are also in the running for multiple prospects as well, including the state's No. 1 overall in Wynden Ho'ohuli and linebacker Kahanu Kia.

Giving God all the glory 🙏🏽 Thank you to all the Coaches and Schools that believed in me. My Top 10 ... pic.twitter.com/lq3jjaRcOD
— Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (@TITUS_ATIMALALA) September 4, 2020

Here's a breakdown by SI All-American director John Garcia Jr. on how Mokiao-Atimalala is projected to play at the next level and beyond.

Prospect: Titus Mokiao-Atimalala
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds
Position: Athlete
School: Ewa Beach (Hawaii) James Campbell
Schools of Interest: Notre Dame, Arizona State, Michigan, Cal and Utah
Projected Position: Wide Receiver

Frame: He’s got a thin frame with room to add more weight, though he might just be maxed out physically.

Athleticism: All around smooth and explosive athlete at both wide receiver and safety. He’s got excellent ball skills and finds ways to make plays in every facet of the football game. Not a burner but has easy play speed as a wideout and deep safety.

Instincts: He’s got a knack for making big plays whether it be at wideout or safety. He will most likely need to play wide receiver in college based on the frame. Son of a coach, with great football acumen and a nose for the endzone.

Polish: He can really get in and out of his breaks at the wideout position. He’s not exactly an advanced route runner but the athleticism would lead you to believe that he will be able to learn on the fly in college. Part of that could be from playing two positions and never specializing in one specific one during high school.

Bottom Line: Makiao-Atimalala is just a great all-around football player that does what it takes to win on the high school level. He plays a great centerfield safety, and perhaps that’s where he ends up in college but the natural hands and ability to make a play after the catch lend itself to playing wideout.

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