Utah Utes 2021 Recruit Omarion Fa’amoe Highlights
With the NCAA extending the recruiting dead period all the way until June 30, now is an extremely important to continue to connect with recruits via phone, text, facetime, etc.
Any chance that Utah coaches have to be in contact with recruits, they must take full advantage of it for the upcoming 2021 class as only Peter Costelli (4*, QB), Trey Reynolds (3*, LB) and Tevita Fotu (JC, DL) are the only commits thus far. Creating relationships with the prospects and setting up on-campus visits for when the dead period ends will be vital if head coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff want to build on the success of the program's greatest recruiting class when the Utes finished with the No. 29 class in the country last year.
"We feel really good about this class," Whittingham said after the singing of the 2020 class. "Our net has been cast fairly wide now and we have guys from all over the country. More than anything though, we are now able to stand toe-to-toe and win some of these battles with high profile schools. If you look at our recruits and their offers, we are beating some really good schools - schools we couldn't even be in the conversation with six or seven years ago."
Now we are going to look at some of Utah's top targets in the 2021 class...
OMARION FA'AMOE
*3-star, Defensive End
*6-foot-2, 255-pounds
*West HS — Salt Lake City, UT
Fa'amoe might have the most interesting offer sheet for somebody from Utah.
Of the seven offers he has, three come from the Pac-12, one comes from reigning national champion LSU and two more come from blueblood programs Tennessee and Nebraska. It's such an eclectic group of schools going after Fa'amoe's services that it's widely expected that his recruiting will continue to pickup as time goes on.
All you have to do is look at him and realize why he's so sought after from some of the top notch programs. He already looks the past of a collegiate football player, but he also showcases the frame to put on good weight and make himself more athletic and explosive.
One thing that jumps out right away when you scout him is understanding that his motor never ends and he's shockingly nimble and athletic for his size. In one clip, he runs down Park City running back Dylan Bauer — who led Class 4A in rushing — to prevent a touchdown. That sort of effort will make up for a lot of deficiencies, something he doesn't have.
He's very strong and powerful as well, with a vicious rip through that leaves opposing tackles hurting. He does a good job of extending the line of scrimmage and playing through the blocks, almost never being contained against single coverage.
Fa'amoe will have to learn better technique and become more than a one-move sort of pass rusher. He has a tendency to play with his pad level too high or lose leverage too often, but they are issues that can be fixed with more experience and coaching.
In the end and depending on the weight he puts on, Fa'amoe could thrive as a defensive tackle in the mold of former Ute Leki Fotu — but for now he's expected to be recruited as a defensive end.
At defensive end, the Utes are very young with junior Mika Tafua expected to have a major breakout season after shining as a sophomore last year — he'll be starting alone with senior Maxs Tupai. While there's a chance they're both gone after this next season, the backups this year are expected to be redshirt freshman Miki Suguturaga and a pair of incoming 4-star freshman Xavier Carlton and Van Fillinger.