Utah Utes 2021 Recruit Viliami Pouha 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...
VILIAMI POUHA
*3-star, Defensive End
*6-foot-2, 230-pounds
*Bingham HS — South Jordan, UT
You want to talk about a guy with a lot of upside, Pouha is your man. Already blessed with good size, Pouha is just beginning to tap into his potential and should grow even more.
He shows excellent athleticism for a player his size and already possesses good pass-rushing techniques and knowledge of the game. He's good at deciphering the run and chucking blocks, not just being a one-dimensional type of player.
The potential is there and the good news is that he comes from Bingham high school, a powerhouse program in the state of Utah that's consistently churning out Division-I recruits and some of the top players from the state.
Bingham is run like a collegiate program with discipline, so Pouha should have no issues adjusting to the rigors of college football.
A lot of where Pouha needs to improve should all come when he gets to college, where he'll learn different pass rushing techniques and be able to fill out his frame and use his athleticism more.
Right now, Pouha is considered a massive lean towards Utah, with analysts of both the Utes and BYU predicting that's where he'll end up. Although Washington State has jumped into his recruitment and is making a strong push.
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.