SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - With the future of head coach Kyle Whittingham still up in the air, and the search for a new offensive coordinator ongoing, the Utes football program inked 19 new players on National Signing Day Wednesday.
The Utes biggest local signing in Desert Hills High star linebacker Cyrus Polu, rated as a four-star recruit. Bingham High four-star offensive lineman Nick Hallock committed on Wednesday to the Utes. Utah also signed another four-star recruit in JJ Buchanan, an athlete from Henderson, Nevada.
Utah signed two quarterbacks in the class, in three-star QB Jamarian Ficklin from Oklahoma, who flipped his commit from Texas State a few days ago. Utah is also bringing in quarterback Wyatt Becker, who chose the Utes over Arizona State and Boston College. Both Ficklin and Becker are three-star recruits.
Whittingham inked two other local players in Skyline defensive lineman Karson Kaufusi, and one of the most prolific kickers in state history in Murray High's Dillon Curtis. Curtis holds the Utah state records for longest field goal (63) and most field goals made in a season (21).
Three-star running Back Daniel Bray originally committed to SMU before changing his mind and signing with Utah. The Utes signed four defensive backs in Nathan Tilmon, Deon Mays and Manny Fuller, all from Texas, and Florida's Jason Stokes Jr.
In addition to Kaufusi, Utah is bringing in in two more defensive lineman in Semi Taulanga from California, and Pupu Sepulona from Hawaii.
The Utes two more offensive lineman in addition to Hallock, in Calfornia product Milz Asiata, and Soren Shinofield from Colorado.
Linebacker Christian Thatcher from Las Vegas, athlete Mana Carvalho from Hawaii and tight end Drew Clemens from Missouri round out the early signing class.
Whether it's Whittingham or defensive coordinator and "coach in waiting" Morgan Scalley leading the team next year, Whittingham says all the recruits know the situation.
“With the coach in waiting in place, we already had that discussion with recruits that when that time comes, here’s what the plan is," Whittingham said last week. "So it’s not like the recruits and our own guys don’t know what the succession plan is and so that takes some of the edge off it."
For videos and complete bios on all of Utah's signees, click here.