I never get excited about letter of intent day.  I realize its importance.  Recruiting is a major part of college athletics.  It just seems that the top recruits never turn out to be what they're supposed to be.  Especially at Utah, where the top athletes turn out to be those that are the relatively unknown entering the program.

Let's look at some of the most recent successful Utes:

Eric Weddle:  Weddle was not mentioned as a top recruit when he signed with Utah.  His name was barely mentioned.  He was a guy that flew under the radar and didn't have many offers.  Utah found a diamond in the rough.  He was more than a contributor in four years at Utah and probably the best DB to ever play at the U; yet he wasn't mentioned as a top recruit when he signed back in 2003.

Alex Smith:  Alex turned out to be the top pick in the NFL draft yet he was not highly touted coming to Utah.  He was simply known as the nephew of John L. Smith.  He turned out to be one of the best QBs Utah has ever known and led the team to the BCS.

Jordan Gross:  Gross was an unknown lineman from Idaho when he signed with Utah.  He turned out to be a Top 10 pick in the 2003 NFL draft.  At the time, no other Ute had been drafted so high in the NFL.  He was barely mentioned with his incoming recruiting class.

Those are just a few off the top of my head.  My point is that getting excited about an incoming recruiting class is just setting yourself up for disappointment.  Utah's top athletes have always been those that are fairly unknown coming into the program.  That's the way it always will be in my mind.

I like to compare ranking recruits to the BCS system.  It is a ranking given based on what people think, rather than being based on performance.  It doesn't make any sense.  So while people rant and rave about this year's recruiting class, I think I'll just wait until fall to see who performs on the field.