Utah added a commitment from three-star, Ed White High School (Jacksonville, Fla.) running back, Taylor Thomas. Thomas was explosive last year rushing 68 times for 897 yards (13.2 yards per carry) and 7 touchdowns as a junior. Thomas is listed as 5-foot' 7-inches, 176-pounds, with a 4.5 second 40-yard dash time. While the three-star running back does not have elite speed, he follows blocks well, has great vision to find a hole, and is a very elusive runner. You can see his film here*.
I just wanna Thank GOD for Blessing Me with this Opportunity to be able to play Football. But im Commiting to the University of Utah
— Taylor Thomas™ (@Grind_Shine2) August 15, 2014
Thomas had offers from other Power-5 schools Arkansas, Boston College, Indiana, Maryland, and Wake Forest. Despite these other offers, he is 100% committed to Utah and has shut down his recruitment.
I really like this pick up for Utah for three reasons:
1. Most important, Thomas will be a good player for Utah. He likes Utah's offensive scheme, and he has shown how much of a big play threat he can be, by averaging over 13 yards per carry last season. He is very elusive and hits the hole well.
2. His commitment keeps the Florida pipeline open. Many of the true freshmen players recruited from Florida in the this past class are already making an impact and are appearing on the two deep, so adding more talented players from Florida is a must for Utah to improve.
3. He is already recruiting for Utah. His teammate, three-star athlete Javarius Davis, a North Carolina commit, has offers from all over (including many national powers like Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC, among many other schools). Thomas is also good friends with three-star athlete Chris Barr, a player I am very high on (he was in my five out of state players to watch list). Thomas is trying to get both of these players to join him at Utah. Landing either of them in addition to Thomas would be huge for Utah.
Follow my bros @2SmoothChris @javariusdavis1 let's get them at Utah #Goutes
— Taylor Thomas™ (@Grind_Shine2) August 15, 2014
Utah also made the top three for three-star offensive tackle Kieffer Longson, from Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, Calif. Longson has great size at 6-foot 7-inches and 301 pounds, which he uses to his advantage to block defenders. As I mentioned in my top five out of state players to watch, Longson plays the game with a nastiness and toughness, as you can see in his film*. He is LDS and plans to serve a mission before college, so he would not join the team until 2017. The other two schools in his top three are BYU and Ohio State. BYU with the LDS connection, and Ohio State due to tradition and history of putting linemen in the NFL, will both be tough to beat, but I think Utah has a realistic shot to land Longson.
*All film curtesy of Hudl