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It was a great day to be a Ute twice this week when Moapa Valley (Overton, Nev.) wide receiver RJ Hubert and Tustin (Tustin, Calif.) linebacker Alema Pilimai. Hubert, 6'0", 175 pound with 4.55 speed, is rated a three-star recruit. Pilimai is 6'4", 193 with 4.84 speed and is rated a three-star recruit. Both are sign-and-send prospected per Alex Markham of Rivals.
Hubert is the top rated prospect in the state of Nevada this year. In his film*, Hubert shows off his speed and shiftiness. He lines up in the backfield and at wide receiver in addition to returning kicks. He could possibly be used similar to current Ute Bubba Poole (a fellow Nevada native), where here is primarily a receiver but sees carries on jet sweeps and lines up a little in the backfield. If he catches the ball well, he could be a good wide receiver for Utah. Utah is his only offer currently.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Things to like about Hubert: 6-7 high jumper & a 23.2 long jumper. He catches the ball clean and shows the ability to be explosive. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoUtes?src=hash">#GoUtes</a></p>— Alex Markham (@AMarkhamRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AMarkhamRivals/status/649734138644180992">October 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOUTES?src=hash">#GOUTES</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UteProud?src=hash">#UteProud</a> <a href="http://t.co/Gz9A2OxK0S">pic.twitter.com/Gz9A2OxK0S</a></p>— RJ Hubert (@MambaXI) <a href="https://twitter.com/MambaXI/status/649718432741527552">October 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Pilimai was high school teammates with current Utah freshman wide receiver Siaosi Wilson. Pilimai will need to bulk up before playing in the Pac-12. He will go on an LDS Mission, so there is time for his body to mature and get bigger. There is a lot of upside with Pilimai. While he will likely play linebacker at Utah, in high school he has played quarterback, tight end, and linebacker. His versatility and understanding of offense will help him, and it is nice to know he has good hands. in his film*, he shows that he can cover sideline-to-sideline. He is always around the football. While he will not have an immediate impact (because he is going on a mission), linebacker is a huge position of need for Utah. It was also a decent recruiting win for the Utes, as they beat out BYU, Oregon State, Utah State, and Washington State for his commitment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoUtes?src=hash">#GoUtes</a> ⚫️ <a href="http://t.co/MEV48lcTbi">pic.twitter.com/MEV48lcTbi</a></p>— Alema Pilimai (@painkilla6) <a href="https://twitter.com/painkilla6/status/649796823582945280">October 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
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*All film curtesy of Hudl