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Utah added their 11th commit in the 2016 class today with three-star running back Devontae Henry-Cole from powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Henry-Cole is 5'9", 190 pounds with 4.40 speed. He marks the third player to commit to Utah from St. Thomas Aquinas in the last two classes (safety Tyson Cisrow and defensive end Chris Hart will both be freshmen at Utah this season). The Raiders have twice as many NFL players as any other high school according to this article from USA Football and had three more players drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft. Ohio State's Joey Bosa played high school football for the Raiders, and they currently have two players (No. 8 SDE Nick Bosa and No. 53 WR Sam Bruce who is a Miami commit) in the top 100 of the 24/7 Sports Composite ranking. Establishing a pipeline to St. Thomas Aquinas would be huge for Utah football.
He chose Utah over offers from over 10 other schools including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest among others. His primary recruiter was Utah assistant head coach Dennis Erickson.
In his film*, Henry-Cole showcases his speed and shiftiness in the open field. He follows his blockers well, hits the hole hard, and outruns defenders in the open field. He does not shy away from contact either and will fight for extra yards. With all of his skills, he shows the ability multiple times to turn nothing into something good. Utah running backs are expected to catch passes out of the backfield, and Henry-Cole demonstrates the ability to catch the ball and run after the catch. Playing for St. Thomas Aquinas, Henry-Cole has played with and against some of the top high school athletes in the country.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am Humbled & Excited to say I've verbally committed to play at The University of Utah! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAC?src=hash">#PAC</a>-12 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOUtes?src=hash">#GOUtes</a> ⚫️⚪️!! <a href="http://t.co/4FEEBDgb0P">pic.twitter.com/4FEEBDgb0P</a></p>— The Glitch#⃣2⃣9⃣ (@DevontaeHenry) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevontaeHenry/status/619916705620430848">July 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
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*Film curtesy of Hudl