Utah football has announced the signing of Ephraim (Utah) Snow College three-star defensive tackle John Penisini. He is continuing the Snow College to Utah defensive tackle pipeline that includes NFL players Star Lotulelei and Tenny Palepoi. The top junior college prospect in the state of Utah in 2017, Penisini’s recruitment has been relative quiet with the only offers for him coming from in-state schools, BYU, Utah, and Utah State. He was committed to Utah longer than any other 2017 recruit, pledging his commitment to the hometown Utes back in early March. His early commitment to Utah might partially explain his lack of national offers.
Utah has had a ton of success with Snow College defensive tackles including Lotulelei, Palepoi, and Pasoni Tasini in the Pac-12 era. Tasini has graduated, so I would expect Penisini to come in and compete for playing time right away. In his film, he does remind me of Palepoi. Both have a great explosiveness. He can both get after the quarterback and clog up running lanes. Penisini might not get much hype, but I think he is going to be another great Snow College prospect for the Utes.