The first Wednesday in February used to be a busy day around the BYU football offices, and throughout the country, for that matter.
National Signing Day was a big deal, as high school football prospects signed their national letters of intent and fans eagerly watched the names roll in and began debating which schools got the best hauls.
However, in December 2017 the NCAA instituted the early signing period so schools could lock up their recruits before the start of the new calendar year, and NSD in February lost a lot of its luster.
That's certainly true for BYU , which will mark the day with an 11:15 a.m. news conference by Kalani Sitake, and other media appearances from the head coach, but not much else.
There could be a few new additions announced Wednesday, but for the most part Sitake wrapped up his 2024 signing class on Dec. 20 by adding 25 high school or junior college prospects and transfers from Weber State (linebacker Jack Kelly) and Pittsburgh (punter Sam Vander Haar).
Four-star safety Faletau Satuala of Bountiful High also signed on Dec. 20, but kept it quiet until Jan. 6 so he could make the announcement live on national television during the 2024 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas .
Satuala is the state of Utah's No. 1 prospect, garnering a 94 rating on the 247Sports Composite, and his addition pushed BYU's composite team ranking to No. 48.
BYU's 2024 signing class was ranked No. 6 in the expanded Big 12 (Utah, Colorado , Arizona and Arizona State are added in) as of midday Tuesday.
Of course, those rankings could rise or fall this week, depending on what happens at BYU and around the country Wednesday.
According to Casey Lundquist of Cougs Daily on the Sports Illustrated.com network, BYU entered this week still trying to land a couple more prospects from the class of 2024.
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Most notably, Lundquist wrote, BYU is still pursuing four-star edge rusher Naki Tuakoi of Oakland (Fremont High) and linebacker Sefo Akuila, who also played at Fremont High in the Bay Area.
Tuakoi committed to Stanford in October, but withdrew his pledge to the Cardinal and then did not sign during the early signing period two months ago. Akuila was committed to Arizona, but didn't sign with the Wildcats in Arizona, even though coach Jedd Fisch was still at the helm.
Fisch was hired by Washington on Jan. 14.
Late Monday night, receiver Tyler West of St. George's Crimson Cliffs High announced via X that he has "100% committed" to BYU. Given BYU's logjam at receiver, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound West is probably a preferred walk-on.
Dylan Dunn, a quarterback out of Blue Valley Southwest High in Kansas , has also noted via X that he has received an offer from BYU. It is not clear whether Dunn has a full offer or a PWO offer. The 6-4, 200-pound Dunn is the son of former Box Elder High, Ricks College and Kansas State quarterback Marc Dunn.
Another athlete to keep an eye on Wednesday is former Orem High quarterback Lance Reynolds III, the son of former BYU offensive lineman Lance Reynolds and grandson of former BYU player and assistant coach Lance Reynolds. The QB sustained a torn ACL last fall that cut short his senior season with the Tigers.
What will BYU talk about Wednesday if no, or few, new players are added to the class?
Transfer quarterback Gerry Bohanon (Baylor/USF) and transfer quarterback Marque Collins (Weber State) have been enrolled since last month and should be announced as new signees Wednesday.
Also, BYU traditionally uses the day to highlight returned missionaries who are rejoining the program. Among those in that category are: offensive lineman Ryker Keele; defensive back/receiver Dominique McKenzie; receiver Cody Hagen; tight end Noah Moeaki; linebacker Liutai Kinikini; defensive back Cannon DeVries; and running back/receiver Jovesa Damuni.
• Ryner Swanson, tight end, 6-4, 235 Laguna Beach, California (Laguna Beach High).
• Therrian Alexander III, cornerback, 6-2, 165 Decatur, Georgia (Southwest DeKalb High).
• Devoux Tuataga, edge rusher, 6-6, 245 Eagle Mountain, Utah (Cedar Valley High).
• Adney Reid, linebacker, 6-5, 225 Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork High School/The King's School, Australia).
• Noah Lugo, quarterback, 6-2, 185 Haslet, Texas (Eaton High).
• Matthias Leach, safety, 6-3, 175 Fort Worth, Texas (Chisholm Trail High).
• Enoch Watson, quarterback, 6-3, 202 Queen Creek, Arizona (American Leadership Academy).
• Blake Lowe, athlete, 6-3, 205 Temecula, California (Chaparral High).
• Siosefa Brown, edge rusher, 6-4, 210 Salt Lake City, Utah (Highland High).
• Carson Suesue, athlete, 6-5, 215 West Valley City, Utah (Granger High).
• Jonathan Kabeya, cornerback, 5-10, 170 Trophy Club, Texas (Byron Nelson High).
• Thomas Prassas, safety, 6-2, 190 Chandler, Arizona (Basha High).
• Jett Nelson, wide receiver, 6-5, 210 American Fork, Utah (American Fork High).
• Dallin Johnson, defensive lineman, 6-3, 290 Springville, Utah (Springville High).
• Ikinasio Tupou, offensive lineman, 6-6, 290 Palo Alto, California (Palo Alto High).
• Brody Laga, kicker, 5-11, 160 Herriman, Utah (Mountain Ridge High).
• Luke To'omaiatai, defensive lineman, 6-3, 305 Henderson, Nevada (Liberty High/Long Beach City College).
• Danny Saili, defensive lineman, 6-3, 355 Topeka, Kansas (Hutchinson Community College).
• Ephraim Asiata, defensive end, 6-3, 210 Herriman, Utah (Herriman High).
• Sani Tuala, defensive end, 6-5, 260 Sydney, Australia (Citrus College).
• Tei Nacua, wide receiver, 6-2, 180 Provo, Utah (Timpview High).
• Viliami Po'uha, defensive end, 6-3, 260 South Jordan, Utah (Bingham High).
• Cannon Skidmore, long snapper, 6-2, 200 Mesa, Arizona (Red Mountain High).
• Joe Brown , offensive lineman, 6-4, 285 Cedar Hills, Utah (Lone Peak High).
• Kini Fonohema, defensive end, 6-5, 210 Springville, Utah (Springville High).
• Faletau Satuala, safety, 6-4, 200 Bountiful, Utah (Bountiful High).
• Sam Vander Haar, punter, 6-0, 185 Melbourne, Australia (Pittsburgh).
• Jack Kelly, linebacker, 6-2, 235 Kearns, Utah (Kearns High/Weber State).
• Gerry Bohanon , quarterback, 6-3, 226 Earle, Arkansas (Baylor/South Florida ).
• Treyson Bourguet , quarterback, 6-2, 215 Tucson, Arizona (West Michigan).
• Marque Collins, cornerback, 6-0, 170 Elk Grove, California (Weber State).
Note:Bohanon, Bourguet and Collins have not been officially announced by BYU.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches from the sideline as BYU and Oklahoma play at LaVell Edwards stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. OU won 31-24. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
