8 Northern Utah football players sign with top colleges on early signing day
The college football early signing day period started Wednesday and will last until Friday.
Several area high school football players were already verbally committed to schools and put pen to paper Wednesday, or are planning on doing so this week.
Here’s a rundown of one of the most loaded football recruiting groups to come from Northern Utah in recent years.
CANNON DEVRIES, BYU
DeVries did it all for Weber High as a three-year starter at safety, receiver and kick returner. He’s been committed to BYU since March.
“I chose BYU because honestly, it’s the place for me, it’s the best place I can see myself fitting in. The coaches really showed their interest in me,” DeVries told the Standard-Examiner earlier this year.
This season, he had 942 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns, 401 rushing yards with six touchdowns, 419 total return yards, 82 tackles, five interceptions and one blocked field goal.
“One of the biggest parts was they’re recruiting me as an athlete … one of my goals is to come in and try and play after my mission, so this gives me a really good opportunity to come in and see where I stack up at certain positions and try to help out the team the best I can,” DeVries said.
MAXIMUS FONOTI-MAIKUI, UTAH STATE
Fonoti-Maikui played quarterback and safety for Northridge. He completed 62.4% of his passes for 2,824 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while also rushing for seven scores this season.
On defense, he had 54 tackles with one interception. Fonoti-Maikui has been committed to Utah State since March.
“I respect that they kind of took a chance on me … I like what coach Blake Anderson stands for, I love his faith, family’s first, he’s been through a lot and they’ve shown me nothing but love there,” Fonoti-Maikui told the Standard-Examiner when he committed to USU.
The Aggies recruited him as a linebacker, Fonoti-Maikui said.
As a sophomore at Northridge, Fonoti-Maikui led the team in tackles. He transferred to Layton for his junior year, then came back to Northridge as a senior.
PARKER KINGSTON, BYU
A one-time Air Force commit, Kingston flipped to BYU earlier this year. BYU recruited Kingston, listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, as an athlete.
In three years at Roy, he started at quarterback his junior and senior years after playing wide receiver as a sophomore. Kingston has also returned kicks and punts, handled punting duties and played defensive back in some situations.
In two years at QB, Kingston threw for 2,649 yards with 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He ran 229 times for 2,066 yards and 32 touchdowns in those two seasons.
AISEA MOA, BYU
Moa is listed at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds and played defensive end for Weber High. He was a three-year starter for the Warriors.
For a long time, Moa was committed to the University of Utah in what recruiting experts term a “legacy” commit since his dad, Ben, played for the Utes.
Earlier this year, however, Aisea switched to BYU. Moa, rated a four-star prospect, is the No. 4 ranked player in Utah, according to 247Sports.
This season, Moa totaled 79 tackles with 14 tackles-for-loss, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions (one pick-six) and one forced fumble while playing defensive end.
TREVIN OSTLER, BYU
Ostler is an offensive lineman who’s listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. He committed to BYU in the summer.
This season, he paved the way for a successful Bountiful Redhawks team that went 8-3, won Region 5 and went to the state quarterfinals.
The Redhawks rushed for 2,267 yards and 29 touchdowns on six yards per rush this year.
KORD SHAW, OREGON STATE
Shaw is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety, receiver, running back and kick returner who was a three-year starter at Bonneville.
Shaw was one of the more under-the-radar prospects in the state and has recently shot up recruiting ranking boards. Soon after getting offered by Oregon State this summer, he committed to the Beavers, who recruited him as a linebacker.
Shaw is the No. 21 ranked prospect in Utah, according to 247Sports. As recently as August, he was unranked.
In nine reported games on MaxPreps, Shaw had 461 receiving yards with five touchdowns, 140 rushing yards, 45 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a kick return TD this year.
TOM TURPIN, UTAH STATE
Turpin, a two-way lineman from Bonneville, will walk on at Utah State.
The past two seasons, according to MaxPreps, Turpin totaled 19 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks on defense.
He played a big role in the Lakers’ recent resurgence, which netted the school an 8-2 record with a Region 5 title in 2020 and a 6-5 mark with a first-round playoff win in 2021.
ERIC WILDER, WASHINGTON STATE
Wilder, the No. 22 ranked prospect in Utah, has been committed to Washington State since earlier this summer. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds and was a three-year starting left tackle at Syracuse.
There was a question of whether or not Wilder would stick with WSU, which fired then-coach Nick Rolovich after he refused to be vaccinated for COVID-19, a requirement for all state employees in Washington.
Newly promoted head coach Jake Dickert and offensive line coach Clay McGuire took separate visits to Utah to see Wilder within the last month.
Any names to add to this list? Send an email to pcarr@standard.net