PROVO -- Head football coach Bronco Mendenhall has announced the following prospective student-athletes have signed a National Letter of Intent to play football for the Cougars:
7:06 a.m. (MST)
Peter Vailahi (Vai-la-he)
6-4, 290, OL
Charlotte, N.C. (Waddell HS)
Named the 2004 Southwestern 4-A Defensive Player of the Year ... a first-team All-Mecklenburg Conference defensive lineman as a senior ... earned first-team All-Southwestern 4-A honors as a junior defensive lineman ... a three-year letterwinner for Coach Bennie McMurray at Waddell High School ... led team to an 11-3 record and a conference championship as a senior ... projected to play offensive line at BYU ... LDS ... recruited by Virginia, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, South Carolina and Appalachian State ... father is a professional wrestler known as "The Barbarian" with the WWF ... one of seven children ... parents are Sione and Seini Vailahi.
7:14 a.m. (MST)
5-11, 180, DB
Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
Earned Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune 4-A MVP honors as a senior ... a Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune All-State selection ... a two time Daily Herald Utah Valley Player of the Year ... led the T'Birds to a 22-3 record as the starting quarterback over the past two seasons, including a 12-1 record as a senior ... led Timpview to the 4-A State Championship in 2004 ... a three-year letterwinner for the T'Birds ... two time Timpview HS team MVP ... completed 143 of 231 attempts for 2,503 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior ... credited with 120 carries for 958 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns ... posted a Timpview HS record 192.01 quarterback rating in 2004 completed 110 or 198 attempts for 1,701 yards as a junior ... credited with 20 touchdown passes in 2003 ... had 168 carries for 1,163 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns ... also lettered in soccer and track ... a member of the district champion 4x100-meter relay team ... grandson of acclaimed author Stephen R. Covey ... born in Dallas, Texas ... plans to serve a Church mission following his freshman season ... parents are Stephen and Jeri Covey ... recruited by Utah State, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.
7:22 a.m (MST)
6-2, 195, WR
Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
A Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News All-State wide receiver ... a Deseret News first-team all-valley selection ... named to the Daily Herald Elite-11 team as a senior ... a three-year starter for the T-birds ... credited with 62 receptions as a senior ... scored 17 touchdowns as a senior ... posted over 1,100 yards as a senior ... on the defensive side of the ball, recorded 48 tackles, including two sacks ... totaled 20.5 sacks throughout his career at Timpview HS ... considered on of the top-three high school prospects in the state of Utah ... helped lead Timpview HS to the 2004 4-A State Championship ... a all-state baseball player for Timpview HS ... plans to play both football and baseball at BYU ... plans to serve a Church mission following his freshman season ... a four-year honor roll student at Timpview High School ... one of eight children ... brothers Adam and Dave played football at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah ... an Eagle Scout ... parents are Brent and Charlene ... recruited by UNLV, Arizona State, Utah, Washington and Stanford.
7:26 a.m. (MST)
Justin Robinson
5-10, 165, DB
Tulsa, Okla. (Independence CC)
A 2004 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference honorable mention selection at both defensive back and return specialist as a sophomore at Independence CC ... led KJCCC with five interceptions during the regular season ... posted five interception returns for 133 yards and one touchdown ... credited with a 65-yard interception return in the Pirates' 30-27 overtime victory over Dodge City ... credited with two interceptions in ICC's 32-21 victory over Fort Scott ... ranked second (KJCCC) in kickoff returns with a 28.1 yards average through eight games on the season, including a long of 50 yards ... ranked fifth on the Independence CC roster with 40 tackles as a redshirt freshman, including 38 solos ... prepped at Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Okla. ... a top sprinter for Independence CC's track team, posting a 10.88 in the 100-meters and a 21.70 in the 200-meters ... parents are Larry and Fern Robinson ... recruited by Middle Tennessee State, Murray State and Tulsa.
8:14 a.m.(MST)
6-2, 200, LB
Woodburn, Ore. (Canby HS)
An Oregonian Pac-9 first-team All-Conference performer at running back, defensive back and kick returner ... an Oregonian third-team All-State defensive back and honorable mention running back ... gained 1,490 all-purpose yards as a senior, averaged 165.5 yards per game ... recorded 87 tackles during the season ... listed as the 10th ranked high school recruit in the state of Oregon ... a four-year honor roll student and National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete ... helped Canby HS to a 38-6 record over four seasons ... team MVP ... credited with nearly 600 yards rushing and eight touchdowns ... credited with 61 tackles on defense ... a first-team all-league running back as a junior ... a standout prep wrestler (189 pounds) ... also lettered in wrestling and track ... recruited by Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Nebraska, Stanford, Army, Harvard, Portland State, Columbia, Colorado and California ... one of six children ... LDS ... an Eagle Scout ... cousin of BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman ... born in Turlock, Calif. ... parents are Stephen and Sheree.
8:21 a.m. (MST)
5-10, 165, DB
Riverside, Calif. (La Sierra HS)
A first-team All-Ivy League selection as a wide receiver in 2004 ... a first-team All-Mountain View receiver as a junior ... credited with 43 receptions for 682 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior ... a three-year letterwinner in football ... led team to an 8-2 record ... earned an award named after him, the Smith & Howard Award ... named offensive player of the year as a junior ... won the Mountain View League 110-meter hurdle championship as a junior ... finished fifth in the hurdles at the CIF Championships last season ... earned All-America honors in the 55-meter shuttle hurdles relay, placing third in the nation in the 2003 US Nike Indoor Nationals ... 2004 league champion in the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay ... a four-year letterman in track ... recruited by Colorado, UTEP, Boise State, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Portland State and Columbia ... parents are Renard and Earnie Howard.
8:23 a.m. (MST)
Vic So'oto (So-oh-toe)
6-4, 225, TE
Carlsbad, Calif. (Carlsbad HS)
A San Diego Union Tribune first-team All-San Diego linebacker as a senior ... earned first-team All-CIF honors as a tightend ... team MVP ... earned All-Avocado League first-team honors ... a first-team All-North County selection ... ranked as a top-15 high school tight end by one national recruiting service ... recorded 80 tackles and three forced fumbles as a linebacker during his senior season ... posted 18 receptions for 400 yards and two touchdowns as a senior tight end ... a three-year letterwinner at Carlsbad HS ... a scholar-athlete ... also lettered in volleyball ... recruited by USC, UCLA, Stanford, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Nevada, Washington, San Diego State, Colorado, UNLV, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, UTEP, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida State and Duke ... parents are Vitale and Sili So'oto ... full name is Vitale Ta'aga Magauli So'oto.
8:34 a.m. (MST)
Cade Hulbert
5-10, 165, DB
Boise, Idaho (Capital HS)
An Idaho Statesman second-team All-State running back as a senior ... a first-team All-SIC receiver as a sophomore ... a first-team All-SIC running back as a senior ... led the 5-A Southern Idaho Conference in rushing as a senior ... a three-year letterwinner for Capital HS ... led team to a 7-4 record as a senior, finishing third in the state finals ... a World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame Student-Athlete Award recipient ... won the Idaho state 200- and 400-meter championships as a junior ... a four-year letterwinner in track ... holds a 4.0 grade-point average at Capital High School ... plans to serve a Church mission after his freshman season at BYU ... hopes to compete in both track and football for the Cougars ... parents are Rick and Laurie Hulbert ... an Eagle Scout ... recruited by Boise State, Colorado State, Notre Dame, Maryland, Miami (Florida) and Louisville.
8:37 a.m. (MST)
Russell Tialavea (Tee-ah-la-vay-uh)
6-3, 265, DL
Oceanside, Calif. (Oceanside HS)
Named the Avocado League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior ... a first-team All-Avocado League defensive lineman ... a second-team All-CIF selection ... ranked as a top-30 defensive line prospect by one national recruiting service ... also ranked as the 58th top high school recruit in the state of California ... credited with 10 sacks as a junior ... a three-year letterwinner in football ... led team to a 13-0 record as a senior ... also lettered in basketball ... recruited by Nebraska, Kansas State, UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona State, Utah, California, San Diego State, Colorado and Colorado State ... parents are Richard and Robyn.
8:47 a.m. (MST)
Kyle Luekenga (Lou-ken-gay)
6-4, 240, LB
West Valley City, Utah (Granger HS)
The 2004 Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year ... a Salt Lake Tribune All-State linebacker ... a high honor roll student ... named the English student of the year ... team captain ... a first-team All-Region 3 linebacker as a junior ... second-team all-state ... ranked as a top-10 recruit in the state of Utah by a national recruiting service ... led Granger High School with 90 tackles ... had 20 tackles for a loss, including eight sacks ... maintains a 3.8 grade-point average at Granger HS ... helped lead Granger HS to the 5-A state playoffs in 2004 ... parents are Brock and Carrie Luekenga ... parents are both graduates of BYU ... recruited by UNLV, Utah State, Utah and Harvard.
9:23 a.m. (MST)
6-1, 205, LB
Tempe, Ariz. (Marcos de Niza HS)
Rated by the Arizona Republic as the state of Arizona's 17th ranked high school prospect ... listed as one of the state's top-25 high school prospects by a national recruiting service ... named Arizona Republic second-team All-Central Region as a running back ... rushed for over 1,100 yards in 2004 ... credited with 15 touchdowns as a senior, despite missing two games due to injury ... qualified for the state track & field championships as a junior in the long jump and triple jump ... a three-year honor roll student ... listed as a top-25 high school prospect in the state of Arizona ... parents are Kerrick Hooks and Glenda Benford ... recruited by Northern Arizona, UNLV and UTEP.
9:32 a.m.
Harvey Unga (Uhn-guh)
6-0, 210, RB
Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
A consensus all-state running back as a senior ... helped lead Timpview HS to the 2004 State Championship ... team offensive MVP as a junior and senior ... rushed for over 1,300 yards as a senior ... a Deseret News All-Region performer as a junior ... father, Jackson, played running back for the Cougars in the early 80's ... plans to serve a Church mission following his freshman season ... parents are Jackson and Theresa ... recruited by Oregon, California, Boise State, UNLV, Utah, Colorado , Utah State, Arizona State, Air Force and Stanford.
10:14 a.m.
6-5, 285, OL
Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
Earned High School All-America honors as a sophomore, junior and senior at Timpview HS ... a 2005 Parade All-American ... Utah Gatorade Player of the Year ... listed as the third highest profile recruit in BYU Football history ... a three-time all-state offensive lineman ... the second ranked high school offensive guard in the nation ... ranked as one of the nation's top-100 high school players by every national recruiting service ... ranked as the state's top high-school prospect ... helped lead Timpview HS to the 4-A State Championship as a senior ... invited to play in the U.S. Army High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas ... plans to serve a Church mission before enrolling at BYU ... father, Lance, is the associate head coach and running backs coach at BYU ... older brother Lance, Jr., is the starting center for the Cougars ... older brother Dallas is currently serving a Church mission and will play for the Cougars in 2005 ... recruited by numerous schools, including Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, California, Nebraska, Northwestern, Utah and Oregon ... parents are Lance and Leslie.
11:03 a.m. (MST)
Sete Aulai (Set-A Ah-lie)
6-3 ? 290 ? OL
Carson, Calif. (El Camino JC)
A JC Athletic Bureau first-team All-American ... a JC Athletic Bureau Region IV first-team All-California ... a pre-season All-American entering his sophomore season ... earned first-team All-Mission Conference honors ... received El Camino's "Helmet Award", given annually to the top offensive lineman ... helped lead El Camino to a 6-2 record on the season ... part of an offensive unit that ranked second in total offense in the Mission Conference, averaging 402.8yards per game ... anchored an offensive line that helped rack up 261.9 yards passing per game and 140.9 yards rushing per game ... played in all 11 games as a freshman at El Camino JC, earning all-conference honorable mention honors ... a two-year starter at Carson High School ... earned all-region, all-area and first-team all-league honors as a senior ... earned scholar-athlete honors, and was named to the National Honor Roll ... recruited by USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington State, Wisconsin, Arizona State and Colorado State ... one of seven children ... parents are Letasi and Lea Leni.
11:32 a.m. (MST)
Derek McLaughlin
6-2, 195, P
Mesa, Ariz. (Univ. of Washington/Mountain View HS)
Competed for two seasons at the University of Washington before serving a Church mission ... a Sporting News preseason second-team All-Pac-10 selection ... earned Sporting News second-team freshman All-America honors as a true freshman ... earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors as a freshman ... averaged 41.2 yards per punt, the highest average by a Husky punter since Thane Cleland in 1986 (41.2) ... finished tied with Cleland for the fourth-best punting average in Washington football history ... had 16 of 52 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and just two touchbacks ... finished season with 10 punts of 50 yards or more ... established a school record with a game-turning 74-yard punt out of his own endzone in Huskies' 31-28 come-from-behind win at Cal ... had four punts of 50 yards or more in the game ... finished with seven punts for 348 yards for single-game average of 49.7 yards per-punt that was seventh-best in school history ... all punting numbers against Cal were career-highs ... was named Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week and coaches' special teams MVP for performance against the Golden Bears ... one of four true freshmen, along with receivers Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick, and linebacker Joseph Lobendahn, to appear in every game in 2001 ... averaged 39.6 yards on five punts in first-career game, Huskies' 23-18 win over 10th-ranked Michigan ... booted a 58-yarder in Huskies' 27-24 win over USC ... added a 56-yarder in 42 28 win over No. 10 Stanford ... had three punts of 50 yards or more against Oregon State ... a standout prep punter at Mountain View HS who averaged 47.0 yards per punt as a senior to merit all-league and all-state honors ... a two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection ... had long punt of 63 yards ... posted best numbers against Mesa High, averaging 51.0 yards per punt including three inside the 10 yard line and just two returned, one for negative yards ... led Mountain View to 21-4 record in final two seasons, playing punter, quarterback and wide receiver ... averaged 46 yards per punt in 1999 State Championship win ... averaged 40 yards-per-punt in 1999 ... SuperPrep's top punter in the state of Arizona, and 27th-best recruit in the state overall ... as a freshman at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno, Calif., threw more TD passes than any quarterback in school history ... an Eagle Scout ... currently serving a Church mission in Rosario, Argentina ... parents are Mike and Anne McLaughlin.
11:42 a.m.
Spencer Hafoka (Huh-FOE-kuh)
6-0, 180, WR
Kahuku, Hawaii (Kahuku HS)
A two-time Honolulu Advertiser and Star-Bulletin first-team All-State receiver ... played in the Goodwill Football All-Star Classic ... averaged 24.6 yards per reception during his senior season ... considered one of the top-10 high school prospects in the state of Hawaii ... credited with 29 receptions for 1,029 yards as a junior ... placed in the state high school track & field championships as a junior in four events, including the high jump, long jump, triple jump and 110-meter hurdles ... brother of current BYU player, Saia ... parents are Finau and Lucy Hafoka ... recruited by Arizona State, Washington, Oregon State, Hawaii and Utah.
11:53 a.m. (MST)
6-1, 230, LB
Hephzibah, Ga. (Riverside CC)
Earned first-team All-Mission Conference (National Division) honors as a sophomore ... helped lead Riverside to a 5-3 overall record in 2004 ... ranked fourth in the Mission Conference with 82 tackles over eight games ... averaged 10.2 tackles per contest ... recorded 51 solo tackles ... played his freshman season at Concord University (Division II) ... served in the United States Navy ... wife is Akioko ... the couple has a three-year old son, Shamere ... LDS ... attended Hephzibah High School in Hephzibah, Ga ... parents are Chris and Gloria Bolden.
6-3, 250, DL
Helper, Utah (Carbon HS)
A two-time Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune All-State selection ... played both linebacker and quarterback in high school ... credited with 93 tackles, including 16 sacks as a senior ... won the 3-A state wrestling championship as a senior (his first year of competitive wrestling) ... an honor roll student at Carbon HS ... a four-year letterwinner at Carbon HS ... father, Jeff, was his high school football coach ... also lettered in basketball, baseball and wrestling ... a member of the 2001 state basketball championship team ... signed with Kentucky out of high school ... recruited by Kentucky, Utah and Boise State ... currently serving a Church mission in Boise, Idaho ... scheduled to return from his mission in July, 2005 ... brother, J.D. played tight end at Utah ... parents are Jeff and Julie Jorgensen.
2005 Recruiting Class
Name HT WT POS HOMETOWN/LAST SCHOOL
Sete Aulai 6-3 290 OL Carson, Calif. / El Camino JC
Luke Ashworth 6-2 195 WR Provo, Utah / Timpview HS
Chris Bolden 6-1 230 LB Hephzibah, Ga. / Riverside CC
Stephen Covey 5-11 180 DB Provo, Utah / Timpview HS
Shawn Doman 6-2 200 LB Woodburn, Ore. / Canby HS
Spencer Hafoka 6-0 180 WR Kahuku, Hawaii / Kahuku HS
Terrance Hooks 6-1 205 LB Tempe, Ariz. / Marcos de Niza HS
Brandon Howard 5-10 165 DB Riverside, Calif. / La Sierra HS
Cade Hulbert 5-10 165 DB Boise, Idaho / Capital HS
Jan Jorgensen 6-3 250 DL Helper, Utah / Carbon HS
Kyle Luekenga 6-4 240 LB West Valley City, Utah / Granger HS
Derek McLaughlin 6-2 195 P Mesa, Ariz. / Univ. Washington
Matt Reynolds 6-5 285 OL Provo, Utah / Timpview HS
Justin Robinson 5-10 165 DB Tulsa, Okla. / Independence CC
Vic So'oto 6-4 225 TE Carlsbad, Calif. / Carlsbad HS
Russell Tialavea 6-3 265 DL Oceanside, Calif. / Oceanside HS
Harvey Unga 6-0 210 RB Provo, Utah / Timpview HS
Peter Vailahi 6-4 290 OL Charlotte, N.C. / Waddell HS