PROVO, Utah -- BYU men's cross country head coach Ed Eyestone announced the signing of three highly-touted recruits on Thursday.
Isaac Teeples, Jefferson McMullin and Nate Jaster each bring prolific high school cross country credentials to the Cougars.
"We're really excited to announce the signing of these three guys," Eyestone said. "Teeples has the chance to impact the 2022 team, McMullin is the prized recruit out of Utah this year and Jaster is strong in both middle and long distances."
Both Teeples and McMullin were named 2021-2022 Gatorade Boys Cross Country Players of the Year for the states of Washington and Utah, respectively, on Jan. 31.
Teeples toppled the competition as an athlete at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Washington. A two-time individual and three-time team state champion, Teeples set the state and school record in the 5k. Teeples' talents stretched beyond the state of Washington as he recorded two top-5 finishes at NXR Northwest with back-to-back team wins in 2018 and 2019. To cap off his high school career, Teeples was named First Team High School All-American at the 2021 Runninglane Cross Country Championships.
Teeples was also recruited by North Carolina, Colorado, Gonzaga, Washington and Washington State.
McMullin left his mark on Utah high school cross country as an athlete at Lehi High School. The Lehi, Utah native was named First Team All-State after winning both the 2021 State and Region 8 Individual titles. McMullin was also crowned 2021 NXR Southwest Individual Champion and finished top-20 at the 2021 Eastbay Nationals. McMullin elected to compete for the Cougars despite recruitment from in-state rivals Utah State, Weber State, Southern Utah and Utah Valley.
Jaster hails from American Fork, Utah and competed at American Fork High School. There, Jaster won back-to-back Utah 6A Individual Cross Country Championships in 2020 and 2021. Outside Utah, Jaster led his team to a Runninglane National Title in 2020 with a third-place finish of his own. Jaster's father, Rick, competed for BYU cross country from 1990 to 1994 and was part of the 1993 national runner-up team.
Jaster signed with BYU after also being recruited by Texas, Oklahoma, NC State, UCLA, Northern Arizona and Gonzaga.
While McMullin plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prior to enrolling at BYU, Teeples and Jaster are expected to compete with the team in 2022.