Andersen, the Utes' defensive coordinator, is responsible for recruiting in the state of Utah, and he said each student athlete is evaluated on very specific, individual circumstances — regardless of the time of year.

"Just because that first Wednesday in February is over doesn't mean the recruiting process is over," he said. "Everybody still has needs and wants. If you see an opportunity to help your program, then you try to take it."

Recruiting, he said, "is never, never over. It's the most important job you do."

So how do college coaches look at students who have struggled academically or may not have completed required courses in the usual time frames?

"It's always a completely case-by-case situation," Andersen said. "There are a lot of reasons kids are making up classes at the end of the year."

He cites the case of Gabe Long, a defensive tackle who was a junior college transfer who became available about two weeks into the Utes' season.

"He was a player we'd recruited, and when he became available, we did what we could to take him in our program," he said. "In our opinion, it has to be a kid who is going to fit into our program. ... He has to have high character and a kid who is not afraid to work hard, go to study hall and basically represent the University in a positive way."

He said the expectation is that regardless of talent, players are expected "to mold themselves to our program."

Also, no matter what kind of academic history a student-athlete has, they are all treated the same once they've enrolled at Utah.

"We believe that the first semester is the key to their success," Andersen said. All players must attend study hall, and they have tutors and mentors available to them. Additionally, he said, the Burbidge Center, "is an unbelievable academic facility."

The goal is to make sure players don't start their college careers at a disadvantage because university classes are a significant adjustment for any student.

"Each position coach is also responsible for the day-to-day life of each player and are a terrific support group to players," he said.

For the next 30 days, college football coaches are allowed to visit high schools and talk with school teachers, counselors and coaches about prospective players. They're not allowed to talk with students or parents, but they are allowed a single phone call.

Andersen said that student-athletes and their parents are allowed to call college coaches and ask questions about the recruiting process.

"I want those phone calls," he said, adding that he believes limiting college coaches to one call per player is a good rule.

"It can be pretty overwhelming to some players," he said. "This basically puts the ball in the kids' court."

Andersen also encourages parents to call schools and coaches that their student-athletes are interested in attending because recruiting can be complicated.

"As a parent, you're going to get good at this process, and then you'll probably never need to use it again," Andersen said. "It's a hard decision. So parents need to ask those questions."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com