Utah Utes football: Whittingham optimistic about signing day

SALT LAKE CITY — On the eve of National Letter of Intent Day, Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham is optimistic about the signatures the Utes will secure.

"We feel pretty good. You always feel pretty good about your class," he said. "You hope for no bad surprises, and it would be nice to get a couple of good surprises, but we'll see what happens."

Although the Utes will have someone manning the fax machine throughout the day, very little drama is expected.

"Most things are pretty well set," Whittingham said. "Once in a while, there's a surprise one way or the other, but most times it's status quo."

COMBINE INVITATIONS: Five Utes have received official invitations to the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine, scheduled for Feb. 25-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Utah's contingent includes running back Matt Asiata, offensive lineman Zane Beadles, defensive end Koa Misi, wide receiver David Reed and linebacker Stevenson Sylvester.

"Having five athletes invited to the combine, that says a lot about your program and the level of player you've been able to recruit," Whittingham said.

Asiata, who is still recovering from a knee injury, has applied for an extra year of collegiate eligibility and will likely not participate in this year's scouting combine. The NCAA, however, does allow players in his position to be evaluated at the combine while awaiting a decision.

Whittingham is hopeful word will come before then and reiterated that he feels "very strongly" that Asiata will be granted another season with the Utes.

Rival BYU will be represented in Indianapolis by quarterback Max Hall, tight end Dennis Pitta and fullback Manese Tonga.

SUPER BOWL BOUND?: Whittingham may end up attending Sunday's Super Bowl in Miami. He's deliberating it, especially with the New Orleans Saints participating. His late father, Fred, played for the franchise from 1967-68.

"He was an original Saint, and that's always a team I've had an affinity for," said Whittingham, who added that his dad would appreciate New Orleans finally making it to the big game. "I think he'd be pretty fired up about it,"

EXTRA POINTS: Corner R.J. Stanford will play in Saturday's "Texas vs. the Nation" all-star game in El Paso. The game will be broadcast on CBS College Sports at noon. ... The Utah ticket office will begin taking pre-orders for the Nov. 13 game at Notre Dame on Monday. The cost is $80. Utah's allotment is 5,000 tickets. ... Longtime administrative assistant Mark Andersen has left the program to assist his brother, Utah State head coach Gary Andersen, with the Aggies.

e-mail: dirk@desnews.com