Utah football: JC lineman commits to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Alexandru Ceachir, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound left tackle from Santa Monica (Calif.) Community College, has committed to play football for the University of Utah. He plans to enroll in school as soon as possible.

Ceachir visited Utah over the weekend and liked the coaches, players, the people who live in Salt Lake City and the program.

"Utah is a good place where I would like to be," said Ceachir, who is from the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe. He played club ball there before accepting an opportunity to play in the United States.

"Like everyone," he hopes to play in the National Football League someday.

Santa Monica coach Gifford Lindheim said the Utes are going to be really happy with Ceachir.

"He's only played two years of football but his rate of improvement has been off the charts," Lindheim said. "He's big, he's strong, he's athletic and he can really run. He really has a bright future ahead of him."

Off the field, Lindheim noted, Ceachir is dedicated, a hard worker and a good student.

"I can't say enough about the kid," Lindheim said. "He's one of the best people I've been around."

Santa Monica went 8-3 this season and won its conference championship.

ROWE HONORED: Utah safety Eric Rowe is a second-team Yahoo! Sports Freshman All-American. Rowe ranked among the Pac-12 leaders with 10 passes defended and nine pass breakups. He is the Utes' fourth-leading tackler with 66 stops. Rowe also has an interception and a fumble recovery this season.

Email: dirk@desnews.com

Twitter: @DirkFacer