Utah Utes football: Utah lands Highland's Heimuli

In the wake of their Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, the Utah Utes have picked up a couple of recruiting commitments — including a big one out of Highland High School.

Highly touted defensive lineman Latu Heimuli, a 6-foot-2 and 290 pound senior, chose the Utes over Florida, Colorado, BYU, Nebraska and Arizona. He informed Utah of his decision on Sunday.

"I just really liked the coaching staff," said Heimuli, who noted he developed a good relationship with head coach Kyle Whittingham and new defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake.

"I feel really good," said Heimuli. "I'm happy with my decision."

The Sugar Bowl, he acknowledged, was a factor but not a big one.

Heimuli, who plans to make it official when high school players can sign letters of intent on Feb. 4, was a first-team Deseret News all-stater. He made 84 tackles and had eight sacks for the Rams in 2008.

Highland coach Brody Benson considers Heimuli the best defensive tackle in the state.

"They're getting a great kid and an awesome football player," said Benson.

Utah also picked up a commitment from Antoine Smithson, a 6-foot, 215-pound wide receiver from East Los Angeles College. The athletic sophomore was named first-team, all-conference as an all-purpose player.

Smithson chose Utah because he liked the community and how straight forward and down to earth the coaching staff was on his visit. Smithson, who played his high school ball in Baltimore, is on target to graduate in February and join the Utes this spring. He'll sign a letter of intent on Wednesday.

And for the record ...

"I made my decision way before the Sugar Bowl," said Smithson, who spent time in the offseason working out with a friend in Utah County.

E-mail: dirk@desnews.com