High school football: 2009 class one of Utah's best ever

Based on rankings, projections and the overall number of verbal commitments made, the state's high school football class of 2009 is shaping up to be one of the best in Utah history.

Elite players at their positions, like Timpview lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo and safety Craig Bills, Cottonwood lineman John Martinez and Spanish Fork tight end Richard Wilson, bring some national prominence to the state. And plenty of other players received and are still receiving notice as well.

Su'a-Filo is still undecided about where he'll play, Martinez is going to USC, and Bills and Wilson are both headed to BYU.

"It's one of the strongest, and probably one of the deepest classes coming out of Utah in a long time," said Brandon Huffman, the western regional manager for scout.com. "There's elite talent, and there's deep talent."

Su'a-Filo, the Class 4A MVP, and Martinez have been the most notable recruits in the 2009 class. Scout.com ranks Su'a-Filo as the third best guard in the nation and has Martinez No. 1 among centers.

"Su'a-Filo is a guy college guys dream up," said Huffman, who compared Su'a-Filo to Jake Long, last year's No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, while noting that Su'a-Filo isn't as tall as Long. "He's athletic. He's a guy who could end up being a tight end if he wanted to be."

Huffman said there are more elite linemen in the state's recruiting class, highlighting Timpview's Tui Crichton, who missed the 2008 season with an injury, and Jordan High's Vyncent Jones, who will sign with Utah.

Wilson is ranked the ninth-best tight end in the nation by scout.com. Bills is rated the 15th-best safety.

Huffman said there are plenty of sleepers in the state's recruiting class. He said the recruiting buzz for Northridge safety Chris Washington, who will play at Utah, picked up in the summer.

"Washington is one of the guys who will have a good career in college," Huffman said. "He was under the radar until late in the summer. With Bills, they form as good a 1-2 punch at safety as there is in the West."

As strong as the signing class is at the top, it may have caused some players to somewhat fall off the radar. Three players, according to Huffman, would have gotten a lot more attention and recognition any other year. They are Logan quarterback Jeff Manning, Timpview receiver Travis Van Leeuwen and Bingham receiver Mike Edmunds.