Signing day: Expert analysis

By Tom Cella and Dan Sorensen

UteZone/Rivals.com

Utah State: C

Gary Andersen's arrival in Logan has signaled a renewed focus on recruiting for the Aggies, and his first class may be Utah State's best in years. Andersen's class of 2008 focused largely on landing talent from in-state, finding under-the-radar players from Texas, and filling personnel gaps with junior college players.

Andersen made a commitment to recruiting the state of Utah, and his in-state efforts are already panning out with commitments from players that would otherwise be walking on at Utah and BYU. Logan quarterback Jeff Manning and Timpview receiver Travis Van Leeuwen are both promising prospects that could make an impact.

The Aggies landed some key JC players, including All-American receiver Jeff Henderschott of Diablo Valley C.C. Middle linebacker Reuben Willis out of El Camino C.C. will also add depth to a solid Aggie linebacking corps. Losing out on Alvin, Texas, running back Ashton Jefferson on a last-minute commitment to Oregon State was a big blow to this class.

Utah: A-

What started out as a slow class for Utah gathered major momentum as the wins started racking up at Utah. For Ute fans, however, the best was yet to come after beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. An already solid class was pushed beyond good to great with the addition of guys like James Aiono (DE, Snow), Latu Heimuli (DT, Highland), and Terrance Cain (QB, Blinn).

However, the most significant thing to play out for Utah this recruiting season has been the success against rival school BYU. Utah generally goes head to head with BYU on anywhere from 6-12 recruits every year. Winning the battle with the big-name kids has not always been Utah's forte. By landing Heimuli, Filiaga, and Washington (all recruits that BYU wanted), Kyle Whittingham has shown that he can go head to head with Bronco Mendenhall for the best talent in the state of Utah.

With incoming top-ranked junior college recruit James Aiono looking to anchor the defensive line of the future, and areas of immediate need being filled with the loss at cornerback and defensive end, this looks to be the most well-rounded class of Whittingham's career.

BYU: B