Utah Utes football: U. wins several recruiting battles

The Utes have been engaged in a very competitive recruiting environment, going head-to-head with several of the top programs in the country including some in the Pac-12. Here is a breakdown of some of the key recruiting battles the Utes won.

Keep in mind this doesn't take into account other top recruits that signed early and remained loyal. It also doesn't cover recruits who may have been off the radar of other top programs but could end up being exceptional contributors for Utah.

Anthony Denham, 6-6, 215, WR, East Los Angeles Junior College (Monterey Park, Calif.)

"I picked the University of Utah because I wanted to play out of state and remain close to home, family and friends where they can watch me and support me," Denham stated in a news release issued by his high school coaches. "Another reason is that Utah is joining the Pac-10 and they are ranked in the top two academic schools in the conference."

Among his other offers were Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Central Florida, Washington, Memphis, Minnesota and San Diego State.

Harvey Langi, 6-1, 215, RB, Bingham HS (South Jordan, Utah)

"It's a great feeling," Langi said when asked what it meant to be at Utah. "Just to come back here and I'm home. I'm very familiar with the facilities and the location, and the opportunity at running back. I just had that feeling that I had to come here."

Among his other offers were USC, Stanford, BYU, Colorado, UCLA and Wyoming.

Jarrell Oliver, 5-8, 212, RB, Dulles HS (Sugar Land, Texas)

Oliver is very excited to play at Utah and he is preparing himself to compete for playing time at running back as a freshman. Among his other offers were Arizona State, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon State and Tulsa.

Isaac Asiata, 6-4 295, OL, Spanish Fork HS (Spanish Fork, Utah)

"I really don't want to leave the state and I didn't want to go to BYU because they kept me in the dark too much," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. "It didn't seem they were interested in me, so it came down to Utah and Utah State, and I've always wanted to play at Utah."

Many experts are saying he is going to be a beast in the trenches.

Keith McGill, 6-4, 215, DB, Cerritos CC, (Norwalk, Calif.)

Experts have compared him to former Ute safety Robert Johnson. Among his other offers Arizona, Oregon St., USC, Kansas State., San Diego State and Washington State.

Eric Rowe, 6-1, 175, S, Klein HS (Klein, Texas)

Experts say Rowe could compete for playing time as a freshman. Among his other offers were Air Force, Arizona, Duke, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Mississippi State, Navy, New Mexico State, North Texas, Purdue, Rice, TCU and Tulane.

Quinton Pedroza, 6-3, 205, WR, Chino HS (Chino, Calif.)

As a senior Pedroza was credited with 54 receptions for 1,078 yards and 16 touchdowns. Pedroza was a last-minute de-commit from Arizona State. He also had an offer from Boise State.

John White, 5-9, 190, RB, from Harbor CC, (Los Angeles, Calif.)

He should compete right away for the starting running back position. Among his other offers Purdue, Cincinnati, Mississippi, Washington State, Memphis, Kentucky, Houston and Arkansas State.

Sioasi Aiono, 6-3, 290, OL, South Hills HS (West Covina, Calif.)

Aiono was the 2010 Nike Camp Offensive Line MVP. Among his other offers BYU, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico State, San Diego State and San Jose State.

You can see Utah's complete recruit list with bios here.

Mike Whitelock is an author and sports writer.