Snow College's Tenny Palepoi to stay in-state, will sign with BYU, Utah or Utah State

EPHRAIM — Snow College's Tenny Palepoi has a lot on his plate between now and letter-of-intent day. A lot of top schools have come calling, causing the top defensive line prospect to cut down his options.

"I've decided that I want to stay in-state," said the 6-foot-2, 280-pound prospect. "Family is very important to me and I want to stay close to family, so I've decided to sign with either BYU, Utah or Utah State."

Last week Palepoi held offers from both BYU and Utah State, among other top programs out-of-state, including Oregon State and Washington. Utah came forward with an offer shortly following his official visit to BYU.

He'll take his official visit to Utah this coming weekend and considering that the Utes were his favorite school growing, there stands a good chance that he'll be playing there next season.

"I don't have a favorite right now, but yeah, I've always really liked Utah," said Palepoi. "I was really excited when they offered because of that and I'll consider them hard along with BYU and with Utah State."

It's not often that all three in-state Division I programs compete for a recruit this late in the process. When all three do compete, the Aggies usually don't come out on top, but that could certainly change with Palepoi.

"Utah State has been on me the longest and I have a lot of family up there," said Palepoi. "They've shown that they're committed to me, and they're bringing in a lot of top junior college talent this year. They're just a program on the rise, and with family being so important — I have a lot of family up there who I'd love to play with. So Utah State is definitely an option for me."

Following his official visit to Utah, Palepoi will make his final decision, just days before he has to sign his official letter, if not on the day of.

"It's going to be tough, that's for sure," he said about his final decision. "All three schools have things that I really like about them. I hated BYU growing up, but they really won me over on their visit. I really can't say that I have a favorite right now and that is what is making it so hard."

Email: bgurney@desnews.com

Twitter: @BrandonCGurney