Ha.
California DE Justin Utupo is Irish.
Utupo is a three-star type on both Rivals and Scout, while ESPN rates him just outside its 150 Watch List. At 6'2-ish and 260ish (all those measurements are "ish" for every recruit), he's got a solid frame as a rising senior in High School, and boy this kid has a motor, quickness, and passion.
Check him out in action and you'll see what I mean:
After watching the video, I like the kid. He plays in a tough region, at a high level of competition, and he PERFORMS. Liking him more and more.
Utupo committed without having visited, as he grew up a big fan of ND, and felt that he needed to lock down the offer early. He'll take his official to ND (and no other trips) to learn more about the school. While this often throws me a bit, it's encouraging that he's so fired up about it that he could pull the trigger without having visited.
"I've never been there before I've always wanted to go to Notre Dame. That has kind of been my dream school so once they offered, it was really only a matter of time.
"When I was younger, I watched that movie Rudy and ever since then, I wanted to go there, even if I couldn't play football there, I just wanted to go to school there. Now to have this opportunity to go and be a part of the program, I'm just really excited about all this."
Welcome to the ND Family, Justin!
Comments on the class so far:
This pickup for C-dub and the Irish continues a remarkable stretch of good news for ND recruiting. Feels like we were stuck at 3 players for months and then we got 7 in just a few weeks...which I guess is pretty much what happened.
And it's a solid class so far, with 4-5 of the players ranked as 4 or 5-star players, and the rest as higher-end 3-star guys with a lot of potential. Given the smaller class last year, my guess is that Charlie plans to take 25 or even 26-27 with EE's this year, so there are plenty of spots left for Top Tier guys to come on board. I'd expect a DT to join the DE's we have, and maybe even another DE depending on how things fall out. So if you're fretting that good guys remain on the board and we're running out of room? Don't. If these 4 and 5 star studs want to come on board, Weis and Co will certainly have a spot. With 10 guys on board thus far, we still have 15-17 spots available, almost the same size as the entire class last year. Plenty of more needs remain on the board for this class, and a TON of top guys have ND high on their lists, if not the leader. Expect momentum to continue, and to really pick up in the early Fall as ND starts out 3-0!
Go Arsh!
By BJDomer July 7, 2009 - 10:56 am
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have him aboard. But I don’t know if this guy is ever going to play on this team. He’s too small to be a defensive tackle, his current position, in college. And he doesn’t have the speed to be a pass rushing end. The summer after my junior year, I was 6’3″ 225 lbs and I ran a 5-flat 40. And frankly, I was lucky to be a division 3 level prospect. ESPN has him listed at 6’2″ 245 lbs (and they say he looks smaller), and they say he runs a 5.07 40. Now, I understand that measurables aren’t everything, but this guy’s passion and motor will only take him so far if he’s getting pushed around by offensive tackles who are bigger, faster, and stronger than he is. Frankly, I don’t think this guy was even worth an offer, and it seems that all of the big national programs agree with me. I hope he proves me wrong, because if he can improve to a level that will allow him to eventually get on the field, his passion for the program would make him a great team leader. But my instincts say that this guy will never be solid enough to get into the D-line rotation.
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By DeepTeaKup July 7, 2009 - 11:34 am
Last few recruits you guys have landed seem to be similar in nature to some of UM’s latest. They definitely require a “trust the coaches” type mindset when evaluating potential.
This guy may not be a starter for you guys, who knows he could be a two time AA also, but it looks like you guys need a big class and with that definitely come “depth” guys. Guys who can play ST and be good pratice guys. This guy seems to fit that mold a bit more.
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By DeepTeaKup July 7, 2009 - 11:35 am
BTW, is this the year you guys reclaim home field from Sparty?
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By The Biscuit July 7, 2009 - 1:05 pm
BJ, I disagree. First, since when do DE’s (he’ll never be a DT in CFB) often run 40 yards in a play? They MIGHT go 10 on average, to get to the QB. Nobody times 10-yard sprints, but from what I can tell on film he has a good quick initial burst. He may not have great top level speed from yards 20-40, but he doesnt need to. I give him just as good of a chance as anyone else that comes into camp. I don’t care what service you use, no one would have ever put Anello on the field by his ‘measurables’, and Utupo is clearly much more the legit prospect than the walk-on.
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By BJDomer July 7, 2009 - 6:40 pm
First off, Mike Anello is a special teams player who was not offered a scholarship to play football for Notre Dame. I would welcome Utupo as a walk-on. But he is a scholarship player, so I would expect him to meet certain physical benchmarks. At the NFL combine, only two defensive linemen recorded 20-yard shuttle times slower than Utupo’s. The weights of these two gentlemen? 330 and 306 lbs. But let’s just compare Utupo to all defensive ends at the combine. Average 20 yard shuttle time: 4.36. Justin Utupo’s 20 yard shuttle: 4.96. This particular drill is probably the best measurable indicator of quickness and explosion. And he is nowhere near the average invitee to the combine. I understand that I am holding him to a very high standard, but I don’t think he shows the athleticism necessary to perform at his position at the level ND needs. On defense, there is almost no replacement for athleticism. Here’s hoping he does develop athletically, though.
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By VicPaul July 8, 2009 - 12:12 am
We’re already talking NFL combine for this kid? Couldn’t we at least let him graduate from high school first.
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By BJDomer July 8, 2009 - 9:07 am
I will admit that it isn’t fair to the kid to compare him to guys that are 4-5 years older and definitely more physically developed than he is. I’m no recruiting expert, but from what I’ve seen on his highlights and from judging his measurables (anyone got a better word for that stuff), I am not very impressed with this guy. I would make him a 2-star prospect at best. And I think that is clearly below Notre Dame level. I just don’t see the upside with this kid, and I truly believe he will never make an impact here.
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By The Biscuit July 8, 2009 - 10:24 am
I guess we can agree to disagree. But I would have to think that the scouting services, which made him a 3-star, and the ND staff, which offered him a schollie, are seeing things you don’t. And I like you BJ, but I’ll trust those sources over you, DomerMQ, or anyone on the internet that doesn’t have personal experience with a prospect…
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By The Biscuit July 8, 2009 - 1:59 pm
BJ, article for you in SBT:
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090707/SPORTS13/907070352
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By BJDomer July 8, 2009 - 2:22 pm
Yeah, we all have and are entitled to our opinions on this guy. I doubt either of us could convince the other to see it our respective ways. But that won’t stop me from saying this to nobody in particular. For the most part, I trust the experts. But what I find weird is that there is zero news on this guy on either Rivals or Scout. No notes on his abilities. They just slapped a star rating on him without an explanation or any sort of scouting report. Kind of shoddy work for a “scouting service.” Scouts, Inc.’s evaluation is pretty positive, but they rarely mention any flaws in their evaluations of prospects. But maybe he’ll get bigger and faster, have a breakout senior season, and make me look like an idiot. That’s what I hope. I really have trouble putting faith in the services’ evaluations of this guy when all they do is take a rubber stamp and slap “***” on his forehead.
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