BYU football continued to fill its roster on National Signing Day, landing multiple players that were also being recruited by power-5 schools.
Sol-Jay Maiava comes in as a 6-foot-one dual-threat quarterback out of Washington, DC. The three-star prospect runs a 4.65 40-yard dash while having a 32-inch vertical. Maiavia unofficially visited UCLA and Georgia before attending the USC summer camp in 2017 and Penn State summer camp in 2018. Maiava received power-5 offers from Oregon, Virginia and Michigan and also received offers from Fresno State, Hawaii and Liberty. He is ranked No. 31 among all dual-threat quarterback prospects in the country. In 2018, Maiava led his team to a No. 13 national ranking as he threw for 1,557 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Wide receiver Kody Epps signs with BYU after having interest all around the country. Washington, USC, Oregon State and Hawaii all showed interest in the Mater Dei high school football player, and Wyoming, Utah State, UNLV, San Jose State, Nevada and Oregon also sent offers to Epps. The native of Santa Ana, Calif., was ranked 116th among all wide receivers in the country. Epps set school records for Mater Dei as a senior, recording 93 catches, 1,735 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Micah Harper was one of the first to announce his commitment on Dec. 18. The Chandler, Ariz., native was also being recruited by Air Force, Army, Nevada, Syracuse and San Diego State. Harper ranks 181st in the country among all cornerbacks as a three-star prospect and received 23 offers. Harper’s dad’s “claim to fame” is intercepting three passes from Ty Detmer.
Linebacker Josh Wilson’s signing came as little surprise with the three-star prospect unofficially announcing his commitment in the summer. The brother of current BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was also recruited by Utah, Cal and USU. Wilson recorded 130 tackles, nine tackles for loss and four interceptions as a senior.
Offensive lineman Isaiah Tupou is one of the recruitment highlights for BYU after receiving offers from Sacramento State, Arizona, UCLA and Utah — Utah reportedly being Tupuo’s second choice. The 6-foot-three, three-star lineman ranked 88th among all outside guards in the country. Tupou recorded 34 tackles and seven tackles-for-loss in 2019.
The news of Bruce Garrett officially signing with BYU came as no surprise as he announced his intentions during the summer, which also diverted a lot of potential offers from other universities, but he did receive an offer from Illinois State while also unofficially visiting Arkansas. The Texarkana, Texas, native is a three-star prospect and ranked 107th among all running back prospects. Already with 1,443 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2019, Garrett will look to add to these stats during the Utah State Championship.
Jacques Wilson fills in a hole that BYU has at the defensive back position, and will likely get to immediately compete for a spot with the departure of Dayan Ghanwoloku. The Culver City, Calif., native comes from West Los Angeles junior college.
Coaches AJ Steward and Ilaisa Tuiaki used their recruiting tactics to snatch Orem native Drason Havea from the Utes who also sent an offer to the linebacker. The three-star recruit also received interest from Weber State, Utah State, UNLV, Idaho State and Dixie State.
Wide receiver Christopher Jackson signs with BYU after receiving interest from Syracuse in addition to offers from San Jose State and Middle Tennessee State. The native of Pomona, Calif., comes to BYU after playing junior college for Mt. San Antonio College. Jackson recorded 50 receptions for four touchdowns in 2018, also fielding 14 kick returns for 340 yards. Jackson will have three more years of NCAA eligibility.
Running back Nukuluve Helu, wide receiver Terence Fall, defensive linemen Tuipulotu Lai and Josh Larsen and defensive end Alex Muti rounded out the signings for the day.
