Utah Utes landed a major talent for the 2020 season with the announcement that Tanoa Togiai is joining them. Togiai will be one of the centerpieces of the strong recruitment drive led by head coach Kyle Whittingham, reports 247 Sports. While he is not one of the highly-rated players for the 2020 class, football experts think that he already has raw potential that just needs to be developed by the right coaches.

As recently as last week, the Kansas State Wildcats, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Utah Utes, and the Washington Huskies were in a tug-of-war for Togiai.

It turns out that they were no match to Utah's assistant coach Lewis Powell, who maintained regular contact with him.

Tanoa Togiai news a blow to Nebraska Cornhuskers

The news that Tanoa Togiai signed with the Utah Utes is probably a big blow to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Nebraska Cornhuskers hoped that the defensive tackle would sign with them. They were banking on him joining the team as the end of their productive recruitment efforts for the 2020 season. Togiai’s decision means that the Nebraska Cornhuskers did not add any more recruits on National Signing Day. The team will have to settle with transfers in the coming months.

Utah Utes players enter transfer portal

In other Utah Utes news, several of the team’s players are leaving the team.

Redshirt sophomore Jason Shelley is the latest Utah player to enter their name in the transfer database. According to the quarterback-turned-safety, his decision to depart from the team after three seasons was a challenging one. He thanked the coaches, his teammates, and the fans for their support throughout his time with the Utes.

Shelley is the third player to leave in the past two weeks. Cornerback Nygel King and running back Devonta’e Henry-Cole also entered the transfer portal.

Utah ranks 16th in final AP poll

Tanoa Togiai could be joining a rising force in the college football world as the Utah Utes team was recently named as the nation’s 16th best.

This was according to the final AP Top 25 ranking for the just-finished college football season. The strong finish was aided by Utah’s excellent 2019 season. They had strong momentum at the start of the season, winning the first three pre-Pac-12 games. They then lost to the Pac-12 opening game against the USC Trojans.

Ultimately, the team recorded a total of 11 wins over the season, becoming the Pac-12 South champs for the second consecutive year. They lost the Pac-12 Conference Championship to the Oregon Ducks 15-37. They were also no match to the Texas Longhorns during the Alamo Bowl, only scoring 10-38. The no. 16 placement is the best showing for Utah ever since their entrance into the Pac-12 eight years ago. Since they became a Pac-12 team, Utah has only appeared in the final AP Top 25 ranking four times.
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