College football in June

Disclaimer: I normally don't get involved at all with recruiting at the college level. I don't believe that ranking 16- and 17-year old kids accurately is possible. For every Ty Detmer (Texas Player of the Year) there seem to be three Ben Olsons (highly recruited, bust once they hit the field).

But today is arguably the biggest offseason day in BYU football history, as quarterback Jake Heaps, wide receiver Ross Apo and linebacker Zac Stout all committed to play for BYU in 2010.

Here's a quick rundown on all three:

Heaps, who will be a Senior at Skyline High School in Washington next year, is a five-star recruit and wanted by every college in the country. He's 6'2" and has a great arm. Here's a Youtube highlight reel:

Good pocket presence, can run, throw the deep ball and find guys over the middle. His high school team went 28-0 over the last two years and won two state championships. Can't ask for much more from a 17-year old kid. 

Apo was recruited by several big-time school and had originally committed to Texas before changing his mind and choosing BYU today. Apparently Heaps approached him and recruited him for the Cougars. He's a 6'4" and plays for The Oakridge School in Texas. Unfortunately there aren't many highlight videos to choose from, but here's a video of him at the 2009 Stanford Nike Camp:

Quickness, decent speed, and okay hands. We'll see how he pans out, but this is a good get.

And finally, last but not least, Stout is a 6'2", 220-pound linebacker from Oaks Christian High School in California. He got a four-star ranking from Scout.com. No video on him that I can find, but he was offered scholarships from Nebraska, UCLA, Arizona and other schools. After whiffing on Manti T'eo a few months ago, Stout is a fine pick-me-up for the defense. 

All three players announced their intentions this afternoon in Salt Lake. I watched the press conference live, and was struck by how each of them realize that they may be good, but they can't win on their own. Heaps said he knows there are 22 players on offense and defense, and it takes more than just one guy to win a football game. 

They each expressed a desire to win a national championship in Provo. While I think this kind of talk is really, really premature, I like the optimism and the fact that these kids believe you don't have to go to a BCS school to win it all. 

BYU is now ranked eighth in Scout.com's recruiting rankings, the only non-BCS school in the Top 25.

Great day for June football. Now let's see how things pan out in the future.