Loyal Cougars

BYU commit Nick Kurtz offered by USC

The four-star receiver pulled in a big offer, marking an interesting trend for recent BYU commits.

A strange thing is happening around BYU recruiting. BYU commit Nick Kurtz, a wide receiver from Grossmont Junior College, received an offer from USC on Thursday night, flipping upside-down an observation from a legendary broadcaster 10 years ago.

The news was reported by Scott Eklund of JCFootball.com:

kurtz tweet

What’s been flipped upside-down? When BYU played USC on ABC in 2003, legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson made a recruiting jab of sorts — something to the effect of, “It looks like if you are 5’9″ and from Orem, Utah, you play for BYU!” But now, a pair of talented, sought-after Californians in the 2014 recruiting class have received offers from USC after committing to play at BYU. Ain’t that something.

Kurtz is a four-star recruit, an imposing 6’6″ wide receiver with great speed for his size. When choosing BYU, he also had offers from Oregon, Texas Tech, Cal, and Kansas State. Now, the playmaker set to replace Cody Hoffman has picked up an offer from the history-rich USC.

The other commit is Fred Warner, three-star linebacker from San Marcos, CA. Warner committed to BYU on April 3 after being impressed with the campus, the program, Coach Poppinga, and Kyle Van Noy. On June 6, Warner received his USC offer.

Shortly after, a visit to BYU solidified Warner’s commitment to the Cougars for both himself and his mother.

One would imagine that choosing BYU over Oregon, possibly one of the best offenses for a decade running, and over Texas Tech despite the best efforts of a talented NFL receiver, would mean Kurtz is solid in his decision. But USC is one of the biggest names in college football. Sometimes, even despite recent relative struggles, history and tradition can talk.

Either way, this is the world in which we now live. Elevated recruiting is the here and now for BYU. Four-star cornerback Dayan Lake (2015) committed to BYU in March. The speedster later attended a Nike camp in Oregon. What did Lake have to say about that?

“I came back from Oregon’s camp and I got a letter about a week later. I’m not sure what it said because I didn’t really read it.”

I didn’t really read it.

Mika Tafua, another 2015 commit, is a four-star defensive end from Honolulu who has chosen BYU.

Coach Guy Holliday helped three-star running back Cedric Dale choose BYU over Texas Tech and Nevada. Not big battle-wise, but athlete-wise, it’s sure different.

No offense to guys like Chris Hale and Jason Kukahiko — as indicted by Keith Jackson — but I like this level of recruiting better.

Highlights: Nick Kurtz — Fred Warner — Dayan Lake

Picture via @TheKurtzWay

UPDATE

Kurtz is solid on his commitment: “BYU is my home”

5 Comments

  1. JackG

    September 13, 2013 at 11:03 am

    Whoa Nelly! I hope he stays committed.

    • Brett Hein

      September 13, 2013 at 1:31 pm

      Well played 🙂

    • CP

      September 13, 2013 at 4:28 pm

      I have nothing specifically against USC itself, but anyone who knowingly plays for Lane Kiffin is nuts. All you have to do is look at his behavior and history with the programs and players he ditched before he landed at USC. Actions speak so much louder than words. I certainly hope this kid has a level head on his shoulders and can perceive the difference between the two head coaches, because Kiffin and Mendenhall are diametric opposites. One cares only about himself, the other only for his players.

  2. Pingback: Lone Peak’s Frank Jackson makes early commitment to BYU - Loyal Cougars

  3. Pingback: Nick Kurtz: ‘Brigham Young is my home’ despite USC offer - Loyal Cougars