More BYU football additions
The last time I entered a blog, everybody was talking about quarterback Jake Heaps, who verbally committed to BYU in a news conference orchestrated by public relations professionals. Wide receiver Ross Apo and linebacker Zac Stout joined Heaps in committing that day, creating a surreal atmosphere at a downtown Salt Lake City sports bar. Plenty of enthusiastic Cougar fans turned out to celebrate a recruiting coup for their own No. 1 Stone-Cold Sober (and proud of it) University.
Then I took some time off. Dick has been gone as well — he’s somewhere overseas and won’t be back for a while.
(When you’re a sportswriter covering college sports, you learn that your window for taking vacation days, for the most part, is limited to the months of May, June and July. By the first of August, fall camp opens, and then it’s a roller-coaster ride that lasts for about eight months.)
Anyway, in the last week, the Cougars have added some players to the fold, including Corby Eason, a junior college cornerback from Erie Community College in New York. He signed a letter of intent with BYU last week. He’ll join the program in August and he has three years of eligibility remaining.
Also, another high school player has verbally committed to BYU (class of 2010) in recent days, according to Totalbluesports.com — Teu Kautai, an outside linebacker from Oakridge High in Arlington, Tex. (the same school where Apo plays).
Grabbing Eason is important because cornerback is a position at which BYU is typically thin, particularly this season, especially where it appears one of last year’s starters, Brandon Howard, won’t return this fall.
Below is a story about Eason that I came across from the Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus, Ga. (Eason attended Carver High School there).
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By Stephanie Pedersen
Most football players visit a few schools, take some time to think and let the scene build before making a decision on where they’ll further their careers.
They usually gather in their high school library with friends and family and take a few photos to remember the big decision.
For former Carver cornerback Corby Eason, the location was the only common string.
Eason signed a national letter of intent with Brigham Young University on Wednesday afternoon in Carver’s library.
He did it on his lunch break with no family around.
It wasn’t because his family didn’t want to be there; they just wish they had a little further notice.
Eason returned from a visit to Marshall University Tuesday night.
“I prayed about it,” he said. “Then I slept on it. I woke up this morning and said, ‘I want to go to BYU.’ … They got everything ready and faxed it in right away.”
Eason graduated from Carver in 2007, sat out the following season then played at Erie Community College in New York last season. After one year with the Kats, Eason’s numbers impressed Division-I colleges.
The cornerback had three interceptions, five fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and 50 tackles last year.
The 20-year-old will study psychology.
“They have a good program,” Eason said. “They made me feel comfortable. I have a good relationship with the defensive backs coach and all of the coaches. I got along with the players.
“But one of the main reasons was because I love to win. And I want to win. I have a really tough time losing.”
Eason visited BYU last week.
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