My beliefs are that if I do something in my personal life that’s my business, and my team isn’t going to punish me for it unless it’s against team rules. Just being able to grow up on my own and make my own decisions and pay for my own mistakes is a big reason (for decommitting). – Former Cougar commit Wayne Kirby

With all the national attention being paid to the fourth-ranked University of Utah football team, head coach Kyle Whittingham and company certainly have seen worse times on the recruiting front.

So naturally, they’d go out and offer a scholarship to a prospect with major ties to BYU.

That’s what happened last weekend. Former Cougar commit Wayne Kirby, a three-star defensive lineman from Highland High School (Pocatello, Idaho) got an offer after attending the Utes’ game against Cal.

It’s been a wild time for Kirby, who decommitted from BYU last week in part because Utah has been showing increased interest. Still, that the No. 4 team in the nation is in pursuit of him is not the primary reason the 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman decided to open his recruitment back up.

His main concern about joining the Cougars? The honor code at the Provo school.

“My beliefs are that if I do something in my personal life that’s my business, and my team isn’t going to punish me for it unless it’s against team rules,” he said. “Just being able to grow up on my own and make my own decisions and pay for my own mistakes is a big reason (for decommitting).”

Kirby’s path to committing to BYU in the first place is one he said he learned from. His father James passed away May 28 after a prolonged illness, and he committed to the Cougars less than a month later, telling the Idaho State Journal it’s where he felt his father would have wanted him to go.

In the months since, however, Kirby said he’s been able to take a closer look at the schools and feels as if Utah would be a better fit for him, although he’s clear that he’s neither committed to the Utes nor completely ruled out BYU.

“I was kind of basing my decision more on my emotions than what I thought was best for me,” he said of his original commitment. “BYU’s not a bad place at all. I’m not trying to down on them. I just feel like Utah as a program and as a school is a little better of a fit for me as a football player and also as a student.

"I’ve stayed in contact with (BYU coaches) throughout the whole thing, and that’s one of the things that makes it the hardest is that I’ve built relationships with these people, and I have a bond with them. They actually mean something to me. It’s kind of hard to do that to them, but I’ve got to keep myself and my future in mind.”

Kirby said he’s interested in studying medicine.

Because of his sense of loyalty, Kirby said that not only was it hard telling Cougar coaches he had decommitted, but it was also “kind of weird” to get offered by the Utes just a few days later.

“I wouldn’t really say they hate each other, but I know how much they compete against each other,” he said. “It’s a little hard because of my relationships with (BYU) coaches. Kind of going to their big rival makes me hurt a little because I don’t want to lose my friendship with those coaches over this.”

Still, he does think the idea that the fourth-ranked team in the country would consider him a priority is special, calling the offer from Utah “big.”

“I’m not one to look at myself and say, ‘Oh, you’re great,’” he said. “I don’t really have a whole lot of confidence, and so it kind of gave me a little confidence thinking about that. It’s kind of nice I guess.”

Moving forward, Kirby isn’t in a huge rush to make a decision on his future. Although he considers the Utes frontrunners at this point, he’s keeping his options open. He’s been talking to Oregon and has an offer from Washington State.

In the meantime, he said his Twitter feed has been “blowing up” with fans of both Utah and BYU trying to convince him to attend their favorite school.

“The nice thing is that there’s a lot more supporters than there are haters,” he said. “There’s been a couple haters that say, ‘you’re a bad person because you’re not sticking to your word.’ I can’t really hold it against them because they’ve probably never been in this situation, and they don’t know what it’s like.

"I can’t really get mad at them or be offended by it because I just have to keep in mind that not a lot of people get this opportunity and know how hard this decision is.”

Here’s the weekly rundown of notable performances from last week byplayers committed to Utah, BYU and Utah State:

UTAH

Local commits

Kahi Neves, QB, Timpview:

Went 7-of-11 for 180 yards with two touchdowns in the Thunderbirds’ 28-20 win over Corner Canyon.

Leki Fotu, DT, Herriman:

Had four tackles and a sack in the Mustangs’ 23-15 victory over American Fork.

Other commits

RJ Hubert, WR, Moapa Valley High School (Nevada):

Caught two touchdown passes in a 34-0 win over Virgin Valley.

Tyler Huntley, QB, Hallandale High School (Florida):

Continued his good play as of late by going 15-of-29 for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 victory over Coconut Creek.

Demari Simpkins, WR, Hallandale High School (Florida):

Had three catches for 19 yards, two rushes for 16 yards and snagged a two-point conversion in Hallandale’s 36-22 win over Coconut Creek.

Cole Fotheringham, TE, San Clemente High School (California):

Fotheringham released a midyear highlight video last week.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2388409/highlights/281499377/v2#Jay Griffin, WR, Huntsville High School (Texas):

Had three touchdowns in a 2 1/2-minute span in a 59-0 win for the Hornets over Caney Creek. Here’s a recap of the game:

http://www.itemonline.com/sports/huntsville_isd_hornets/hornets-flex-muscles-roll-past-caney-creek/article_85b3f1fa-220b-5ed6-ae74-8bc476209c27.htmlSemisi Lauaki, DL, Leuzinger High School (California):

Lauaki’s Olympians fell to West 41-20, but a highlight for the losing side was certainly this sack from the Utah commit.

Check out Semisi Lauaki's sack for Leuzinger. http://t.co/Mi50hPW8Da — Breeze Varsity (@breezepreps) October 10, 2015

Alema Pilimai, LB, Tustin High School (California):

Sat out of a 28-8 win over Western because of a strained calf.

Scott Peck, OL, Central Valley High School (Washington):

Took an official visit to Utah and watched the Utes defeat Cal 30-24 Saturday.

Davir Hamilton, WR/LB, Long Beach Poly High School (California):

Had this impressive touchdown grab in the Jackrabbits’ 48-6 win over Compton:

https://twitter.com/A_RosarioNem/status/652685531403292678David Fangupo, DT, Cerritos College (California):

Had two tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the Falcons’ 40-38 win over El Camino.

Handsome Tanielu, DT, Snow College (Utah):

Had three tackles and two quarterback hurries in the Badgers’ 38-37 win over New Mexico Military Institute.

BYU

Local commits

Max Tooley, S/RB, Bountiful

Rushed for a 32-yard touchdown in the Braves’ 41-21 win over Bonneville.

Keenan Pili, LB, Timpview

Had nine tackles in the Thunderbirds’ 28-20 win over Corner Canyon.

Drew Jensen, S/QB, Brighton

Had three tackles and went 2-of-4 for 49 yards at quarterback in the Bengals’ 27-24 win over West Jordan.

Darius McFarland, DE, Box Elder

Had a tackle on defense and four rushes for 66 yards on offense as the Bees beat Ogden, 59-0.

Solofa Funa, LB, Spanish Fork

Funa did it all in the Dons’ 33-21 win over Uintah. He snagged an interception and had two tackles on defense and rushed nine times for 49 yards with an 11-yard touchdown.

Jaren Hall, QB, Maple Mountain

Had an early exit after injuring his ankle in a 22-7 loss to Wasatch.

Skyler Southam, K, Wasatch

Accounted for 16 of the Wasps’ 22 points in a win over Maple Mountain. He made five field goals, including a 53-yarder, and an extra point.

Other commits

Troy Warner, S, Mission Hills High School (California)

Had an 87-yard touchdown reception in a 45-0 win over Oceanside.

Hank Tuipulotu, WR, Nation Ford High School (South Carolina)

Had three catches for 47 yards in a 49-27 win over Fort Mill.

Jonah Trinnaman, WR, Snow College (Utah)

Had two catches for 12 yards in the Badgers’ 38-37 win over New Mexico Military Institute.

Aleva Hifo, CB, Heritage High School (California)

Scored two touchdowns, one on a 29-yard run and the other on a 30-yard pass, in a 49-14 win over Elsinore.

UTAH STATE

Local commits

Hartman Rector, WR, Logan

Was all over the place in the Grizzlies’ 52-23 win over Stansbury. He caught four passes for 71 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown, and had three tackles on defense.

Other commits

Maurice Carnell, CB, Grossmont College (California)

Had three tackles, two solo and one assisted, in a 45-28 loss to Mt. Sac College.

Jordan Love, QB, Liberty High School (California)

Put forth a dominant performance, accounting for five touchdowns, in the Patriots’ 49-17 win over Frontier. Check out a recap of Love’s night.

http://www.bakersfield.com/sports/2015/10/09/love-leads-liberty-to-dominating-win-over-frontier.htmlRyan McDonald is a sports reporter at DeseretNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.