The year was 2006, and young JJ DiLuigi was running circles around defenses in Southern California during his senior year. After a stellar junior season, BYU had been the first to offer him, and while more schools started to take notice more during his senior year, JJ had verbally accepted Bronco's offer to be a Cougar. As I learned more about him, I hoped that other schools wouldn't step up their pursuit and eventually convince him that a Mormon school in Utah offered little for a non-LDS kid from So Cal.

My wife and I had just moved closer to the area where JJ lived, and I watched with interest as this young man continued to amass yardage and receive awards. I had just started a new job and my wife and I were expecting our first child, and being able to watch a BYU commit perform at such high levels was a nice break from the stress of the more important things going on in my life.

After my wife and I watched JJ earn MVP honors while running all over the field in one of the televised California High School "state championship" games in which his Canyon HS triumphed over the heavily favored De La Salle High, I knew that a lot of eyes had been on him that night. I then knelt down to have family prayer with my pregnant wife who was tired and ready to go to bed. She offered a prayer, fervently asking the Lord to help her with her pregnancy, to help me succeed in my new job and to guide our search for the perfect new home. After her heartfelt prayer, I looked up at her and announced "I know what I need to do now."

She looked faithfully into my eyes, anxious to learn what it was that I felt inspired to do to guide our family.

I replied: "I'm going to write JJ a letter and tell him that how excited I and many other Southern California BYU fans are that a great kid like him will be coming to BYU. I don't want him to get cold feet and end up signing with another school."