BYU Football Recruiting: 4 Reasons Why Osa Masina Should Sign with Cougars

Osa Masina is considered Utah's top 2015 prep prospect and is one of the nation's elite linebackers. The Brighton standout is a 4-star outside linebacker and has received offers from SEC, Pac-12, Big 12 and Big 10 programs.

Masina announced his top eight schools in late April, but BYU didn't make the cut. A lot can change in the eight months between now and national signing day, and his opinion of the Cougars will hopefully change also.

Here are four reasons why Masina should choose to become a Cougar.

This may be cliche for most outside linebackers recruited by BYU, but Kyle Van Noy is the best comparison for Masina. They were both 4-star outside linebackers recruited by big-name schools.

Coming out of high school, KVN was 6'4" and 200 pounds, similar to Masina's measurements. Both excelled at pass-rushing and didn't consider BYU as a likely landing spot for their FBS careers.

Now, Van Noy has signed with the Detroit Lions and left BYU as one of America's top college linebackers. Masina could do the same, and the first step is becoming a Cougar.

Of the eight schools on Masina's list, BYU's national exposure in 2013 was comparable to all. See the table for games on national networks:

*includes BYUtv, Big Ten Network and Pac-12 Network

Independence has brought BYU national exposure that rivals that of Big Ten and Pac-12 members, among others. Every home game is on the ESPN family of networks, and most road games are televised. In comparison, Utah and ASU had almost half of their games on the Pac-12 Network, which is only available in certain regions. Utah's only ESPN game was against BYU.

Bronco Mendenhall's 3-4 defense is completely centered around a strong group of linebackers. He relies on his outside linebackers to make plays; even in his nickel package, OLBs are often promoted to nickel backs or standup linemen. 

Should Osa Masina choose to play under Mendenhall, he will quickly have the opportunity to be a key player. Masina has the skill set to succeed at BYU and will have the opportunity to do just that.

BYU's likely starter at weak-side linebacker, Alani Fua, is playing his final year of eligibility this fall. His counterpart on the strong side, Bronson Kaufusi, will likely be back to the defensive line for his senior season.

So, should Masina become a Cougar, it is likely he will have the chance to battle for a starting spot as a freshman. He may not get that opportunity at other schools, despite being a highly touted prospect.

It may be a long shot at this point, but BYU may be a great fit for Masina.