McKenzie Twins choose between UVA, BYU, Oregon, Arizona on Wednesday

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia is in the hunt for dynamic twin football prospects who will announce their college choice on Wednesday.

Dominique and Marcus McKenzie, standouts at Pine View High School in St. George, Utah, have cut their list to Virginia, BYU, Oregon and Arizona. While they are legacies of the BYU family, they haven’t hinted that will influence their decisions.

Their father, Brian, was a strong running back for Coach LaVell Edwards at BYU, while mom, Salota, ran track for the Cougars.

Dominique is a 6-foot, 160 wide receiver, one of the fastest prospects in the nation, as is twin Marcus. Dominique ranked fourth nationally in receiving yards last season with more than 1,700 yards.

Marcus is a 6-0, 165 defensive back, who recently broke the Utah state record in both the 60m and 200m. Both have expressed an interest in running track in college in addition to playing football.

While they are currently in the recruiting class of 2022, both are expected to participate in the two-year missionary program, so would be counted as part of the 2024 recruiting class, much like Wayne Taulapapa did a few years ago.

“We would love to play together, it would be awesome to have that experience,” Marcus said. “We’re very open to the possibility of playing at different schools, and maybe even playing in a rivalry-type matchup. We’re open to both sides.”

Marcus also said the most important factors in his recruitment will be the culture of the program and how the players are treated, in addition to a great education.

Dominique, speaking to BYU.SI added “A team that is willing to throw the ball … I’d really like to be able to run routes, beat people and score touchdowns.”

All the schools love Dominique’s speed and his ability to spread the field.

Dominique said he loves Oregon’s back-to-back Pac-12 championships and its amenities.

“Their facility and what they have, what they require for their athletes,” he said. “They always give the best so you can play the best.”

Oregon has one of the finest football centers in the nation, financed by Phil Knight of Nike, a facility that has all the bells and whistles that an athlete could ask for. Virginia is in the midst of a fundraising campaign that will build a state-of-the-art facility for its football center.