The 6-foot, 174-pound Phillips also received scholarship offers from Wyoming, Idaho, SMU, Central Michigan, Louisiana Tech, Samford and Tennessee-Martin.
Other schools who expressed interest in him were Illinois, Louisville, Birmingham-Southern, Jacksonville State, Memphis, Central Florida, Mississippi State, Florida State, Stanford, North Alabama, UAB, Troy, Utah and The Citadel.
"Me and my mom and dad (Joe and Michelle Phillips) were talking about it for about two weeks,"Â Phillips said.
"They were asking me questions like which school was I looking at the best, and I told them BYU looked like the place for me.
"They're tough on academics. They have this rule that if you don't turn your homework in the day before it's supposed to be due, you don't practice that day, and if it's before a game, you don't play in the game.
"Out of the five years Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall has been there, they've only had one dropout that didn't graduate who played football.
"It's a safe environment. Provo is a religious campus. Everything's clean. There's no graffiti. They take so much pride in their field, and they take so much pride in the campus."Â
Phillips joins a recruiting class that's shaping up to be one of the best in BYU history.
The Cougars have also received commitments from quarterback Jake Heaps, of Washington, wide receiver Ross Apo, of Texas, and linebacker Zac Stout, of California.
Some recruiting services rank Heaps as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the nation.
"I know a couple of the players who have already committed, because I've already met with a couple of them,"Â Phillips said.
"I went to Jake and Ross and Zac's reception at BYU right before junior day. I've become close to them. Me and Jake, we talk regularly.
"The coaching is just amazing. I like the coaching staff. They're really outgoing, and they're easy to talk to whenever you need it.
"I just feel like it's the best fit for me in the offense and everything."Â
Phillips said the Cougars plan to look at him at several positions, including running back, slot receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner.
"Coach (Patrick) Higgins (outside receivers/special teams) told me I was the fastest 20-yard burst player he's seen so far,"Â Phillips said.
"They're just real excited about me because of my athletics, quickness and footwork.
"They've talked about how much their running backs are used in their offense.
"They get them out in the flats, out in (pass) routes a lot, because in the past two years their running backs have led their team in receptions.
"That gives me more variety of a chance to get the ball in my hands."Â
BYU is a Mormon school, but Phillips said Mendenhall told him he wouldn't be pressured to convert.
There are Protestant and Catholic churches in Provo for players who aren't Mormons.
"I've always dreamed that I would make it to college and play in front of a lot of people, and it finally came,"Â Phillips said.
"I'm really blessed to have the athletic ability I have right now. My parents, they've kept me straight and stuff and kept me out of trouble."Â
Pirate power: Drew Phillips rushed 317 times for 2,194 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 12 of 29 passes for 222 yards and three scores during his junior season at Boaz.
Phillips returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown against Scottsboro, and he ran back his only interception for a TD.
He had scoring runs of 91 yards against Guntersville and 96 yards against Athens.
For his career, he has 16 100-yard games, six 200-yard games and one 300-yard game.
Phillips was named region MVP, Marshall County MVP and honorable mention all-state in 2008.
