Drew Schaefer, the 6-foot-5, 275 pound offensive lineman from Redmond, Wash., has scholarship offers from Washington and Washington State and is also receiving attention from Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State. But it's the Huskies that hold a slight lead for the Eastlake High School recruit.
"Washington is my favorite right now," said Schaefer, who reports a 3.79 GPA. "They offered me when I went to their junior day on March 3. It was really cool. We got to meet all the coaches and then Coach (Tyrone) Willingham called me and my parents up to his office.
"He started talking about what it means to be a student-athlete at U-Dub. He was telling us about his expectations for himself as head coach and his players, and then he offered me. I think my parents were more excited than I was and I was excited! They took me out for a big steak that night.
"The U-Dub is about 15 minutes from my house, so I'm really familiar with the school," Schaefer said. "I like the idea of staying in-state. That way my parents will be able to see me play. I'll know the area and the people already. It's really comfortable for me. I like the fact that Washington is offering a lot of in-state guys too.
"Coach Willingham is a great guy. He has really done a lot with the program. I like the direction it's heading, plus there is so much tradition there. I don't know how the depth is there, but I'm not too concerned about that. I know that most linemen redshirt their first year and that's fine with me. I just want to become the best player I can be."
Schaefer says he received an offer from Washington State on March 31. "I got the offer in the mail last Saturday, but I knew it was coming because they'd called my coach (Gene Dales) and told him they were going to offer. Coach (Bill) Doba is a great guy. I got a chance to talk with him a lot at camp. I also had a chance to get to know Coach (George) Yarno too. I really liked him a lot too.
"The Cougars are a great program and they're in the Pac-10," he said. "I want to play in the Pac-10. My sister is a sophomore there so I've had a chance to go see the campus and facilities. I'm going to take an official there for sure."
Planning on majoring in business or sports medicine, Schaefer says that academics will play a big factor in his decision. "What it's going to come down to is education, how well I fit into a school as a student-athlete and what academic opportunities are available to me - if they have a good business or sports medicine program.
"Stanford has been coming on really strong lately," he said. "They are definitely recruiting me the hardest right now. I've talked with Coach (Chris) Dalman a lot lately. He wanted me to come down for junior day on April 1, but I couldn’t make it. He told me they wanted me to come for a visit anytime in the next month then. I've never been there, so just to be fair, I think I should go see the school.
"Stanford is a great institution and would be a great opportunity for me," he said. "I just sent them my transcripts for the admissions part of it all. I still have to take my SAT too (June). I'm waiting to see what happens with that before I decide to take a trip down there.
"Oregon and Oregon State have also been in contact with me," he said. "Oregon was one of the first schools to start recruiting me. I haven't talked to either school much, but I've been invited to both junior days. I'm not sure if I 'm going to go or not."
Shaefer, who is originally from Wisconsin, says he's looking to commit by end of summer if possible. I've gotten some stuff from the Badgers, but I really want to stay out here, closer to my parents. I want to commit fairly soon - I'm hoping by August. I just think it'd be nice to go into this season knowing where I'll be at next year already…just get it done so I don't have to stress out during the year.
"My strength is my footwork," he said. "I've played basketball since I was in kindergarten so I'm really quick on my feet. My pass protection is really good too.
Schaefer said he doesn't want to play basketball in college. "No way. Football is my passion and that's what I want to do. I've been working on my strength and my size with my conditioning coach three times a week. It's going to be a big change in college and I want to be as ready as I can be before I get there."
He claims to bench 290 pounds, squat 430 and power clean 230.