It was two weeks ago that Van Nuys (Calif.) Birmingham tight end Mychal Rivera knew he was going to commit to Oregon.
Last weekend, Rivera took an unofficial visit to Oregon and let the coaching staff know that Eugene was where his future would be.
"I'm a Duck now," said Rivera. "I had a two-hour talk with Coach Greatwood and then Coach Bellotti came and we had a talk with him and I committed right there. After I committed, I talked to Coach Osborne about their plan to use me."
Rivera said that even though his expectations for the trip to Eugene were high, it was still more overwhelming than he imagined.
"I really liked the football atmosphere. My hotel was right across the street from Autzen Stadium. Everyone is recognized," said Rivera. "It was more overwhelming than I expected. I knew the
facilities were awesome. but I walked into the middle of Autzen Stadium and it was awesome. I wanted to work out right there. I got to meet some of the players so that was cool."
Rivera was the first commitment to Oregon in the class of 2008,
The second commitment to the Ducks didn't come much
longer after.
Following a strong performance at the Stanford Nike Camp, Napa (Calif.) athlete John Boyett (5-11, 197) received a pair of Pac-10 offers, from Stanford and Oregon and on Thursday, Utah offered him.
But the Utes came in too late because Boyett had already given a commitment to Oregon.
“I called Coach (Nick) Aliotti first and then Coach Neal and then I talked to Coach Bellotti,” said Boyett. “I love the coaches a lot so I made a commitment to Oregon.”
Boyett had been to Eugene for the Ducks’ Junior Day and Spring Game, and it left a big impression on him.
“Their facilities were top-of-the-line and their football team is one of the best around,” said Boyett. “They’re going to bowl games every year. I loved Coach Aliotti and loved Coach Neal.”
Arizona State
received a commitment from TE
Steven Figueroa
from Desert Vista HS on Tuesday, their first in the class of 2008.
“I have been thinking about it
(committing) for the last couple of weeks. They have been my number one for a
while,” Figueroa told Scout.com. "“I had the feeling on Sunday. I would
have done it then but decided to talk to Coach Hinds (Desert Vista head coach).
He came to my house and we talked for 45 minutes. He had nothing but positive
things to say.”
He then tried calling ASU tight
end coach Dan Cozzetto but didn’t get an answer.
“I left him a message telling him
I had some exciting news and to call me back. I then called Coach Erickson and
he was very excited. He said it was great to get an Arizona player and hopefully
there will be more to come.”
On Saturday, North Hollywood (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake tackle Jonathan Martin (6-6.5, 270) took an unofficial visit to UCLA, getting the full tour of the campus and getting an opportunity to meet with the coaching staff.
Three days later, Martin called the coaches and said he was going to be a Bruin.
“Since they offered me, they definitely were my number one choice and it was only a matter of time before I was going to become a Bruin,” said Martin. “I visited on Saturday but I called them (Tuesday) and called (offensive line) Coach (Bob) Connelly. He said they have a big need for tackles and I was a guy they wanted. Yes, I’m definitely excited.”
Martin said that the visit on Saturday went a long way in confirming his feeling that UCLA was the place for him.
“It was just me, Coach (Karl) Dorrell and Coach Connelly at first,” said Martin.
“We watched my highlight tape and took a tour of the campus and I was completely
sold. It was my second time on campus. My first time was when I came to watch
their practice, but it was the first I got to seriously talk with them. I got to
meet all the coaches and I really like all of them. They are all down to earth.”
After he visited UCLA on Saturday, he trekked up to Berkeley for Cal’s camp, but all he could think about was UCLA.
“Cal was an option for me, but after going to their camp, I realized that UCLA was the place for me,” said Martin.
California has recruited the JC ranks very well under Jeff Tedford, and the
Bears picked up another solid addition this week, one that will have immediate
impact. Saddleback (Calif.) College linebacker Charles Johnson committed
to the Bears and because he was a full qualifier out of high school, he'll
enroll this fall in Berkeley.
“I’m real happy with Cal,” Johnson told
TheBearInsider.com. “They were always my
#1. I felt that I’d be stupid not to take Cal’s offer. The California location, the education, the strength of the program –all of
those things combined to make Cal a good decision for me.
Arizona State was actually closer
to where I live, but I really wanted to stay in California.” "
Johnson had taken a couple of unofficial visits to Berkeley and they left a
good impression.
“Coach Tedford’s really cool,” said Johnson. “He seems like a real chill guy.
Great personality. And Coach Thompson –he’s funny. He’s really cool –really down
to earth. I like him a lot.”
The Beehive State will be bracing itself for five new residents in a busy
week for the two in-state Mountain West programs.
Utah got its second commitment in the class of 2008, and first from the prep
ranks, when Cienega (Ariz.) Vail tackle Zach Davila committed to the Utes.
Rival BYU countered with four commitments of their own, with one coming from
a prospect who is enrolling in the fall.
The Cougars picked up commitments from a pair of Timpview HS prospects, who
will stay in Provo for their college careers. Kevin Bills, from local
Timpview HS. Defensive end Kevin Bills committed to the Cougars just days
after teammate Michael Alisa, a linebacker verballed to BYU. Jesse Taufi,
an offensive tackle from Long Beach (Calif.) City College committed along with
class of 2007 linebacker Masi Tuitama from Pacifica HS in Oxnard.