Deandre Coleman, the 6-foot-4, 285 pound three-star defensive tackle from Garfield High School in Seattle, Wash., has five scholarship offers, although only one really stands out.
Coleman followed Washington as a child and says the Huskies are solidly his top choice. "They are like a mile from where I live and they were always the school I followed," Coleman said. "My mom really wants me to go there too. She wants what's best for me, but she'd like it if I stayed close to home."
Washington was Coleman's first scholarship offer in February.
"I really like coach Tyrone Willingham," he said. "He's a good person and he really likes to help his players. I think they are doing everything they need to to get better. I really want to see them win. They are my number one school and I think coach Willingham has them going up. If they can win a few games early next season and do well, I might consider committing to them. I really want to play for a winning team."
While Coleman admits that he'd consider committing to Washington early, he admits he'd like to take his official visits first. "Washington is my favorite now, but I'm still open," he said. "I'm thinking about taking my official visits and going through the whole process, but I could commit early too. I'm not sure yet."
Another factor in Coleman's decision will be the coaching staff. "I want a good coaching staff and to play for coaches that I really like," he said. "I'm gonna have to be there for a while, so I want to make sure I have a good relationship with them."
Trailing the Huskies are Oregon, Washington State, USC and LSU. All of his favorites have offered, except the Trojans. "They are recruiting me though," he said. "They've got my highlight tape and I'll be going to their camp this summer. I like them because they are always producing great players and I love that they always win."
Coleman also plans to attend the Oregon camp this summer. He'll be at the Duck Junior Day on April 26 as well. "I don't really know much about Oregon yet and that's why I want to go check them out," he said. "They had a great season last year and they are always a top team too."
Another offer that Coleman has is from Arizona, but like Oregon, Coleman says he doesn't know much about the Wildcats yet.
Coleman's most surprising offer came from national champions LSU. "I was real surprised they offered because they are so far away," Coleman said. "It was my second offer and came as a shock. It's a real big-time school. I talked to their defensive line coach (Earl Lane) and he said they really like me and thinks I'd be a good fit for their defense."
Coleman says he benches 350 pounds, squats 545 runs a 5.2 forty. "I think I get to the ball carrier quickly," he said. "I'm real aggressive and competitive. I'm physical and can play fast for my size."
Scout.com's No. 13 defensive tackle says there's still a lot of room for improvement. "I want to use my hands better and work on my technique on people," he said.
Coleman reports a 2.5 core GPA and is taking the ACT in June.