Colton (Calif.) safety Nat Berhe was all set to go to UTEP, but a visit to San Diego State this weekend changed everything for him.
"I switched my commitment to San Diego State," said Berhe. "The reason was Coach (Brady) Hoke, hands down. He came in, and he was real genuine with me. I got along with the whole coaching staff, and they wanted me to hit the ground and be a part of something that's building."
Berhe was being recruited by new defensive coordinator Rocky Long.
"Coach Long, was recruiting me when he was the head coach at New Mexico, but he's now the defensive coordinator at San Diego State, so when he got on me it was a wrap."
Berhe said the Aztec coaches want him to play safety.
"They want me to play safety, and to play early, they were telling me, just work for it, it will be there," said Berhe.
Berhe said his family was happy to know he'd be much closer to his Colton home.
"They were pretty happy about that, especially my mom," said Berhe.
And his first game next year will be in SoCal, against UCLA at the Rose Bowl, where his good friend and former teammate Damien Holmes is.
"We are already talking about that," said Berhe. "I'm already letting him know whats going to happen. It should be fun."
Berhe said the stress of changing his decision was tough, but he's glad its over with.
"It was a big relief," said Berhe. "I was stressing for a couple of nights, but now that I know where I'm going, I want to turn 2-10 to 10-2."
And Berhe feels good about the Aztecs chances of improving in the Mountain West.
"Seeing a lot of the eyes on the Mountain West because of Utah, BYU and TCU's success, I think San Diego State can step into that spotlight. I'm excited to be a part of that class. We're bringing in some good DBs. I think we cold really do this thing," Berhe said.