But all that was soon to change thanks to the hiring of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. “Auburn came in at the last minute, when they hired Coach Malzahn,” Blake said. “I didn’t know anything about Auburn. It all just sort of happened.
Coach Malzahn recruited me when he was at Tulsa,” he said. “I got to know him then and really liked his style of offense. He wanted to utilize me as a player in more like a west coast-style of play and I liked the “wildcat” offense he ran. But I really couldn’t see myself at Tulsa, so I decided to commit to Texas Tech.
“Tech had everything I was looking for,” Blake said. “They were my first offer and were recruiting me really hard, texting me every day and calling. I felt comfortable. They’re a good school, close to home, with a strong football program, especially for wide receivers and I got on great with all the coaches and the players. It just felt like a good mix all together.”
None-the-less, Blake admitted that he started questioning his decision almost immediately. “I should have been happy, but I just felt stressed out all the time,” he said. “I just didn’t feel good with the situation. A lot of stuff was going on with Coach (Mike) Leach. I didn’t know if he was going to be there or not. I thought I needed to look around a little more, just to make sure. I called them and told them I was decommitting but that they were still No. 1 for me.”
“But coaches leave all the time and he’s one of the coaches who’s on the radar right now,” he said. “I didn’t want to commit there then have Coach Kiesau leave.”
The decision to commit to out-of-state Auburn over the Red Raiders was not easy for Blake. “It came down to the wire,” Blake said. “I took my visit to Auburn (Jan. 16) and loved it. It was everything I was looking for, but I still wasn’t sure I knew what they were about. It came down to the coaching staff and Coach Malzahn and putting my trust in him.
“At AUB, I could definitely see playing time as a freshman if I play it right,” he explained. “The relationship between the players and coaches was similar to Texas Tech and I liked that. And I felt like Auburn was going to utilize my talent better. They had a new staff and new scheme at Auburn that seemed to fit me better. I knew the coaches wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon either.”
BERNARDO NUNEZ – PITTSBURGH
Only six months ago, had you suggested to Hoboken, N.J., defensive end Bernardo Nunez that he would be signing with Pittsburgh, he would have said that you were crazy. Even as close as a month before Signing Day, the Scout.com three-star prospect thought for sure he would he heading for Maryland.
“I never really even thought about Pitt for most of the recruiting process,” Nunez said. “I don’t think they were even in my top eight until close to the end. I was talking with Coach (David) Walker a lot about what the school had to offer and the area in general that really got me thinking about Pitt more seriously.
“Up until then, I really only knew about the football stuff,” he said. “It was my parents that convinced me to take the official (visit). I remember thinking to myself the first day that I really didn’t want to be there. I had my mind set on Maryland and I really was just looking at Pitt to make my parents happy.
“The second day of my visit, things all changed,” Nunez said. “We went to a basketball game and all of a sudden it just clicked. The culture at Pittaburgh is amazing. The players are always together in groups, joking and having a good time. There is a unity and a bond between the players and the students that really stuck with me. I really liked the city a lot. The culture there was great, I really related to the city and the people. I liked that it was a lot like Hoboken.”
The 6-3, 235-pound defensive end admits that he didn’t take the recruiting process as seriously as necessary at first. “At the start, I didn’t care about where I went, about location, anything like that. I was happy with Maryland. I was really familiar with the players and coaches. I had been there a lot. They were one of my first offers and the DB coach had been recruiting me since my sophomore year.
“When the offers started coming in is when I really started doing the recruiting process,” he said. “By the end, everything had changed. Location was a big deal to me. I realized that I wanted to stay closer to home. Pitt seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. It’s one of the top schools in the country for academics and there is a great football tradition. Dan Marino went to Pitt.
“The coaching staff was a big part too,” Nunez said. “They have a solid staff at Pitt that doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. Coach (Dave) Wannstedt is such a great coach, one of the best in the business. He is so down-to-earth. I didn’t expect that. He made me feel right at home, just like one of the guys.”
Nunez also seriously considered Michigan State. “Michigan State was right there too,” he said. “I loved it out there. I really liked what the coaches were doing. Michigan State is a big-time program and they get a lot of TV time. It’s such a great area out there. The campus was amazing with all the snow. You’d wake up and everything looked so beautiful.
“The thing with them was that they had already defensive ends (Denzel Drone and Corey Freeman) coming in this year, so I really didn’t see myself fitting into their plans too well.”
Nunez said he surprised himself with how recruiting turned out. “I always pictured myself committing early. I never wanted to wait to the last minute. Looking back, I’m really glad I did.”
JEREMIAH SIRLES – NEBRASKA
Lakewood (Colo.) offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles’ decision to commit to Nebraska over Oregon came down to one important difference, or more specifically 90 thousand important differences. “The fans. There is nothing like ‘Husker fans,” said the SuperPrep All-America.
“The atmosphere at Nebraska is so football, football, football…I love it! The fans are so ‘Husker crazy no matter if they are winning by 50 or losing by 50, there is never an empty seat in the place,” he said. “They support their team through thick and thin. Good times, bad times it doesn’t matter, they are true-blue fans. I’ve never seen better fans.
“Inside the stadium, oh my god, it’s so loud,” Sirles said. “You feel like you are at the Super Bowl and not a regular conference game. You walk around the campus and people come up to you and they know who you are, it’s crazy. I hear ‘Jeremiah, you have to come to Nebraska. Come on Jeremiah!’ from total strangers!”
The 6-6, 280-pounder from Bear Creek High School said the Cornhuskers’ coaching shuffle was a positive for him. “I actually got two offers from Nebraska,” Sirles said. “The first one from Coach (Bill) Callahan and the second from Coach (Bo) Pelini. The coaching change never really concerned me. It was actually Coach Pelini that was the biggest selling point for me. He’s a great guy. I really had a connection with him and (offensive line) Coach (Barney) Cotton.
“I could definitely see both coaches in my life for the next four years,” he said. “Coach Pelini is building the Nebraska program back up. It’s getting better and better every year. Give Coach Pelini a couple more years and I have no doubt we’ll have a run at the Big 12.”
Sirles said Oregon came in a very close second. “I loved everything about Oregon,” he said. “It’s a great school, a great football team and really great coaches. I had a great time on my visit. I got to know (offensive line) Coach (Steve) Greatwood and Coach (Mike) Bellotti (Oregon’s new athletic director, effective July 1) really well over the year and telling them I was committing to Nebraska was the hardest thing about all of this. It felt like I was letting my father down. It was hard.”
Distance did weigh in just slightly in Sirles’ decision to head to Lincoln. “My parents really wanted me to go to Nebraska because its a lot closer to them than Oregon is and they can come see my games a lot easier than if I were at Oregon.
“I grew up a Big 12 guy, so staying in the Big 12 was a big part,” Sirles said. “I think it really came down to my gut feeling. My gut said Nebraska. The ‘Huskers are in a great place, almost like where Oregon was a couple of years ago, when they had (QB) Dennis Dixon. This is an exciting time for Nebraska football and I’m honored to be a part of it.”