Bears lead for Leemhuis after visit

Safety Matt Leemhuis out of Bethesda (Md.) Winston Churchill took his first official visit out West to California. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder was very impressed with his visit. Did he consider committing to the Bears?

"I had a great time out there and it was a very good experience especially because you don't get to go out to the West Coast a lot," he said. "I got there on Friday and went over to coach Tedford's house for dinner. I got to interact with some players and coaches to talk about the school. That night I went out with some of the players and got to know them more. On Saturday, I toured the dorms and took in an academic presentation. Then I went to the Cal basketball game which was fun. That night we went out to San Francisco for dinner and went to a club downtown. Finally, on Sunday morning I had brunch with the players and coaches.

"I was hosted on the trip by Scott Smith and I also got to hang out with a bunch of other players too. They were all really cool and informative. Besides the players, I was also able to sit down on Saturday with coach Tedford after the Redskins game. I talked with him for a while about my visit and he asked me about committing, but didn't put a lot of pressure on me which was good. He mostly told me whenever I'm ready I can make a decision. I liked him a lot too because he's a family oriented guy and understands."

The two-star prospect rated his trip an 8.5 or 9.

"I've only been on one visit and I had a lot of fun," he said. "I'm definitely considering them and I think I might make my decision by next week. I still have a visit scheduled to UVA on January 24th, but I don't know if I'll go out there. I don't want to leave them hanging. I plan on talking to the coaches at Virginia this week and then we'll go from there.

"I really like Cal and I have a feeling I'll probably commit there. I just have to talk with my dad and make sure everything is good."