Cali kicker is Pac 10 bound

Corona (Calif.) kicker Daniel Padilla emerged this year as one of the top prospects at his position in the West region. The athlete took an official visit this past weekend to Fresno State but upon returning home, Padilla decided to make his commitment to another school out West.

"Daniel enjoyed Fresno State but he just didn't think it was for him," Panther coach John Brandom said. "He decided on Sunday night that he was going to commit to Oregon and called the coached and got it done yesterday. He has never even been to Oregon before but he's going to take his visit there (Jan. 12) and is very excited about his decision.

"The main thing for Daniel is he really likes the Pac 10 and was excited to play for a big time program like Oregon. Another big factor is Nathan Villegas was Daniel's personal kicking coach since the summer and he went to Oregon and loved it there and that meant a lot to Daniel. I'm excited for him as well. Daniel is a great kicker but it's hard for kickers to get scholarships. He went out and had a great season and once schools saw his film, he became a no brainer to offer for anyone who needed a kicker."

Padilla, 6-1, 200 pounds had a big senior year going 10-11 on field goals including two beyond 50 yards and a long of 52. He was 40-40 on extra points and over 90% of his kickoffs were in the end zone for touchbacks.