Canadian DE grabs his first offer

Recruits from Canada usually face a tougher road when it comes to publicity and attention. For defensive end Eli Ankou of St. Peter's in Ottawa, he decided that the best way to find publicity is to grab it by the horns. After attending several events in the states, Ankou has seen his recruitment hit new levels, and recently picked up his first offer.

"Recruiting is going well," said Ankou, who is 6-foot-3 and 255-pounds. "I received my first offer right before the March break from UCLA. Since then everything has been going great. Most recently I have been in contact with Rutgers, Virginia and Buffalo."

Ankou gave some more insight on how the UCLA offer came about.

"It was over the phone with Coach Neuheisel," said Ankou. "I was really surprised, but it made me feel that they were a program that really believed in me. It is definitely a great offer. They are a great school academically, have a great football program and the coaches seem awesome."

Ankou jumped on the recruiting radar after several events, including the Army All-American Combine, the Badger Sports Lineman Challenge and 7-on-7 tournament, and the Rivals.com/NUC Five-Star Showcase.

"I think the events were very beneficial," said Ankou. "I absolutely enjoy the level of competition and the vibe from each player I get to meet."

Ankou will continue his busy schedule by attending an upcoming 7-on-7 tournament in Pittsburgh, as well as the Nike Camp at Penn State. He is hoping to visit a few schools too.

"So far, I am planning on visiting UCLA, but I'm not too sure when," said Ankou. "I'll hopefully do a handful of university camps too, which are still to be determined."

Finally, Ankou gave a brief listing of things he will be looking for in a school and program.

"A mix of academics and football, a healthy environment, somewhere I can call home for the next four years of my life, but academics definitely play the biggest role in my preference," said Ankou.