De Rego plans to make decision

Lamar De Rego committed to Oregon State right before Christmas but the San Jose (Calif.) San Jose C.C. strong-side defensive end recently visited Arizona and now it's a two-team battle for his services.

De Rego, a 6-foot-3, 252-pound three-star recruit, said he's considering both options, talking to both sides and that he hopes to make a final decision sometime this week.

"The last conversation I had with coach (Mike) Riley I told him the Arizona trip was an eye-opener," De Rego said. "Before that I only took two trips to San Jose State and Oregon State so it was a lopsided comparison. Going out to Arizona, another Pac-10 team, it gave me a good gauge of the comparisons. I'm going to try to make the right decision for myself.

"It's a pretty big decision because I'm going to be in Corvallis or Tucson for two or three years. I want to weigh out all the possibilities, not only football but also academics. I take pride in my academics so I'm trying to make sure I get all my questions answered and I do as much research as I can."

De Rego still considers himself committed to Oregon State and that is also what he's told the Arizona coaching staff but he has lots of thinking to do this week to make his ultimate choice.

Busy with schoolwork, De Rego feels the time constraints especially since this is the last weekend prospects will take visits before National Signing Day on Feb. 2. A decision could come soon.

If De Rego decides to switch his commitment to Arizona, he said Riley deserves to be the first one to know. If he sticks with the Beavers, De Rego said he'd be happy because Oregon State offers everything he's looking for.

At this point in his recruitment, De Rego seems torn.

"What I told Arizona, I just talked to coach (Mike) Stoops (Saturday) and I told him I'm still committed to Oregon State," De Rego said.

"Before I commit to another place, if it's going to happen, I'm going to tell coach Riley myself. I don't have anything to hide. I'm going to be honest and upfront with him. At the moment I'm still committed to Oregon State and if that changes Mike Riley will be the first one who knows.

"It's going to be this week. This is a busy week because I'm in an intersession course so there are a lot of things going on. I'm slowing down the process for myself. Recruiting has been getting hectic. It's crunch time and the last weekend of traveling but I'm definitely considering Arizona. I like the program a lot. The same with Oregon State, both are great schools and both have great coaching staffs."