Defensive end picks Oregon State

Rusty Fernando visited Oregon State this past weekend, saw the Beavers upset Southern Cal, loved everything about the experience and so the Glendale (Ariz.) Glendale C.C. weak-side defensive end decided to commit.

"They have a family atmosphere there and coach (Mike) Riley is a really great guy," Fernando said.

"I like the defense, too. They have a blue-collar attitude of hard work and I really like that about their defense."

Fernando is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound three-star prospect by Rivals.com who also had offers from Bowling Green, Idaho, Northern Arizona, Ohio, Hawaii, Utah State and South Dakota State.

Beating the Trojans certainly was a bonus but Fernando said what really sold him on Oregon State was the coaching staff. Riley made a big impression on him especially during their conversations.

"You could tell pre-game going out there that their heads were into it and I was impressed with the game of course, that's USC," Fernando said. "I was impressed with the tenacity they had especially on the defensive side.

"Coach Riley has a real good point of view and he's more like a father figure. He's a really good communicator, he's a smart guy and he's a good leader. It shows all the way through the program from the head coach to the walk-ons. Coach Riley is a person you can tell just by talking to him he really knows the game."

Despite his other offers, Fernando said he's finished taking visits and will work on graduating in December so he could be a mid-year enrollee at Oregon State.