Four-star to visit Pac 10 schools
Four-star offensive lineman Chris Ward (6-6, 300, 5.3) from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has seen his offers climb to eight. His last two offers come from schools out of the Pac 10, but it is the Pac 10 Conference that may have his two favorite teams at this time.
"My recruitment is going good," Ward said. "Nothing much is really happening lately, but I'm getting through it."
Advertisement
Ward has offers on the table from Arizona, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, and his two most recent offers, Colorado and San Diego State.
"It was good to getting offers from Colorado and San Diego State," Ward said. "It was kind of nice to see schools out of the Pac 10 that are still looking at me, so that is kind of cool. I was thankful for the Colorado offer, but I don't see myself over there.
Has Ward narrowed down a date for his decision?
"Not yet," Ward said. "I still need to visit a couple of schools first. I'm going to go up to Cal again in August and UCLA.
"I think I am visiting Cal in two weeks and UCLA whenever I can fit it in since they are only a drive away."
Is Ward going to make his decision before his senior season?
"I don't really know," Ward said. "I don't want to say that I am then not having it happen. Whenever, I'm 100 percent sure, I will.
Cal and UCLA, are at this time, pulling away from the rest of pack. What does Ward like about these two schools?
"First of all with Cal, I really like the coaches" Ward said. "They remind me so much of the coaches I have right now at Mater Dei. I have seen a couple of their practices and I like the way they coach.
"Cal's coaches want to help you with a one-on-one vibe instead of just coaching a group of guys," Ward said. "They work at getting each guy better. That's what I took out of watching them practice.
"With UCLA it is kind of more like Orange County where I live," Ward said. "The area around UCLA would probably be a little easier to get used to than Cal.
"The coaches at UCLA are also very good," Ward said. "I like the way Coach Rick Neuheisel has been preaching about getting UCLA back up there.
Has Ward narrowed it down to Cal and UCLA?
"I would like to say that, but I am willing to take a look at other schools that are still interested," Ward said. "Schools like Notre Dame and USC, I would definitely consider them."
Could Ward delay his decision to see how teams progress this fall?
"It could especially how Coach Neuheisel has been saying how important these next two recruiting classes are to getting the program back up," Ward said. "It would kind of be good to see what happens a little bit this fall.
"But I don't think that would be a main reason (to delay a decision)," Ward said. "I think the main reason would be some of the pros and cons of both schools and feeling not 100 percent sure that one school is better than another."
What is Ward looking for in a college?
"I'm looking for a college where I know I will be able to grow and succeed for four to five years," Ward said. "A place where I can see myself there and help the program succeed."
Even though Ward missed three games, he still earned second-team all-league honors as a junior.