Friekh moving forward

Layth Friekh is approaching his recruitment with a purpose. When the 6-foot-6 lineman talks about his college future, he doesn't include many shoulder shrugs. There's no wasted motion. Just because he's not quite ready to make a verbal commitment doesn't mean the wheels aren't turning.

"I think I'm going to try to do an early commit," Friekh said on Thursday. "I want to do it at least before the season starts."

He gets to the point when he speaks and he's methodical about his investigations. Friekh holds an Oregon State offer and admittedly knows little about the Beavers. He intends to change that soon, though.

"I'm taking an unofficial to Oregon State on the 26th of April," he said. "I'm going there to find stuff out. I want to see what their faculties are like and what their coaches are like. The only coach I've really talked to so far is Coach [Mike] Cavanaugh, the offensive line coach. He seems like a real nice dude."

Friekh will also swing by the campus of Oregon while he's in the area. And while he doesn't hold an offer from the Ducks as of now, he's hoping one comes during his face-to-face to face meeting with the program's coaches.

"They say they want to see me in person before they decide on an offer," Friekh said.

This is a case of a tackle attacking the process as if it were a defensive end. Even when Friekh is uncertain on a topic, he still has some sort of opinion. In declining to name a hard favorites, he managed to find a way to mention a specific school. Turns out, his aggressive approach to football doesn't end at the sideline.

"I obviously like Arizona because they are so close and recruiting me the hardest, but I don't have anything too set in stone as far as favorites," Friekh said.

Official visits? Some of those have already been planned. Friekh says he intends to use one of his allotted trips to check out Washington and does not intend to use official visits on Arizona or Arizona State.

"I can just drive to see those schools any time I want," he said.

What he's looking for is simple. He values one thing above everything else when it comes to choosing a school. It's not aesthetic or shallow, either. In essence, Friekh is in search of a long-term relationship.

"I want to make sure I like the O-line coach and that he's there to stay," Friekh said. "I want to make sure he's not just going to be there one or two years. I want a guy I know is committed to staying there and helping me and the team."

Friekh currently holds scholarship from Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Utah.