Irby pulls the trigger

As expected, it came down to two schools for Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure athlete Blaine Irby. His final two choices were Texas and Arizona State. Would it be the Big 12 or Pac 10 for Irby?

"I'm going to Texas," Irby said. "It was pretty tough but my parents and Coach Mack went over the pros and cons of each school and Texas just had everything I was looking for. I grew up in Tempe and lived there for 15 years so I know the area real well and liked everything there but I just got that special feeling at Texas.

"The coaches there treated me like I was a part of the team already. My whole family felt that this past weekend when I was out there. That was the second time I visited and I just knew that was the place for me. I'm very excited about this and happy to have the decision out of the way. They're bringing me in as a tight end and that's where I want to play as well. I like how they use the tight end in their offense, I think their tight end caught 10 or 11 balls in the Rose Bowl last year so I'm just excited."

Irby, 6-2, 225 pounds is one of the nation's most versatile players. He had the top SPARQ Rating at the SoCal NIKE Camp at 97.90 after running a 4.58 in the 40 with 35 reps on the bench. He was also getting looks at linebacker and H-Back by some schools but said he felt like tight end was his best college position.

"It's a great fit for him, Texas is getting a great player," Seraph coach Jon Mack said. "Blaine is a great player but what separates him is how hard he works. No one will outwork him and he's committed to being a great player and he's a great person as well."

"I'm going to be majoring in Business," Irby added. "Texas is a strong academic school as well, that was another plus. Now I can focus on our upcoming season and the only official visit I'll take anywhere is to Texas, I'm a solid commitment."