Kansas DE headed to MAC
The state of Kansas is somewhat down in the class of 2012 with fewer prospects than normal but that has not stopped colleges from scouring the state for talented players. That is what happened with Olathe (Kan.) East defensive end Matthew Baltimore.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defender recently decided to end his recruitment when he pledged to a MAC program.
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"I committed to Northern Illinois yesterday," Baltimore said on Wednesday. "I called my parents and they said it was a good idea. It was a good school and they had a good business program so they thought it would be a good idea. We all thought it was a good idea so we called on a conference call."
Baltimore says the Husky coaches were excited to have him on board.
"They were all excited," he said. "They were like, 'If you work hard, we'll all push you to be the best you can be,' and that's what I wanted to hear. The coaching staff was great; I loved the coaching staff."
Baltimore says he likes the pedigree of the coaching staff.
"I think their program is going somewhere," he said. "Coach Doeren was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin last year. They had (Houston Texans first-round pick) J.J. Watt at defensive end. It's an honor to be able to play for someone that has coached someone at that high level."
Baltimore had other options in addition to Northern Illinois but he wanted to end the recruiting process now.
"They were not my first offer," he said. "I had offers from North Dakota State, South Dakota State and North Dakota State. I had some other schools that were interested but I'm done with everything."