Knevel nears decision

Brantford (Ont.) Pauline Johnson Collegiate offensive tackle David Knevel completed his fourth of five official visits this past weekend. His final official visit takes places this coming weekend out on the West Coast, and the 6-foot-8, 295-pound lineman feels he is days away from a college decision.

Knevel said Monday night he expects his decision to come within a week of his return from an official visit to Washington State this weekend. Nebraska jumped to the top of his list following two visits to Lincoln this fall, but Wisconsin hosted Knevel this past weekend and now the Cornhuskers have company atop his list.

"I definitely think Wisconsin has challenged them," Knevel said. "There is really nothing wrong with either program, which puts them up there. It's hard to distinguish between them.

"I honestly think it is going to come down to the feeling. You've got a lot of good pros with the teams I am looking at. You've got great people at both programs, great tradition, great playing style and great everything, so it's got to be a gut feeling sort of thing."

Knevel had previously visited Wisconsin in the summer for the Badger's camp and he reaffirmed many of the aspects he liked about the programs from his first trip.

"I wouldn't say anything surprised me; it was basically what I expected," Knevel said. "I haven't been there in awhile, so I was a little rusty coming in but when I got there it was just how I remembered.

"What could be a standout that I didn't really know before was their campus is really nice. I didn't get a feel for the campus the last time I was there at camp. That was a good thing to check out, for sure."

Freshman offensive lineman Walker Williams was Knevel's player-host the first night he was in Madison and helped give Knevel a player's perspective on the program.

"The hosts I had were great," Knevel said. "The first night I was with Walker and it was great hanging out with him, getting his perspective. I had questions about what it was like and they told me everything I needed to know. It gave me a glimpse of the inside and what everyone goes through there, which was good."

Official visits to Purdue and West Virginia were taken earlier this fall as well by Knevel. His trip to Washington State, then, will be the final official visit he is allotted under NCAA rules.