Lee talks offers

It's too early for 2015 defensive back Eric Lee to name a favorite. He does all he can to appear wide open in the recruiting process and avoid revealing anything that could be construed as a lean. With a more than a year left until he'll sign a national letter of intent, who can blame him?

Still, facts are facts.

And in this case the facts are as follows: Lee's ties to the University of Nebraska are strong as an ox. Both of his parents attended UNL. His father worked for the school for years after his graduation. Lee grew up a Huskers fan and spent countless Saturdays in the Memorial Stadium stands.

So while the cornerback refuses to say Nebraska is the early frontrunner to land his commitment, the reasons why Bo Pelini's program will be hard to beat keep appearing. It's guesswork, sure. But it's not exactly over the top in its presumptuousness.

"We always had tickets to Nebraska games because my dad worked for the university, so you could say I grew up a big fan" Lee said on Monday. "He was the dean of students or something like that. I can't remember the exact title.

"I'm going to have two friends up there, D.J. Foster and Trey Foster. I used to live in Nebraska, so we were all best friends going up. I moved from Lincoln to Boston in 2004. Then I moved back to Colorado."

That's not to say Lee is just biding his time until making things official with Nebraska. Nobody knows what he's thinking. More offers will show up in the year ahead. Plus, there are other schools already in play. He holds offers from Nebraska, Arizona State and Colorado. Each school has its perks, and Lee breaks them down with precision.

"At Arizona State, I like the coaches there," he said. "I like coach [Chris] Ball and Coach [Mike] Norvell. Also, Mr. [Todd] Graham. I thought they were all relaxed guys. They were just hard-nosed enough but still nice enough to get what they want out of you. The campus is really nice and there's good weather down there all the time. It's a good place to be."

There's a loose tie to the Sun Devil program in play as well. And while it isn't nearly as strong or as important as his Nebraska-Red painted childhood, it's still something. Lee's close friend, Avery Anderson, committed to ASU months ago, and there's some influence to be gained because of it.

"Avery and I went down to the ASU camp together but I don't think him going to Arizona State will have a huge impact on my decision," lee said. "I mean, it will but it won't. it can factor in a little bit, but I don't think too much."

Then, there's the rebuilding in-state school. While many top prospects from Colorado have shunned the Buffaloes in recent seasons, Lee sees some advantages of staying home. He says the situation at CU is unique in the right way.

"They have basically three DB coaches there," he said. "And having your head coach as a DB coach makes it so much better because you have six eyes on you in every rep, in practice and in games. There's a lot of feedback that can come from Colorado. I like that."

Colorado State is also heavily involved in Lee's recruitment but has yet to pull the trigger on an offer. Lee, who attends Highlands ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian High School, is considered one of the top three 2015 prospects in the state of Colorado.