Major makes pledge to Vandals
Marquan Major liked everything about Idaho during his weekend visit from the coaching staff, to the players and the facilities so the Las Vegas, Nev., wide receiver decided even though other programs were pursuing him that it was a good fit with the Vandals.
UNLV had also offered and many others were showing interest but Major, a 6-foot-3, 162-pound three-star recruit, figured he could be used well in Idaho's offense and wanted to make his commitment.
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"I fell in love with the place," said Major, rated sixth in the Nevada state rankings by Rivals.com. "It's a good deal for me. It's a good situation.
"I came in and we went right down to the coach's house. From there we took a nice tour of the place, took a tour of the facilities the next day. It was great."
What also stood out to Major was coach Robb Akey, who made a big impression on the Las Vegas standout throughout the trip. Akey's personality and communication skills were crucial in landing Major's pledge.
"Coach Akey is a really genuine person," Major said. "He seems like a person who will keep it real with you. He has a good sense of humor. He's just down to earth.
"Everybody says in college the head coach is someone you just can't get to especially coming in as a freshman but coach Akey is the kind of guy you can approach just like any other guy. He's a really cool person."
Major, who caught 43 passes for 545 yards this season, also had extensive talks with Idaho wide receivers coach Luther Carr during the trip and is intrigued with how the Vandals will use him on offense.
"Deep threat," Major said.
"That's where I kind of made my name. I talked to coach Carr, the wide receivers coach there, and a couple receivers are leaving.
"I do other routes but I specialize on the deep threat and that's what they're going to use me on. You have to respect the deep ball and everything else opens up hopefully."