Nembot talks about commitment
Stephan Nembot wanted to find a college that reminded him of his high school, Van Nuys (Calif.) Montclair Prep, and after a recent visit to Washington State he felt comfortable enough to commit.
The 6-foot-7, 250-pound defensive end who's still just tapping into his potential had offers from Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington but felt his best opportunity for success would come at Washington State.
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"It was a good trip," said Nembot, who visited for the Oregon game. "Everything was cool for me there. It really was a nice trip being there with other recruits from around the country was kind of cool. When I came back here I thought about it and I committed to them."
Washington State's coaching staff made a big impression on Nembot, rated as the No. 49 strong-side defensive end nationally and No. 72 in the California state rankings by Rivals.com. Coach Paul Wulff and the entire staff did a good job convincing Nembot he'd be a good fit in Pullman.
"The coaching staff, they have a good relationship with the players, everything was really like a family atmosphere," Nembot said. "I said, 'OK, this is where I want to play.'
"Right now at my school, at Montclair Prep, we are all like family so when I see another place like my school I say, 'This is for me.' I knew it was a good place for me so that's why I made my commitment over there.
"(Wulff) is a good guy. He and I have been talking like we've known each other for a long time which is not true because we just met. With him, everything is kind of cool. The relationship with him was really nice, not only with him but the whole coaching staff."
Nembot, also a standout basketball player, has proven to be tough. He broke his hand during drills at the USC Rising Stars Camp this past summer but wanted to continue because he didn't want the coaching staff to think he was soft.
USC, Arizona and Oregon State were three other Pac-10 schools showing interest.