NoCal two-way standout gets first offer
San Jose (Calif.) Bellarmine could have up to four D-I prospects out of the class of 2009. One of them is two-way standout Usua Amanam (5-9, 175, 4.46). The speedy Amanam recently picked up his first offer and it was from a Pac 10 team.
Amanam received an offer from Stanford and is getting recruiting attention from Cal, UCLA, Northwestern, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Texas.
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"Definitely Stanford, Northwestern and Virginia are my top three right now," Amanam said. All three are very good schools and there is an excellent balance between academics and athletics.
"I think all three schools are up and coming teams," Amanam said. "I want to be a part of something special and help bringing up a program.
"I am heading to Vanderbilt to take in their spring game and visit my brother who is in Med School in Nashville," Amanam said. "Vandy is also a top school and my brother lives out there and it would be nice to be close to him.
"I was getting recruited by the old UCLA staff and I didn't hear from them for awhile," Amanam said. "I received a letter from the new staff last week.
"I was tempted to commit to Stanford, but I wanted to keep my options open," Amanam said. "I want to check other schools just to see if any other school would appeal to me before I committed."
"I would like to be recruited as an athlete because I feel I can play anywhere on the field," Amanam said. "But I'm mostly being recruited as a corner.
As a junior, Amanam was League MVP, all-state and all-metro for his performance.
From his running back position, Amanam rushed for 1,656 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He also caught 21 passes for 309 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground.
As a cornerback, he put his man on lockdown. He ended the season with six interceptions and even returned one for a touchdown.
One too watch as the season progresses.