OL Park chooses Big Ten school
Just one day after receiving an offer from a Big Ten school he has had his sights set on for a while, Ian Park has made his college choice.
On Wednesday the 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Upper St. Clair was on the phone with the coaches from Northwestern and he learned the Wildcats were offering him a scholarship.
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That was big news, as Park has thought highly of Northwestern for a long time. He tentatively scheduled a trip to Northwestern for June 12.
After sleeping it over for a night Park took things to another level.
"I've committed to Northwestern," Park said on Thursday evening. "I've always loved Northwestern. I let it go overnight and when I woke up in the morning I knew I wanted to play for Northwestern.
"I got home after workouts this afternoon and called coach (Adam) Cushing. He was on the highway in Ohio and he said he almost swerved off the road he was so excited," he laughed.
Park also spoke to head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who told Park he was happy to have him aboard.
One of the reasons Park likes Northwestern so much is the Wildcats is he visited the school as a high school freshman when his brother was being recruited by the them.
Park also likes the depth chart and offensive system at Northwestern.
"They run the spread so obviously it's not too different for linemen from what I run at my high school. It would be for a quarterback or tight end, but it won't be a big transition for me," he said.
"Depth chart wise they're graduating nine linemen over the next two years."
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound guard said he called coaches from the other schools recruiting him and told them he appreciated their interest but he would not be taking any more visits.
Cincinnati, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Toledo, Vanderbilt and West Virginia had also offered Park.