Pac-10 teams eye Villanueva
Washington State was the first program to offer Fernando Villanueva and the San Jose (Calif.) Independence prospect could be close to other offers as well.
Oregon State and Cal are showing the most interest in Villanueva, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound prospect who could play either offensive tackle or defensive end in college.
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"I talked to the Oregon State coach, coach (Ryan) Gunderson, and he told me that they basically offered me and they went through my grades and I'll be a qualifier for their school," Villanueva said. "I need to pass some classes and take my SATs.
"That would be a big offer. Coming from the Pac-10, that's a tough conference. All the Pac-10 schools are showing a lot of interest right now. Since Washington State offered the other schools really are showing a lot of interest."
Cal has been recruiting Villanueva for a while and assistant coach Tosh Lupoi has apparently told him the Golden Bears like him as a defensive end.
Villanueva is also supposed to call new offensive line coach Jim Michalczik soon to see if Cal is thinking about recruiting him for offense as well. The San Jose prospect believes Oregon State likes him as an offensive tackle.
"Cal has really stepped up," Villanueva said. "Before, Cal hadn't been showing much interest but now I've been visiting and things are going well.
"I was also supposed to talk to their offensive line coach. He told me to give him a call but I haven't done it yet. They're recruiting me as a d-end right now and coach Lupoi is the one in charge of the whole recruiting process."
A Cal offer would be huge. Villanueva, who will attend the Palo Alto NIKE Camp next weekend, said at the recent Asante Trenchmen Academy that the Golden Bears were a favorite and that his family really likes that program.
"My family loves Cal," he said. "All my family members know the history of Cal and they're well-known around the Bay area. They love the facilities there, too."