Portis names a leader

Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft quarterback Josh Portis has been pretty consistent this year in saying he’s ‘wide open’ and not ready to name any favorites. After taking a series of unofficial visits in the past two weeks, a leader has now emerged.

Portis, 6-3, 185 pounds is one of the top signal callers in the entire West region. He had very impressive showings at both the NorCal Nike Camp and the EA SPORTS Elite 11 workout at Cal the following day and should be mentioned among the top 15-20 quarterbacks in the country.

Scholarship offers have come in from schools all over the country including LSU, Kentucky, Arizona State, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Marshall just to name a few. Portis took unofficial visits to Washington, Oregon and Colorado and now has a solid leader.

“Washington is my top school right now, I really liked it there,” Portis said. “They’re showing me a lot of interest right now and told me I’m the top quarterback on their board. They’re planning to bring in just one quarterback and that’s important to me. I loved the city and the campus and really enjoyed meeting all the coaches and players on the team. Another plus is I want to major in Computer Science and they have an incredible program. Bill Gates has donated a lot of money to them and their computer lab was incredible.

“Oregon was cool too, they have the best facilities I’ve seen and I liked Colorado as well. It’s a nice college town and I got along well with everyone I met. I’m still looking at a few other schools like LSU, Marshall and Kentucky and would like to take a visit there but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. I’m looking to make my decision in late August or early September so I’m not sure I’ll be able to get out there.”

Portis would be an excellent fit if he indeed decides the Huskies are the place for him. His ability to run and throw would give the school the kind of dual threat quarterback they’re hoping to land this year. As a junior, Portis threw for 1,881 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for an additional 245 yards and three more scores.