Preston happy with decision
Conner Preston felt comfortable with SMU from early on, he loved coach June Jones, his offensive system and everything about the campus on two visits.
So the Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra decided to commit Tuesday, not to drag out the recruiting process any longer. Preston found exactly what he wanted with SMU and is excited to be part of its 2011 recruiting class.
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Jones, regarded as a top offensive mind in college football, was a big reason why Preston wants to play there.
"First and foremost I think it's an honor to play for June Jones," Preston said. "He's a quarterback guru, I feel very comfortable being under his tutelage for four years and he was really the main reason why I chose SMU.
"Then you move down the list to offensive-wise it was a complete fit, I really liked the school education-wise and I have family in Dallas. All the boxes that needed to be checked really got checked off."
Preston, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound recruit, was one of the better quarterbacks at the recent Los Angeles NIKE Camp.
He completed about 70 percent of his passes and had about 3,500 passing yards with 44 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, oftentimes things being easy with Robert Woods and George Farmer at wide receiver.
Army, Colorado, Ohio, San Jose State and Tulsa had also offered Preston but he said from Day 1 that SMU was where he felt most comfortable, playing for Jones played a big role in his decision and he just felt like SMU was the place for him.
"I'm a big believer you have to give love where you get love," Preston said. "There are a lot of schools coming out and just because you committed doesn't mean schools will stop recruiting you but I really feel most comfortable with the SMU coaches. I talk to them the most.
"When I got there on campus both times I felt very relaxed and it felt like home. I wanted to go to SMU from the get-go so it was important for me to tell the SMU coaching staff it was as important for me to go there as it was for them to offer me early on."