Rettig ready to emerge

San Clemente, Calif., quarterback Chase Rettig was one of a handful of quarterbacks that had really good showings at last week's Elite 11 Regional in Berkeley. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder impressed Rivals.com analysts with his ability to sling the ball all over the field.

"With the shortage of top flight pro-style quarterbacks someone will take a chance on this flamethrower and try to harness his power," Rivals.com analyst Barry Every said. "He was probably the hardest thrower at this Elite 11 event."

And improving his velocity is one thing he's been working really hard at to improve his game. It's not the only thing, though.

"I've definitely hit the weight room," he said. "I've gained some weight and gotten a bit stronger. I've been doing a lot of speed and agility stuff to enhance my footwork, and just a bunch of stuff to make me a better quarterback overall.

"The Elite 11 was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it. I got to see some friends at the camp and overall it was just a good time. I think I did a pretty good job of showing what I have to offer, and I was pretty pleased. I got some good feedback. I thought I threw pretty well, but there were a lot of strong arms there."

With the quarterback crop down this season, Rettig could find himself in heavy demand as the recruiting season progresses. At this point, he's still searching for his first scholarship offer, but the schools are definitely showing a lot of interest.

"I don't have any offers, but I think some stuff might be coming in," he said. "I've been talking to USC, Arizona State, Tennessee and Boston College. UCLA's in the mix, and so are Arizona and a couple other schools in the Pac-10. I don't know who will offer, but a lot of them have real interest. I think they're just waiting for an opportunity to see me again before they make any decisions.

"I've been talking to all of them equally. I just want to learn as much as I can about each school that's interested in me."

A lot of schools have been visiting San Clemente High to learn more information about him.

"Notre Dame came to my school, Arizona State came to my school, Cal came, USC came, Boise State, Idaho, both Utah schools," Rettig said. "I've stayed in touch with a bunch of coaches recently, and I'm trying to get to know them and they're getting to know me. I don't have any favorites, really. I'm just trying to find the best opportunity to play and a coach I can connect with well."

To help get his name out even more, Rettig plans on staying busy this summer.

"I'm doing a bunch of university camps," he said. "At the beginning of the month I'm going to Tennessee for their camp, and then I'm going to UCLA and Cal right after each other. And then I'm going to Arizona State's and Notre Dame's. I'm going to try to get to as many as I can."

Rettig does have a few things he will be looking for in the perfect school.

"Somewhere where I feel comfortable and somewhere that will give me the opportunity to play will be important," he said. "I have to like the coaches, and I want a place with great academics. I'm just going to be patient and I'm sure something will come. When they do I'll start thinking about which schools I like.

"I'm graduating early, so I'll have one less semester to think about it. It'll probably happen before or during the season. I think it's really important for a quarterback that wants to go to a college with maybe a senior quarterback or somewhere the position is open. It gives me a good opportunity to go into a program however many months early and get into spring ball, which is a chance to show what I can do. I think graduating early is a great opportunity to give myself a chance to play early."