SoCal LB racks up two offers

Linebacker Andre Ferguson (6-4, 210, 4.6) from Redlands (Calif.) East Valley has received his first two offers and the prevailing wisdom is there will be several more before the spring is over. Ferguson is one of those players who hasn't hit full stride in terms of his football potential. Translation, Ferguson has a high ceiling to tap.

The two offers are very interesting indeed. The two schools are San Diego State and Kansas. Both schools come from the coaching tree started by Bill Snyder at Kansas State that has spawned the programs at Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Arizona.

Kansas head man Mark Mangino was the recruiting coordinator for both Kansas State and Oklahoma until he was named offensive coordinator and assistant he coach for the Sooners before taking on the Kansas job.

Mangino is an excellent talent evaluator so when he offers someone early it would be smart to pay to attention.

Other schools taking a close look at Ferguson are LSU, Illinois, Colorado State ,Nevada, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and UCLA.

"I like San Diego State and their school," Ferguson said. "It seems like they have a very organized program. San Diego State wanted me to go to their spring game but I couldn't make it."

"I haven't heard a lot about Kansas," Ferguson said. "I have a friend (Carl Wilson) who will be going to KU and he tells me it's awesome."

"The recruiting process is going very good and we are happy that Andre is keeping his grades up," Kevin Ferguson, Andre's Dad said. "Andre has worked hard this past year and his hard work is showing in his athletic performance."

While an early commitment is doubtful it hasn't been ruled out.

Ferguson was an all-league selection after racking up 98 tackles, eight sacks, five deflected passes, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

He also gets the job done in the weight room, too. His current bench is 250, he squats an impressive 550 and has recorded a 30-inch vertical.

Ferguson is versatile player who has lined up at defensive end, outside linebacker and middle linebacker during his career. He will probably project as an outside backer on the collegiate level.

The scouting report on Ferguson is he has excellent vision and flies to the football ball.

Ferguson is an outstanding all-around athlete who played basketball as a sophomore but decided to participate in track because the skills he will be learning will help him progress as a football player.