Super Soph QB sees offers rise to 10

Although just a sophomore, there is no doubt one of the elite quarterbacks in the entire West region is Issaquah (Wash.) Skyline signal caller Jake Heaps. The May evaluation period just ended and the talented signal caller closed the month strong picking up his 10th scholarship offer.

Heaps, 6-2, 180 pounds not only put up big numbers as a sophomore, but led his team to an undefeated season and a state championship. The signal caller completed 202-336 passes for 3,095 yards and 31 touchdowns and just seven picks while rushing 95 times for 409 yards and 14 more scores.

He's already a national recruit and someone we would rank as one of the three best quarterbacks in the West region right now. Heaps will likely go down as one of the best signal callers to ever come out of Washington and has every tool you would want in a future quarterback. On top of that, his leadership skills and intangibles are off the charts and he's one of those players teammates will love playing for at the next level.

On the recruiting front, Heaps recently picked up three more offers bringing his total to 10 and fulfilling a goal he set for himself earlier in the year.

"South Carolina, Arizona State and Minnesota were my last offers," Heaps said. "ASU came in last Thursday after they stopped by my school. South Carolina came the next day after they saw my film and then on Saturday, Minnesota came in on the last day of May."

When we joked with Heaps that he was reeling in the offers similar to Matt Barkley at the same stage, the signal caller showed he follows the recruiting process pretty closely.

"Matt had nine offers at the of May of his sophomore season," Heaps said. "So my goal was to have 10 and that's why it was so cool getting that last offer on the last day of the month."

Heaps made the comment without any cockiness at all and is about as grounded as any national level recruit we've talked with. The quarterbacks other offers include BYU, Washington, UCLA, Stanford, Boise State, Oregon State and Washington State. He talked with us about what he's looking for in a school and when he could ultimately pull the trigger.

"This summer I plan to check out a lot of these schools," Heaps said. "I've already been to BYU, Washington and USC. I'm for sure camping with UCLA and I'm also looking at possibly visiting South Carolina, Notre Dame and Clemson.

"I have a lot of things I'm looking for in a school right now. For starters, I want a head coach with high morals, someone who I think will look out for me and my best interest. I want to attend a school with great players around me because you're only as good as the talent around you.

"I'm looking at location- is this a place I could comfortably live in for four or five years. My relationship with the offensive coaches on the staff, can they make me a better player and a better person. Education of course is very important, you can only play football for so long. I want to play where the school has good fan support and where they really get behind their players. At Washington, everyone loves Jake Locker, he's like a hero here but I think that's pretty cool.

"I'll look at depth charts a little too. I know wherever I go, there is going to be good players and I don't mind competing. You just have to make sure it's a situation that's the right fit. I'm real close with my family and it would be great to play close to home but that won't be a huge factor. I mean, if everything is equal between two schools, it could play a role but I'm going to pick the best school for me no matter where it is."

With Heaps saying a coach with high morals was very important to him, we had to ask his thoughts on new Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisal since many in the Seattle area still harbor some bitterness against the former Husky head coach.

"I actually know Coach Neuheisal well and like him a lot," Heaps said. "I played AAU basketball with his son Jerry and my dad is friends with him. I know a lot is said about him but I think it's really overblown and I know if I went to UCLA, he would look out for me and have my best interest at heart.

"As for when I want to commit, I do want to commit early but I also want to see what's out there. It could be as soon as after my junior season this fall but I'm not going to rush in to anything either. I would like to get it out of the way early so I could help recruit and not have it as a distraction but like I said, I want to make sure I find the right fit for me and until I do, I'm going to stay open."

We'll have a chance to see Heaps in action this weekend at the NIKE Camp in Oregon.