Umeh talks switch to Arizona
Klein (Texas) Forest four-star defensive end McCollins Umeh switched his commitment from Kansas State to Arizona, after the Eagles’ head coach Gene Johnson was named to the Wildcats’ coaching staff.
“I have committed to Arizona,” Umeh said Tuesday. “Coach Johnson going to Arizona played a big role in me going there, but there were other reasons.
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“The campus was the most beautiful place I’ve seen. The coaches were very nice and treated me well, and they see me playing defensive end as a true freshman,” he said.
Left holding the bag is Kansas State, where Umeh committed to over the holidays after visiting Manhattan, Kan.
“It know they didn’t like it, but these are my four years,” he said. “I went ahead and called them, apologized and thanked them for everything. Colleges do it all the time, so it was no problem to change my mind.”
Umeh (6-3, 245-pounds) joins teammate Dominic Patrick, who also committed to Arizona after his visit, and may be joined by Eagle wide-out Bobby McCoy.
“Dominic committing was another factor to my decision, and I know Bobby is getting close to a decision. It will be nice to know someone there,” he said. “Arizona is a perfect fit for me and is a program on the way up. I want to be part of that.”
While Johnson joins a credentialed coaching staff, Umeh was most impressed with Arizona head coach Mike Stoops and his defensive philosophy.
“I trust him as a coach,” he said. “What he did at Oklahoma was wonderful and he is building a program that people want to be a part of. What better way to build a defense in the PAC 10 than to bring in a bunch of Texas boys to do it.”