Ward staying home for college
Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic wide receiver Chad Ward sat down and spoke with his high school coach for 30 minutes on Friday. After that conversation, the 6-foot-3, 183-pound wideout decided it was time to go ahead and make a decision. On Saturday, during a local media day, Ward shared the news.
"I decided I am going to FAU," Ward said. "When I talked with my head coach and my receiver coach, we just felt it was time for me to decide. I made it official today. It is just the best opportunity for me."
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Ward made sure to contact Howard Schnellenberger's staff and inform them of his intentions.
"When I got home, I called Coach (Jared) Allen and told him," Ward said. "I was really excited. He said he was happy to have me as part of the FAU family. He told me he will hopefully see me soon."
The two-star wide receiver talked about a few of the reasons why he decided to play his college football in the Sunshine State.
"It is like 10 miles from my house, right down the road, so I will be around my family and friends," Ward said. "They are also about to have a new stadium, so I will love to play in that. They also have a great education program, so I would love to further my education at FAU."
This past week, it became known that Howard Schnellenberger intends to step down as head coach of FAU following the 2011 season. His departure isn't a concern to Ward, who said he has heard some speculation on his possible replacement.
"I know the head coach is stepping down, but they are looking for a new coach and I think one of the candidates is Mike Leach," Ward said. "I think they are going to get a good coach no matter what."
At the time of his decision, Ward chose FAU over an offer from Bryant.