Canadian Club

(This article appeared on www.cougzone.com.)

When he told the other schools offering him scholarships that he was headed to Pullman, new Cougar Tyson Pencer says he meant it. But some of them, apparently, wouldn't take the hint.

"I got the same letters over and over again from Boise State, Colorado, Oregon, and UCLA," Pencer said Saturday. "Oregon didn't start sending me stuff until after I committed. I guess they were hoping I'd change my mind."

Pencer committed to Bill Doba's Cougars way back in the fall, and said that since then, he's never wavered in his decision to play for Washington State. So after nary a second thought since October, was signing day a bit anticlimactic?


"I've been just waiting the last couple months for that day to finally come, and you finally realize, 'I'm signed with them, I'm ready to go,'" Pencer said. "I just gotta finish my grade 12 year, and now I'm breathing a big sigh of relief.

Pencer, a 6-foot-6, 227 lb. DE/TE from Delta Sands Secondary School just 20 miles across the Canadian border in British Columbia, hasn't been told yet where Doba's staff sees him fitting in to the Cougars' future.

"On defense, I love getting to hit people, and getting after the QB, chasing him down, and stuff like that," said Pencer. "But on offense, I like getting to make the big catches, and the big plays. I played RB for 10 years, so I'm used to getting the ball."

Indeed, Pencer was a RB/FB for the first ten years of his football career. When his high school coach realized that his future was at TE, he made the switch, and hasn't looked back.

"I wasn't the one scoring the TD or getting all the yards, but I was still getting the ball."

Pencer, currently at about 235-240 lbs., said that he hopes to arrive in Pullman for camp in the area of 260-265, which would give him the requisite size to compete at DE. He thinks that if he can gain the weight, and maintain his foot speed (4.62 40-yard dash), he can be a force on either side of the ball.

"I feel a little bit of pressure to get down there and represent Canada and people from my area, you know?" Pencer said.

According to Pencer, very few players from his area of Canada have made the transition to American D-I football for as long as he can remember.

Hawaii Prospects Lists Beavers in Top Four

(This article originally appeared on www.beaverblitz.com.)

Oregon State is in the mix for another Hawaii product, and the Beavers should know within a week if they have picked up another prospect from the the Islands.

Solomona Aigamaua (Soh-loh-moh-na Eye-guh-moh-uh) visited Corvallis January 5th, and had good thing to say about the visit, especially his one-on-one meeting with Coach Mike Riley.

"He's a very smart coach, he knows a lot about football," Aigamaua said Wednesday. "He takes care of his players and knows what's going on with all of them, on and off campus."

Aigamaua's impression of Riley currently seems the greatest asset to the Beavers' recruitment of the St. Louis HS (Honolulu) DE. In fact, Aigamaua's description of his perfect school matches his description of Riley almost to a T.

"I'm looking for a good program, a close team, and coaches that know their players and take care of their players."

The Beavers are recruiting Aigamaua as a DE, which also would seem to work in OSU's favor. Aigamaua prefers DE, although some competitors in his recruitment are prodding him to consider a move to OLB.

The final four in the running for Aigamaua's services are Cal, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona. Aigamaua's December 14th visit to Berkeley and recent trip to Corvallis leave Eugene and Tucson on the agenda this week. He will trip to Eugene tomorrow and head off to Tucson next weekend. However, he did reveal he expects to make a decision after his return from Oregon, indicating that Arizona may not be a serious contender.

Stay tuned to BeaverBlitz.com for the latest on Aigamaua and other Oregon State prospects as Letter of Intent signing day is less than three weeks away.

Bolden Looking to Play Early

(This article originally appeared on www.beaverblitz.com.)

Oregon State is still a contender for the services of a 3-star athlete from Ontario (Ca.), and the Beaver staff will have this coming weekend to make their pitch. Omar Bolden, a 5-foot-11, 185 pound running back is being recruited by Oregon State to play CB. Bolden lists UTEP, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona State and USC as his top five choices.

According to Bolden, the opportunity to compete as a freshman without redshirting is by far the top consideration in his decision. While he would prefer to try RB, the recent All-American Bowl competitor really just wants to play.

"All I want is an opportunity to compete," Bolden said Tuesday. "I don't want to redshirt. I want to compete."

Bolden made a visit to UTEP in late 2006, which he enjoyed, as well as one to Pullman and Washington State, which was less successful. The Cougars don't seem to be a serious contender for the services of Bolden, who was a standout in California's Inland Empire league.

Southern Cal will undoubtedly be a major player in Bolden's final decision; the Ontario standout has attended several Trojan football games and lists them as a likely frontrunner. But Bolden did say he is going to head to Los Angeles with fresh eyes, because until he visits, he "won't know if SC is the place for him."

Until then, a trip to Corvallis looms this Saturday. The second biggest factor in Bolden's decision will be the presence of a "big chemistry between coaches, players and staff." Because of a late cancellation to his OSU visit last weekend, Bolden will be forced visit Oregon State, Washington and USC in rapid succession, perhaps all before the end of the month. A decision will emerge, in all likelihood, by the end of January.

Stay tuned to BeaverBlitz.com as we continue to follow Bolden and the rest of the 2007 prospects.

Tupou Weighing His Options

(This article originally appeared on www.beaverblitz.com.)

A standout from last week's Offense-Defense all star game in Florida is weighing offers from Nebraska and Oregon State, and may visit Corvallis in late January.

Christian Tupou, a 6-foot-4, 270 lb. defensive lineman from Sacramento (Calif.) Grant Union HS lists Oregon State as one of his two offers, and will decide whether or not to visit based on a mid-January visit to Cal.

"I'm down to my last free visit, so I need to really spend it well and make sure I'm checking out a good place," Tupou said Tuesday. He visited Nebraska in October.

According to Tupou, he had paid very little attention to Oregon State until the Beavers knocked off mighty Southern Cal, 33-31, in late October.

"I hadn't really heard of them," Tupou said. "But beating SC like that, the way they did, that was big."

Assistant head coach Jay Locey mans the Sacramento area for the Beavers and, as so many recruits often do, he is selling Oregon State as a team on the rise.

"Locey keeps telling me that they're really young," said Tupou, "He says they're coming off a great year, and want me to help them build on it."

The contest for Tupou's services appears down to Nebraska and Oregon State, who have extended offers, and Cal and Arizona State, who have yet to offer but from whom Topou expects an offer soon.

For the rest of this school year, the 270 pound DE, who just happens to be the smallest child in his family, is trying to increase his speed and stay lean. Tupou insists he doesn't have any specific weight loss goals, but is working at maintaining his foot speed and keeping as much muscle in the 270 pounds as possible.

While his college suitors agree that Tupou will get a look first at DT, its playing DE that he thinks gives him the best opportunity to make an impact on the field. During his junior year, while playing at DE, Tupou logged 85 tackles and a whopping 16 sacks. A move to NG this year increased his tackles (105) but limited his ability to rush the passer (6 sacks).

Tupou also boasts a 3.8 GPA and a passion for performing community service.