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Oregon grabs a superstar line recruit in Armstead!
Update: Armstead has committed to Oregon.
Fax machines will fire on on Wednesday morning for National Signing Day. We'll have all of our predictions out tomorrow on SB Nation College Football Recruiting, but one major recruit is deciding tonight: Arik Armstead. Here's the skinny on Armstead from National Signing Day 2012: Top 25 Uncommitted Football Recruits:
Arik Armstead will announce his college choice Sunday, January 29, at 3:00 PST, according to ESPN's Greg Biggins. Armstead's college announcement will take place at The House Christian Church. One of the top recruits in the country, Armstead is considering Cal, Oregon, Auburn and Notre Dame.
Arik Armstead has been one of the most interesting recruits to follow in this cycle. From his commitment to and subsequent decommitment from USC, to his desire to play with his brother Armond (who is at USC but is looking to transfer because he doesn't like the way USC handled his medical clearance), to his supposed imminent commitment to Cal, to Cal losing the main reason Armstead would choose the Golden Bears (with defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi moving to Washington), to him enrolling at multiple schools (but not attending classes) to speed the process up of setting the schedule at the school he does eventually choose, it's been a wild ride.
For more on Notre Dame recruiting, visit One Foot Down. For more on Cal recruiting, visit California Golden Blogs. For more on Oregon recruiting, visit Addicted To Quack. For more on Auburn recruiting, visit Track Em Tigers.
Arik Armstead has been one of the most interesting recruits to follow in this cycle. From his commitment to and subsequent decommitment from USC, to his desire to play with his brother Armond (who is at USC but is looking to transfer because he doesn't like the way USC handled his medical clearance), to his supposed imminent commitment to Cal, to Cal losing the main reason Armstead would choose the Golden Bears (with defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi moving to Washington), to him enrolling at multiple schools (but not attending classes) to speed the process up of setting the schedule at the school he does eventually chooce, it's been a wild ride.
Earlier in the week, we reported that Armstead's announcement had been delayed indefinitely. Those close to the recruitment, however, believe he will make his decision by the end of the week, as he is an early enrollee and needs to start class.
With Cal thought to be out of the running for Armstead, the question becomes: where will he go? Most believe he will choose Notre Dame or Auburn. Oregon is a long-shot here. Armond visited Notre Dame after taking his January 13th official visit to Auburn.
Many recruiting experts believed that lineman Arik Armstead was primed to commit to the Cal Bears tonight. But then defensive line coach and ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi bolted for a 200-percent raise at Washington. Now everything is up in the air and Armstead appears to be very much undecided.
"ish just got real," Armstead tweeted upon hearing the news.
Premature reports over the weekend had Armstead committing to Cal. Those were false, though Armstead had enrolled at Cal, Auburn and Notre Dame, in an effort to reserve his classes for the Spring semester. It now appears that Armstead will wait until at least late Monday night to make his college choice. Because he is an early-enrollee, he must choose his school very soon. Armstead spoke with the Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson:
Arik Armstead told us just now that "Tosh was a big reason I'd go 2 Cal." Said now "I've got more to think about." May announce tomorrow now.
Perhaps more than any prospective Cal recruit, Armstead is affected by Lupoi's decision because Lupoi would have been Armstead's position coach.
Playing for Pleasant Grove's Elk Grove (Calif.) High School, Armstead has amassed more than 40 college scholarship offers. At 6'7" and 290 pounds, Armstead is a perfect candidate to play on the offensive line. Armstead, however, wants to play defensive end, as he did at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Stick with SB Nation to find out if Armstead chooses Cal, Auburn or Notre Dame!
Following a premature report that Arik Armstead had committed to Cal, many PAC 12 fans are left wondering when he will pull the trigger. Armstead is one of the top lineman recruits in the country. Playing for Pleasant Grove's Elk Grove (Calif.) High School, Armstead has amassed more than 40 college scholarship offers. At 6'7" and 290 pounds, Armstead is a perfect candidate to play on the offensive line. Armstead, however, wants to play defensive end, as he did at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Armstead has enrolled at Cal, Notre Dame and Auburn. Remember, that enrolling in a school does not bind the player to the school. Rather, it is the process of attending a class that is binding. Armstead likely did this in order to reserve his classes, should he choose the school.
Pacific Takes expects an announcement to come soon, and says that Cal and Notre Dame the likely favorites:
Keep in mind Arik does want to play with his brother Armond, who is likely transferring from USC, and Armond has been visiting both ND and Auburn to pursue transfer options to those schools. Cal and Notre Dame are probably the favorites. Expect this to change hourly until a decision is made.
Arik Armstead is one of the top lineman recruits in the country. Playing for Pleasant Grove's Elk Grove (Calif.) High School, Armstead has amassed more than 40 college scholarship offers. At 6'7" and 290 pounds, Armstead is a perfect candidate to play on the offensive line. Armstead, however, wants to play defensive end, as he did at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Today, a report from John Breech indicated that Arik Armstead had enrolled at Cal and would start classes next Tuesday. The report was based on Armstead's name appearing in the Cal student directory.
While it is very likely that Armstead will commit to Cal in the near future, the report appears to be a little early, as Armstead is currently on his official visit to Auburn. Earlier Friday, Armstead, who also plays basketball, tweeted that he was on his way to watch Auburn's basketball practice. It's highly unlikely, though not completely out of the question that he would do so if he was already enrolled at Cal.
It is common for a recruit to be listed in a school's directory without ever enrolling in the school. Frequently, this happens when a school makes a potential schedule for a prospective student athlete.
In any case, it is not the act of enrolling that binds a recruit to a school, but rather the act of attending the first class.
For more on Cal recruiting, visit California Golden Blogs.
Arik Armstead Commits To Oregon Ducks
Arik Armstead, a top rated lineman from Elk Grove (Calif.) Pleasant Grove High School has committed to Oregon. Armstead stands 6'8" and weighs in at 285 pounds. He holds offers from all of the top programs in the country, including Alabama, Cal, Auburn, Notre Dame, USC, Texas and Washington. Armstead is rated five-stars by most of the major recruiting services, and is widely regarded as a top-ten prospect nationally.
Armstead had previously committed to and decommitted from USC. Armstead was reportedly unhappy with USC's handling of his brother, Armond, after the older Armond had suffered an injury playing the the Trojans. Arik would like to play college football with Armond.
At one point, Armstead was thought to be a heavy lean to Cal. But the departure of Cal defensive line coach and ace recrutier Tosh Lupoi to Washington changed things.
He has stated he wants to play defensive line in college, but most informed observers believe offensive line is a far better fit for him, long term. Armstead has great length and an impressive wingspan -- both of which will help him in playing offensive tackle or defensive line at the next level. His skills as an all-area hoops star should also come in handy. Armstead also plans to play hoops in college, as well.
This is an excellent pickup for the Oregon Ducks. Armstead projects as a multi-year starter in the Pac-12 and will enroll at Oregon this March.
For more on the pickup, visit Addicted To Quack.
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Jan 29 6:27p by Bud Elliott - 1 comment