So many letters, so little time.
The letters just keep arriving at Heritage senior Garrett Grayson’s home. A quarterback with a strong arm, a solid build, and fast feet receives plenty of attention from college programs from all over the country.
The easiest way for those programs to let Grayson know that he is on their radar screen is a quick note in the mail. Usually, that’s all it is, a note to say hello, for the college coaches to say they are watching, to wish him good luck.
Because Grayson is so good at what he does, he gets a lot of those letters. And he does not always open them in a timely manner.
A couple weeks ago, Grayson spotted an envelope that had not been opened. It was postmarked in July. Turned out, it was not just a “how-ya-doin?” letter. It was a scholarship offer from Idaho State.
“I’ve never talked to them,” Grayson said, incredulously.
His coach at Heritage, Nate Becksted, couldn’t believe it, either. Most scholarship offers are via phone conversations or home visits or campus visits. But a letter? Without any other contact? Crazy.
“They never called. They never followed up,” Becksted said.
Just part of the interesting life Grayson is living right now as he tries to make a decision on his football and academic future.
So far, Grayson has offers from Colorado State, Miami of Ohio, Eastern Washington and, oh yeah, Idaho State.
The Colorado State one is intriguing because coaches there have asked that he graduate early from Heritage, then enroll at CSU in time for spring drills. That way, he could compete for playing time right away.
Grayson said his father, Brad, likes that idea, but his mother, Jody, is against it.
“He wants me to play as early as I can. He wants what’s best for me, and he thinks that’s it,” Garrett said. “She’s not wanting me to miss out on my senior year and my time with my friends.”
Good points, both of them. Grayson said he is leaning toward taking his mom’s advice.
But he is leaving all his options open.
Becksted has heard from Nebraska, Texas Christian, Colorado, and North Carolina in recent days.
Louisville was high on Grayson, although that program is now going through a coaching change. Tennessee has shown interest. Yes, there are some Pac-10 schools considering Grayson, too.
Grayson said he expected to be further along in this process by now. He didn’t get his first official offer until October, if you don’t count the odd offer from Idaho State.
“Just knowing I can go somewhere and play, that took a lot of pressure off,” Grayson said.
The others came in the next few weeks, and now we are in the second phase of recruiting.
The regular season just ended, and in the next week or two, programs start sending out assistant coaches to go on recruiting visits.
These take place before the holidays, before the teams get back into a regular routine for the bowl games.
“We’ll get a swarm of these guys in here the next few weeks,” Becksted said.
Grayson and Becksted believe more offers are on the way. Signing day is in February, and Becksted has advised Grayson to take his time, to make sure he has all the information he can before making a decision.
Heritage’s football season ended in early November, in the state preliminary round.
“It was difficult, knowing my high school football career was over. I didn’t know how to take it,” said Grayson, who was voted the co-offensive player of the year in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League. “That first week of not practicing football was hard.”
He has kept himself plenty busy, though. He plays basketball for the Timberwolves, and he expects to compete in track and field in the spring.
And he keeps opening letters.
You never know what’s going to be in those envelopes.
Paul Valencia covers high school sports for The Columbian. He can be reaced at 360-735-4557 or e-mail at paul.valencia@columbian.com.
