Heritage senior Garrett Grayson, a two-time offensive player of the year and a three-time all-league quarterback from the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League, announced his intentions to sign with Colorado State.
Signing day is Feb. 3.
Grayson, a 6-foot, 2-inch, 195-pound athlete, has a strong arm and was the fastest player on his team this past season.
He also excelled throughout the summer at various elite quarterback camps, drawing the attention of several programs from across the country.
“I’m really happy for him. In the end, things worked out great,” Heritage football coach Nate Becksted said. “That kid has worked so hard to get to where he is. If he works as hard in college as he did in high school at being a good quarterback, he’s going to be a very, very successful college quarterback.”
Grayson was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.
Becksted said Grayson is looking forward to playing in the Mountain West Conference for an offense that is going to be “quarterback-driven.”
Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild was an offensive coordinator in the NFL for five seasons.
Grayson considered graduating early from high school in order to enroll at Colorado State this spring, for a chance to compete for playing time next fall. Becksted said that it would have been too much of a rush job at this point in the recruiting process.
“He could have done it, but it would have been a lot of work, to make that decision really late,” Becksted said. “He just decided it was best to finish his senior year here.”
Heritage has had several players sign with Division I programs in recent years, including Steven Forgette and Ashton Clark going to Eastern Washington last year. Grayson is the biggest recruit in Becksted’s tenure as head coach.
“It’s a fun part of the job,” he said, referring to helping guide a player’s future.
A signing ceremony is being planned at Heritage for Feb. 3.
