Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine East senior three star ranked offensive tackle recruit Yaser Al-Awadi (6-foot-8, 295 pounds) took an official visit to Western Illinois University in Macomb and came back from his official visit committed to the Leathernecks and new head coach Myers Hendrickson. Al Awadi discusses his college decision in this recruiting update.
"I made an official visit to WIU with my Dad over the weekend and it went really well," Al-Awadi said. "WIU has new coaches and they are excited to build the football program back up and I couldn't pass up the scholarship and the opportunity for me at WIU. I decided on the drive home that I was ready to end my recruiting and I called up the WIU coaches and told them I was committing."
So why WIU for Al Awadi?
"I just was able to see everything at WIU and I was also able to get to know the coaches and they really made me feel welcomed. WIU has a history of winning football and they have been down the last few years, so it's a chance to help the program get back to winning. The facilities at WIU are decent and they also offer a good education. It was just myself and one other kid making the official visit last weekend so we had a lot of personal time with the coaches at WIU. I feel that I can trust the WIU coaches and that I can come in and keep working hard and get my game to where I feel I can take it. I still have a lot of work to do on my game but I'm still working hard and excited to play at the high college level."
Al Awadi had some additional offers and opportunities but the offer and visit with WIU sold him on his decision.
"I had some different offers and options. I was looking hard at going to Iowa Western and trying to go the Juco route even though I'm a full academic qualifier. After the visit on the way home from WIU I talked things over with my Dad and he agreed that WIU was a great place for me, so I called up the WIU coaches from the car and committed on the way home. My Dad is really happy for me. He came to this country as a refugee and didn't know anything about football and now his son will be going to college, getting an education and will now be playing football in college."
Does Al Awadi have a college major in mind?
"I'm planning to major in Business. I'm looking hard at going into Marketing and I know that WIU has a very strong business program."
Yaser Al-Awadi is verbally committed to Western Illinois University. .
