4-Star DE With Unique Tie to Sooners
On Sunday night four-star defensive end Hunter Echols of Los Angeles Cathedral announced that he would be hitting the road hard as his recruiting picks up steam. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound recent UCLA commitment has plans to hit up numerous programs from far away from his West Coast home.
Echols may not have been hearing from Oklahoma for long but a three-headed recruiting approach from the Sooners along with a unique tie to the Sooner State has quickly encouraged him to take a trip to Norman.
“I have been talking to coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and I’ve been talking to coach Chip Viney, and coach Drew Hill,” Echols said. “
“I haven’t set the date (for my visit) but it is going to happen for sure. My mom went to Oklahoma Christian; she wanted to be a little Sooner her whole life. We are for sure going to take visit.
“She loves it out there.”
With his extensive visit list laid out, though he is still working on the dates, he says the goal is to try and start getting a clearer picture about the schools he plans to focus on.
“Well, I’m just trying to see who I’m serious about and try and weed a few schools out; really bump a few schools out and get a look at every school. That way in December I’ll know where I want to go, I’ll learn at these schools but on my officials I’m going to learn even more,” he said.
“I’m just going to see what schools [I like], I want to go somewhere that is fun, energetic, good academics of course and a place I know where I can go and make an immediate impact. Not come hand me a spot but [have the chance to] come in and fight for a starting spot. I don’t want to get to a place and hear ‘our plan for you the whole year is a redshirt’. That’s not what I’m aiming for.
“[When visiting a school] it’s just what comes out of my heart, I’m just going to feel it. When I was at UCLA, I just felt it. Their facilities are getting redone. When I go to Oklahoma for my trip, if I feel that same way, then if that campus is beautiful, maybe. If there are things to do outside of football.”
With all of the trips in the works it would be easy to think that UCLA is upset with his decision to look around following his pledge to the Bruins in early February. However a close relationship with one UCLA staff member and words from head coach Jim Mora Jr. have smoothed any possible tension from the relationship.
“Coach (Eric) Yarber is like my uncle. I also talked to coach Mora, I asked coach if I could take other trips, see other places, see how it is, and see if UCLA isn’t the place for me. Coach Mora is a cool dude, he was saying that if a school can convince me in 48 hours that they are better than UCLA, then maybe that is the place for me.”
For his Oklahoma trip, feeling that he has a strong awareness of the athletics program, Echols will be taking a close look at the academics side of things.
“Now when I take the trip, I know a lot of about the athletics, but not about the academics. I’m majoring in communications and journalism, maybe business,” Echols said.