As of Sunday evening, there is no word from Mahtomedi, MN on
the imminent commit status of highly touted fullback Jerod Arlich, and you probably should not expect anything until Monday
or Tuesday. The Minnesota man had a late flight tonight to take
him back to his blustery home from his Stanford official visit,
and that gives us some time to kill.
Arlich did speak with The Bootleg shortly before
leaving for his fifth and final visit and shared a little
perspective on his latest recruiting news.
The first order of business for his Stanford prospects goes
back to the age-old question of his admissions status. You may
remember our update on Arlich in December which detailed the
teacher recomendation fiasco, by which he was forced to find a
quick replacement recommendation. The admissions circus did not
stop there, however, as his teacher sent that recommendation to
the wrong address at Stanford. The delay in arrival pushed back
any final word on his acceptance status, which put him on a plane
Thursday not knowing for sure if his last visit was a bonafide
option for him.
However, word from recruits on Friday was that Arlich was
given a positive admissions answer and was excited. I don't have
reason to disbelieve that report, though I will confirm it the
first chance I can speak with the fullback recruit upon his
return.
Though the official visit was to kick off on Friday, Arlich
and his family (parents and brother) headed out West a day early
to take in some of the surrounding sights.
"My brother and I have never been to California,"
the 6'4" recruit explains. "Sometimes these official
visits don't show you the area around the school. Everything is
so structured, with a time and place for you to always be. We'd
like to see San Jose, San Francisco and maybe even get out to the
coast. I haven't ever seen the Pacific Ocean before."
Arlich also adds that he was looking forward to a climate
upgrade from what he has been enduring at home in Minnesota. He
reported that the temperature was 30-below with the windchill
this week, and 15-below on good days. Though the 65-and-sunny
days were probably a welcome relief, weather was not at the top
of this recruit's examination priority list.
"This visit is really how I am going to learn about
Stanford," he begins. "Of course I want to get to know
the players, and how I get along with the coaches - especially my
position coach. I'll consider the area around the school and the
campus itself. There just isn't one thing that will make this
decision for me, or even a handful of things. It's going to be a
thousand things all together that just make this a gut
decision."
Arlich said Wednesday that he and his family would talk about
his top three schools during the plane ride home, not wasting any
time. Minnesota is the pick of prevailing logic, given the
in-state pressure he has received as well as the chance for him
to stay near his close family. But Colorado gave a very good
visit in the fall and are every bit the threat.
"Stanford is either going to be hit or miss," the
Mahtomedi senior says. "I should know that by the time I get
the plane, and I'll probably have my decision by the time I get
home. I'll sleep on it that night to make sure it still feels
good, then I'll call the coaches of the two schools I'm turning
down. The last thing I'll do is call my commitment school."
A public announcement from Arlich may not come until Tuesday,
but we promise to keep the closest tabs on this fantastic
fullback recruit and bring you the very latest breaking news
these next 48 hours.
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