Beavs receive commitment from JUCO DE

Oregon State has been actively recruiting junior college defensive linemen and received a verbal commitment from Glendale (Ariz.) defensive end Rusty Fernando who was on hand to watch the Beavers beat USC this weekend. BeaverBlitz spoke to Fernando about his commitment and what he thought of the experience.

"The trip was great," Fernando said. "It was just really nice and I liked the area. I saw what I needed to see and it was enough for me to know that I wanted to play at Oregon State."

While he loved the visit, Fernando did say that the cold was going to take a little getting used to.

"It was cold," he laughed when talking about the game. "When I was leaving today it actually started snowing. I'm not worried about it though, when I moved to Arizona from California I had to adjust to the heat."

Fernando said that the family atmosphere of the program stood out to him on his visit.

"It is just the way that the program is run," he said. "From Coach Riley down through the staff and all the way to the walk-ons, they are just a big family. Michael Bibbee was my host and he showed me around the school, showed me the dorms and I had the chance to meet James and Jacquizz Rodgers and talk with Stephen (Paea)."

"The game was amazing," he continued. "I actually knew they were going to win during pregame warm-ups since they were so focused and ready to go. The crowd was crazy. We sat in the student section and everyone was in orange…even some guys in orange jumpsuits."

Coach Cavanaugh led the recruitment of Fernando who will be a December qualifier and will join the Beavers in January.

"Coach Cavanaugh is such a funny guy," he said. "Right now they are talking about me being an athlete and either playing defensive end or linebacker. Coach Cavanaugh told me that I need to gain some weight because I am going to play end."

"My family is pretty excited and I just look forward to helping the team make it to a bowl game and have the chance to learn and play for good coaches," he added.

With eight offers to his credit including the latest from Hawai'i, Fernando said that he is solid with Oregon State and is excited to join his team next term.