Hughes-Murray disappointed
Andrzej Hughes-Murray is disappointed that Oregon State won't have Ilaisa Tuiaki and Kalani Sitake when he's in Corvallis but he's not distraught enough to prompt another look at the recruiting process.
Hughes-Murray hasn't signed his letter of intent but he appears prepared to do that at first opportunity when February rolls around.
"I spoke to Coach Tuiaki and he told me he was leaving to go be the defensive coordinator at BYU along with Coach Sitake," the 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker from Federal Way, Wash., said this week.
"Is it disappointing to me? Yes," he admitted. "But I'm not going to hold any grudges against the coaches. They've got to feed their families and provide them with the best opportunities that they can. I completely understand their decision. Being human, we all want to stick with the peopele we develop relationships with. But at the end of the day we have to realize that other people have needs, too. So they have to do what's best for them."
The three-star prospect, ranked the No. 13 senior in Washington by Rivals.com, told BeaverBlitz.com that Sitake and Tuiaki said they would be unable to recruit him to BYU because their class with the Cougars was already taking shape.
Either way, Hughes-Murray says he's still happy to be a Beaver.
"I'm definitely committed," he said. "I'm pretty committed. From speaking with Coach Woods and Coach Andersen, I'm solid. Coach Andersen really is the biggest reason I'm going to Oregon State, just because of how great of a coach he is and what he can do for our future. It's not necessarily the now. The future is just bright for Oregon State."
Hughes-Murray acknowledged that Tuiaki was the coach he was "by far" the closest with on the Oregon State staff. It was Tuiaki who first spoke with Hughes-Murray back in June. From there the relationship blossomed and continued to grow stronger.
"He promised me he was going to get me a scholarship to Oregon State even though they were very tight with scholarships," Hughes-Murray said. "So we developed a very tight bond. It's very disappointing to me that he's leaving. Coach Sitake was telling me how he'd use me in different schemes, this and that, and how I was going to be a big part of the defense. Now that they won't be there it's tough, but I'm still excited about Oregon State."