Lauren RabainoRich Ellerson didn’t want to single anyone out. The Cal Poly head football coach hesitated, shifted his weight and tried to pick his words carefully. But in the end, he couldn’t resist voicing the obvious: Quentin Greenlaw stands out.
“As heavily recruited as Quentin was, that meant a lot to us,” said Ellerson, asked if any one or two of the 16 signings the program announced Wednesday were particularly sought after. “He’s capable of doing some spectacular things.”
Greenlaw, from Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, was the 89th-ranked outside linebacker prospect in the country by ESPN’s College Football Recruiting Tracker.
He reportedly drew interest from Pac-10 schools including Oregon, Washington and Washington State, and took a visit to Mississippi of the SEC. Other Football Bowl Subdivision suitors, according to various recruiting Web sites, included Air Force, Fresno State, San Jose State and Nevada.
Even USC, whose training camp Greenlaw attended last year, inquired.
Ultimately, though, Greenlaw simply liked Cal Poly the most, he says.
“I like the players and coaches a lot, and the academics the school has,” he said. “And I thought I’d bond better with people there than at other schools I visited.”
The Mustangs coaching staff couldn’t seem happier to share his sentiments.
“Everything said he belonged here, yet you were hoping that message would come across that this would feel more like home than some of those other programs,” Ellerson said. “This was the right fit.”
In his final two prep seasons, the 6-foot, 205-pound Greenlaw made a combined 168 tackles and six sacks. During his senior campaign, his offensive role increased, as he compiled 35 carries for 182 yards and two touchdowns en route to an All-Ventura County First Team selection.
Although a two-way player at the prep level, Greenway says he’ll likely be mostly a linebacker at Cal Poly, due to his own inclination and the coaching staff’s initial projections.
“I like defense a lot more than offense,” he says.
Rio Mesa head coach Bob Gregorchuk also said Greenlaw figures to be more of a natural fit defensively.
“I’d say he’ll be more of a defensive player,” Gregorchuk said, adding that the “extremely, extremely fast” Greenlaw “can go from standing still to full speed in one step.”
Even though he’ll probably focus primarily on defense, Greenlaw says his background as a running back will only add to the breadth of his understanding of the game.
“It gives me a good point of view of what the running backs will be thinking without going against them in practice,” Greenlaw said.
Ellerson agreed, and pointed out it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that he’ll see some time at B-back offensively, although he’ll probably fit best as a rover or mike linebacker.
Versatility aside, Greenlaw’s most alluring attribute may be his speed. In April 2007 he was part of a Rio Mesa 4×100-meter relay team that finished second in the state at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays with a time of 41.96 seconds. Also last year, Greenlaw was clocked in the 200 meters at 21.9.
“If it turns into a race for the sideline, he’ll win it,” Ellerson said.
For now, Greenlaw is looking forward to the upcoming track season before he heads to Cal Poly.
“He’s kind of a quiet kid,” Gregorchuk said. “He came back from Cal Poly more excited than I’d seen him. It should be a great fit for him.”