Etiwanda High School receiver Bobby Ratliff verbally committed to Washington State Tuesday night, according to Etiwanda head coach Steve Bryce. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver also had scholarship offers from Fresno State, Nevada and New Mexico.
Oregon and UCLA showed interest, the Bruins going so far as to invite Ratliff for an official visit, but the senior opted for the school that had been pursuing him for more than a calendar year.
“UCLA was one he was really interested in,” Bryce said. “But he didn’t want to wait after he talked with his dad and myself and we told him these other teams haven’t offered you because they’ve got their ‘A’ list and their ‘B’ list and they’re waiting to see what’s going to happen with their ‘A’ list.”
Bryce first turned Washington State onto Ratliff when it was recruiting former Etiwanda and current Cal receiver Marvin Jones two years ago. WSU has been in heavy persuit since before Ratliff’s junior season (45 receptions, 617 yards, 5 TDs) until he broke Jones’ single-game school record five days ago with 14 catches for 147 yards.
“He visited (Washington State) two weeks ago,” Bryce said. “And it looks like he’ll have an opportunity to play there pretty early.”
