Cougs climb to top for Canadian DL

TREY HENDERSON added a Washington State offer to his list today, and the Cougs are now the frontrunner for the British Columbia uber-athlete. The 6-3, 264-pound defensive line prospect's main question headed centered on Pullman -- if he would like the college town atmosphere coming from a bigger city like Vancouver. For Henderson, the answer was a resounding, 'Yes'.

"My only thing was I come from a big city so I wasn't too sure about Pullman," said Henderson. "But I really liked it. It's a cool college town. I enjoyed it. I got to hang out with a lot of the guys, and I liked the players and the team. The coaches, they made it fun this weekend. And the campus was really nice, too."

It was like old times this weekend for Henderson, his host was former Vancouver College Prep teammate Cougar Joe Eppele. Both have been nationally recognized in Canada competing in the hammer throw.

"He actually lived with me for a year when he was a senior," said Henderson. "I had a good time hanging out with him and his roommate, Greg Trent the linebacker. The facilities were great, and I really liked my d-tackle coach, coach Walker. All the coaches there were great. It was a really good time."

HENDERSON SPOKE in terms of "we" and "my" when discussing the trip and Washington State, but he hasn't made his decision yet.

"They offered today -- I spent a lot of time with coach Walker and we hung out," said Henderson. "And my coach here (Todd Burnett) played with coach Walker for seven years in the CFL. I really enjoyed spending time with (Walker), and I met his family. I haven't committed yet but I had a great time on the trip. I thought all the coaches were really good guys."

Washington State sees Henderson, who just turned 17, as a likely d-tackle, although he's in Scout's database as a tight end/defensive end.

"I can easily put on the weight. They'll probably beef me up and move me inside but my frame would be able to take a lot of weight and I'd still have the quickness and the speed. So probably d-line."

IN ADDITION TO WSU, Henderson holds offers from Kentucky, Rice, Idaho, Montana and Akron. USC and Washington are also hot on the recruiting trail, the Trojans asked Henderson for tape last week and the Huskies traveled across the border to visit him at his school this past Thursday. An in-home visit with coach Bill Doba and Mike Levenseller is scheduled for before the Holidays.

Recruiting remains fluid for Henderson but he might be ready to make a decision before Christmas, but he also said it could stretch into the New Year -- it all depends.

"I don't have a set date, but a decision (could come) in the next couple of weeks," he said. "Washington State, just coming off a visit, they (lead) but I'm still open. But they're probably at the top...Washington State seems like a really great place to go to college at, with the education there and where you can be a focused athlete."

Trey Henderson

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