Interview: California Colleges are giving 2018 WR Isac Velasquez the VIP Recruiting Treatment

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

The recruiting process is a game that is one part identifying next level talent that fits a given scheme, one part building a relationship with said talent, and the final part of convincing said talent to sign a letter of intent. Within the game is strategy by different programs on when to offer and when not to offer a recruit. Keeping cards close to the chest can keep a recruit on the market longer but while privately recruiting said player in earnest because once the first Division-I offer drops, many others are soon to follow creating a proverbial feeding frenzy over a player. Class of 2018 receiver Isac Velasquez, for now, is caught in that strategy but teams are already treating him like a top target on their recruiting board.

Velasquez tore it up during his junior season with Alta Loma High School averaging 20 yards per reception hauling in just 50 passes for 998 yards with 11 trips to the end zone. He also carried the pigskin 17 times for 229 yards with another score and took back five punts for 88 yards. During the off-season, Velasquez transferred from Alta Loma to Diamond Ranch where expectations are even higher for Velasquez. The Panthers ended the 2016 season 5-6 and lost leading receiver Trey Green (43/826/7) due to graduation leaving Velasquez once again a great opportunity to carry a receiver corps on his capable shoulders.

The off-season has been a busy one for Velasquez complete with a top exposure camp, unofficial visits, and college camps. Looking to add to his already established college interest from San Diego State, Cal, Utah, Army, San Jose State, Princeton, Southern Utah, Nevada, Fresno State, USC, and Colorado, Velasquez has met the call showcasing his skills running a 4.49 on Feb. 8 and a 4.45 on March 15. The 5-9, 171 pound, receiver left a trail of churned up turf at the Oakland Nike Opening Regional burning top west coast defenders rep after rep. Unofficial visits during the spring to USC, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Cal have been augmented with successful visits to San Jose State, UC Davis, and Sacramento State with upcoming visits planned to Arizona State, Nevada, and Arizona.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I might be the only person to slow Velasquez down this off-season getting enough time in to cover his camps, visits, and recruiting process.

Interview

Isac, how are your off-season workouts going?

“They are going pretty good. Coach Martinez is conditioning us a lot. He does not want us to lose in the fourth quarter. The entire team is working hard in the weight room. As a team, we are working on more chemistry getting a feel for how we will play together this season.”

Did any colleges come out to Diamond Ranch this spring to watch practice?

“We had 41 colleges come by the school. Azusa Pacific (APU) and Oregon State are the ones that were showing the most interest in me at that time that came by Diamond Ranch (in April).”

Did you get any feedback from either one of those schools?

“APU wants me to go to one of their camps on June 4. Both want to keep in touch.”

Which camps have you attended this spring?

“The Oakland Nike Opening Regional, USC Rising Stars camp, and a Washington State camp.”

How did the Washington State camp go?

“Coach (Derek) Sage, their receivers coach, showed me what they do in their drills. That was great. They have high intensity workouts.”

How well did you perform at that camp?

“I did pretty good. I was second in the fastest man challenge at the end of the camp.”

Congrats.

“Thank you.”

Did you get any feedback from the Washington State coaches?

“Coach Sage said he really liked what he saw from me. He asked me to keep in contact with him about my recruiting. He asked me to send my film to him for further evaluation.”

Have you taken any unofficial visits in May or June?

“I went to San Jose State, Sacramento State, and UC Davis.”

How did the San Jose State visit go?

“It was an honor to meet Coach (Brent) Brennan (head coach). I spoke with him for about an hour. He has a good relationship with our coaches. Everything I was told about Coach Brennan before my visit was accurate. His passion for the game was spot on. After visiting with him I can see why the players love him. He is a player’s coach type. The players would go through a wall for him.”

What about UC Davis, how did that go?

“It was pretty good. I got there at 10 in the morning. Coach (Tim) Keane (offensive line coach) showed us around. He is our area recruiter. Coach Keane showed us around the campus on a three-hour visit. The first thing Coach Keane talked about with me was that UC Davis’ engineering program is one of the best in the nation. We went on the field and saw the stadium. The stadium looks like it was just built. The players there that I talked to spoke very highly of the program.”

How did your visit at Sacramento State go?

“Once I got there, Coach (Fred) Kelley, Sac State’s recruiting coordinator, welcomed us with high energy. The tour was about three hours. It was great to see what Sac State had to offer their student/athletes. Coach Kelley showed us around the campus and talked to us about the time spent at Sac State as a student/athlete. They had my jersey laid out for me, that made me feel welcomed. Towards the end of the tour, their receivers coach, Coach (Jason) Pollak spent an hour talking to me about their philosophy.”

Over the weekend you competed at USC’s Rising Stars camp, how did that go?

“It was a really good camp. All the coaches were high in energy. There were over 900 players there. I had to fight for every rep. It was great because I got exposure to over 40 colleges.”

If you will, tell me a little bit about how you performed at that camp.

“I did well. I did well on individual drills. I went through bag drills fluidly. I ran good routes, had good hands, got off the jam, caught in traffic, and did well in 7v7 with good routes. I was finishing the plays.”

Did you get any feedback from schools there?

“Nevada was very high on me. They liked what they saw. Their coach wants me to keep in touch. They want me to attend their camp this month. Occidental College came up to me afterwards. They wanted more information on me. They want to keep in touch because they liked what he saw.”

What other college camps have you scheduled so far?

“Arizona at Redlands, Sac State on Saturday, San Jose State on Sunday, and a Dixie State camp on Tuesday. On June 23, I might go to a UCLA camp.”

Do you have any upcoming visits planned?

“Arizona, ASU, Nevada, and I am going to Cal-Berkeley.”

How did your school year wrap up in the classroom?

“I have a 3.6 GPA.”

Do you have an ACT or SAT score to report?

“No. I just took ACT two weeks ago. My score will come on July 12.”

Last question. Any fun plans this summer outside of football related activities?

“Going to the beach and spending time with family and friends and bonding with my teammates at Diamond Ranch and going to some team BBQs.”

Isac, thanks for your time today. Good luck with all the upcoming camps and visits.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credits: Velasquez family; Isac Velasquez at SJSU with HC Brennan.

Photo credit: Velasquez family; Isac Velasquez at Sacramento State with HC Jody Sears.