Hey everyone,
Ryan Snyder. I cover Penn State and Maryland for Rivals.com. I've posted on this board a few times in the past.
I had a long talk with Michael Ferns this morning, Brendan Ferns' father.
Here's the lowdown...
The family spent the past three weeks meeting with the Ohio State staff and academic advisors. Brendan has been adamant that he wants to study petroleum engineering and Ohio State just doesn't offer that. There are rumors that the OSU staff gave him an ultimatum after picking up a commitment from Tuf Borland, but that's not true. In fact, according to Mr. Ferns, they'll still take Brendan at any time throughout the process if he changes his mind. Brendan grew up an Ohio State fan, so that is something to watch, but at the end of the day, his major appears to be the most important thing.
This puts Penn State and West Virginia in an excellent position. As of now, PSU is the only school that he's met with in regards to this specific major. That happened back on March 28.
At one point, Oklahoma was another major contender. They also offer this major, but their linebacker coach left a few months back and the interest has cooled. If he does visit any school outside of the region, LSU probably has the best chance. They have an excellent petroleum engineering program and, obviously, an elite football program. That said, I get the vibe that Brendan doesn't want to go that far away from home.
That leaves West Virginia and PSU. As of now, he's yet to meet with the engineering advisors in Morgantown, but that will likely happen sometime this summer. Having his brother on the roster will definitely help, but his father has made it clear for more than a year now that Brendan is going to do his own thing. I'm very close with the Ferns family. I've known them since Michael's recruitment, so I believe his father when he says that Michael won't really impact Brendan's recruitment.
I'm also expecting the family to come back to Penn State in June. They'd like for it to be in the first two weeks, but it could come later. His mother is yet to visit Penn State, so that's the main reason they'll be returning.
If I had to pick a school today, it would be Penn State, but that's not because I'm a homer. haha. That's simply because he's yet to meet with the West Virginia engineering advisors. That will also likely happen sometime this summer, probably in June, so I'll be keeping a close eye on that. That visit will be crucial.
Outside of that, he's in no rush to make a commitment, so official visits are definitely possible. But again, I do get the vibe that he'd prefer to stay within driving distance. If that's the case, this will likely come down to PSU and West Virginia and there may not be much more he can learn on an official visit, so I wouldn't be shocked if he made a move late in the summer.
Out of everyone at Rivals, I probably have the closest relationship with the Ferns family, so I'll do my best to keep you all informed as best as I can throughout the summer. Again, I slightly lean towards Penn State, as of now, but that's simply because he's yet to learn much about West Virginia's petroleum engineering program. Once he's able to meet with them, that will allow the family to begin weighing the pros and cons of each school.
I hope that helps you guys out. Take care everyone. BTW, my sister is graduating from WVU next week and I actually grew up a West Virginia fan, so I'm far from a homer. A lot of people at Rivals do tend to lean towards the school they cover, but I'm far from that. Everything I posted above is my true opinion on where things currently stand.
Ryan Snyder. I cover Penn State and Maryland for Rivals.com. I've posted on this board a few times in the past.
I had a long talk with Michael Ferns this morning, Brendan Ferns' father.
Here's the lowdown...
The family spent the past three weeks meeting with the Ohio State staff and academic advisors. Brendan has been adamant that he wants to study petroleum engineering and Ohio State just doesn't offer that. There are rumors that the OSU staff gave him an ultimatum after picking up a commitment from Tuf Borland, but that's not true. In fact, according to Mr. Ferns, they'll still take Brendan at any time throughout the process if he changes his mind. Brendan grew up an Ohio State fan, so that is something to watch, but at the end of the day, his major appears to be the most important thing.
This puts Penn State and West Virginia in an excellent position. As of now, PSU is the only school that he's met with in regards to this specific major. That happened back on March 28.
At one point, Oklahoma was another major contender. They also offer this major, but their linebacker coach left a few months back and the interest has cooled. If he does visit any school outside of the region, LSU probably has the best chance. They have an excellent petroleum engineering program and, obviously, an elite football program. That said, I get the vibe that Brendan doesn't want to go that far away from home.
That leaves West Virginia and PSU. As of now, he's yet to meet with the engineering advisors in Morgantown, but that will likely happen sometime this summer. Having his brother on the roster will definitely help, but his father has made it clear for more than a year now that Brendan is going to do his own thing. I'm very close with the Ferns family. I've known them since Michael's recruitment, so I believe his father when he says that Michael won't really impact Brendan's recruitment.
I'm also expecting the family to come back to Penn State in June. They'd like for it to be in the first two weeks, but it could come later. His mother is yet to visit Penn State, so that's the main reason they'll be returning.
If I had to pick a school today, it would be Penn State, but that's not because I'm a homer. haha. That's simply because he's yet to meet with the West Virginia engineering advisors. That will also likely happen sometime this summer, probably in June, so I'll be keeping a close eye on that. That visit will be crucial.
Outside of that, he's in no rush to make a commitment, so official visits are definitely possible. But again, I do get the vibe that he'd prefer to stay within driving distance. If that's the case, this will likely come down to PSU and West Virginia and there may not be much more he can learn on an official visit, so I wouldn't be shocked if he made a move late in the summer.
Out of everyone at Rivals, I probably have the closest relationship with the Ferns family, so I'll do my best to keep you all informed as best as I can throughout the summer. Again, I slightly lean towards Penn State, as of now, but that's simply because he's yet to learn much about West Virginia's petroleum engineering program. Once he's able to meet with them, that will allow the family to begin weighing the pros and cons of each school.
I hope that helps you guys out. Take care everyone. BTW, my sister is graduating from WVU next week and I actually grew up a West Virginia fan, so I'm far from a homer. A lot of people at Rivals do tend to lean towards the school they cover, but I'm far from that. Everything I posted above is my true opinion on where things currently stand.
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