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Four-star quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels visited Boise State this past week and the visit was better than expected and he called the experience "eye-opening."Carta-Samuels was committed to Vanderbilt but that changed when James Franklin left to become the head coach at Penn State.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback out of San Jose (Calif.) Bellarmine Prep is expected to make his decision next week, and it will be between Boise State, Washington and Vanderbilt. If Boise State can snag Carta-Samuels then he will be the second four-star recruit of the class along side Texas defensive back Dylan Sumner-Gardner.
Carta-Samuels' view of Boise State really changed after his visit over the past two days, and the Idaho Press Tribune's B.J. Rains was able to get the first details on his visit to Boise State. In a nutshell, Boise State hit a home run on this visit:
"It was awesome. It was eye-opening a little bit. I got to see the stadium, I got to see the facilities, I got to meet the coaches, got to hang out with the players for a little while. It was a good experience.
"It was more than I thought it was going to be. The coaches were really cool. I loved them. The stadium and the field has a different atmosphere with that blue turf. It's pretty sweet. The facilities are top notch, the weight room and everything and the players were pretty cool."
Carta-Samuels also mentioned in the Q&A that outside of Washington's stadium being larger that the facilities between each school were very similar.
Here is what he said about comparing Boise State and Washington:
"It was different man. That's the biggest thing, just the difference between the two. For one you have Washington which is like a really populated area. They were hosting the Seahawks game and that's all close to the university and then you have Boise State, where they are the talk of the town and the focus of the town and on their own a little bit. It was cool to see the difference between the two. They both have the same weather a little bit, the facilities were awesome at both. Obviously the stadium at Washington seats a few more, but they are both pretty sweet. The coaching staffs are really different but really cool in the same point. They have a different vibe but they both come off as good and unique."
During the visit Boise State coaches made a big deal about how they want to build their program around the quarterback position, and the staff wants the next quarterback they bring in to be able to start within the first or second year.
While Carta-Samuels is still considering Vanderbilt, it seems that the front runners are Boise State and Washington. He did mention he is not going to visit Penn State, and that he may or may not take another visit to Vanderbilt. One thing going against Boise State is that Carta-Samuels' parents were not with him for the Boise State visit, and that could be a factor since at this age parents are still very influential.
Both Washington and Boise State are planning in-home visits with him over the next few days, and Boise State is making the big push by sending head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford; Washington is sending their offensive coordinator -- and former Boise State quarterbacks coach -- Jonathan Smith.
For those unfamiliar with Carta-Samuels here are some interviews with him from the summer, and highlights.
