Fresno State football recruiting: LB Nela Otukolo chooses Bulldogs

Bishop Gorman linebacker Nela Otukolo said he had a "grown man" decision to make after decommiting from UNLV and decided between Fresno State and Boise State.

Less than 24 hours after announcing he was backing out of his verbal commit to play for his former high school coach Tony Sanchez at UNLV, Otukolo chose Fresno State. He was set to become the first Bishop Gorman player to UNLV.

I have officially committed to Fresno State. Thank you all for the love&support! #GoDogs pic.twitter.com/WvE8aj7ooi

— Nela Otukolo™ (@nelala_bdl) February 3, 2015

Otukolo originally committed to UNLV on Jan. 23 because he thought he should stay home and play in front of his hometown, but he felt where he really felt at home was with Tim DeRuyter and the Bulldogs.

"My heart was always with Fresno," he told the Las Vegas Sun. "But I felt like I would be letting a lot of people down if I didn't go to UNLV."

The three-star linebacker, and Nevada state defensive player of the year, found it tough to tell his high school he would not play for him at UNLV.

"It was very difficult," he messaged the Las Vegas Sun. "I respect Sanchez a lot. I'm grateful for all that he has ever done for me."

This is a big get for Fresno State and a big blow for UNLV who was hoping to start a pipeline from local Bishop Gorman. Now, the Bulldogs landed a player from one of the top high schools in the country and perhaps it will be Fresno State who starts to build a pipeline to Bishop Gorman.