Deontay Greenberry choosing UH over Notre Dame helps further prove that the Cougars incredible 2011 season was not a fluke, but just the beginning of UH becoming a nationally recognized program.
Greenberry originally committed to play for the Irish on May 27, 2011 and hoped to join his cousin, Tee Sheperd, on the field.
However, the opportunity to play right away in a major market for an up-and-coming program was too much for Greenberry to resist.
Greenberry’s high school coach at Washington Union (Calif.), Jeff Freitas, said that the choice was easy for the receiver after spending a weekend on campus at UH. He fell in love with the coaching staff, the city and felt comfortable with the offense.
Freitas said that Greenberry made the move because it felt right for him, and that for the first time during the entire recruiting process, he was making decision for himself and not for others.
Neither the coaching staff at UH or at Notre Dame anticipated the switch. The Fresno Bee reported that no one was aware of the switch until Greenberry walked into his signing ceremony wearing red instead of navy and gold.
Greenberry comes to UH ranked as the No. 7 receiver nationally and No. 46 player, regardless of position, according to Rivals.com.
As a senior, he caught 109 passes for a state-record 2,165 yards and 33 touchdowns to helped lead 14-0 Washington Union to the California Division III State Championship.
His size, speed and leaping ability will make him an asset in the Cougars’ offense from the start.
The Cougars capturing Greenberry is not an anomaly. It’s just the beginning of a new era of football at Robertson Stadium.
At UH’s press conference for National Signing Day, head coach Tony Levine said that chasing top talent will be the norm from now on. Even if the Cougars are said to be counted out of the race for a player, it’s worth trying because otherwise you would never know.
