Bumper Sticker Hooks Up Washington With Esperanza’s Keith Navidi

Don James, University of Washington football coach, can thank an Orange County motorist for landing an oral commitment from Esperanza defensive lineman Keith Navidi.

Navidi was having difficulty deciding between scholarship offers from Washington and Oregon last week. An avid fisherman, Navidi said both schools were close to some of the best fishing spots in the Northwest.

Still, he couldn’t decide.

“I sat down and wrote out what I liked best about each school,” Navidi said. “It was still a tough decision. I’m a Christian, so I let the Lord decide.

“Then, I was driving on the freeway one day and the car ahead of me had a University of Washington bumper sticker on it. The one next to it was a sticker with the (peace) dove sign. That’s when I made up my mind to go to Washington.”

Other Orange County players who have orally committed this week include Whittier Christian linebacker Ron Papazian (University of the Pacific), Western offensive lineman Tom Cowen (Colorado State) and Dana Hills linebacker Andy Marrone (Nevada Las Vegas).

Navidi chose Washington over Oregon, USC, UCLA and Arizona State. Jeff Jackson, a tight end from Corona del Mar, also has made an oral commitment to the Huskies.

“I’ll play either nose guard or tackle,” Navidi said. “I’ll probably redshirt my freshman year because they have two juniors and a senior ahead of me.”

Navidi had nine sacks and three blocked kicks in only six games last season. He dislocated his right elbow against Cypress and was out the rest of the season.

“My elbow is fine,” Navidi said. “It was a clean dislocation and I’ve been back working out. I’m stronger now than I was before.”

Papazian, 6-2, 210 pounds, picked Pacific over Washington and Oregon.

“It seemed like Pacific was more interested in me than the other schools,” he said.

Papazian played both linebacker and fullback at Whittier Christian. He was the fifth-leading rusher in the county last season with 1,237 yards in 187 carries and led the team in tackles for three years.

“The (Pacific) coaches let me decide where I want to play,” Papazian said. “I wasn’t fast enough to play fullback in college (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash), so I chose linebacker.”

Cowen, 6-5, 245 pounds, turned down an offer from Oregon to attend Colorado State. He said academics were a big part of his decision.

“I want to be an engineering major and Colorado State has one of the best engineering schools,” said, Cowen, who plans to redshirt as a freshman.

Marrone, 6-3, 205 pounds, also visited Cal State Long Beach, Utah State and Cal State Fullerton and canceled a trip to Nevada Reno.

One of the county’s most versatile players, Marrone was an all-South Coast League linebacker and also played tight end and punter.

“(UNLV) recruited me as an outside linebacker and I might try out at tight end because they have a limited number of players there,” he said. “They have some players who punt as well as play other positions, so I should get a chance to try out at punter, too.”