Corey Rau commits to SMU

It's no secret SMU needed to land a tight end in its 2016 recruiting class as the program made the transition from a system that did not feature a tight end to Chad Morris', which does.

SMU filled that need on Friday as Katy Cinco Ranch tight end Corey Rau committed to Morris and the Mustangs.

"They were my first offer and they liked me the most," Rau told the HillTopics. "It felt like home. I love coach Morris' coaching staff. I loved all the schools recruiting me, don't get me wrong, but coach Morris felt like home. He reminded me of my grandpa's coaching style."

There is one thing in particular about Morris that reminded Rau of his grandfather.

"One thing a lot of players like is he doesn't cuss. He subs in cheesy words that are kind of funny," Rau said. "I don't like cussing and I know a lot of players that don't; if a coach cusses at me I stop listening. You don't have to cuss to teach someone."

Rau committed while at a cookout the coaching staff hosted at Gerald R. Ford Stadium on Friday night. Rau spent a lot of time with coach Donny McElveen.

"Coach Mac, who is going to be my coach there, never left my side until the Q&A with the football players. That showed me how much he wanted me," Rau said with a little chuckle. "I was thinking about it on the car ride there, like I think this is the time."

The commitment of Rau represented a big win for the Mustangs' staff, who beat out Washington, Minnesota, Houston and UCF for his services. Rau's way of telling the staff caught them off-guard but they were still excited when they got the news.

"I asked if I could see coach Morris before I left. He was talking to the receiver who committed too (Brandon Benson). I went and talked to coach Morris and I was hoping he would talk to stall some time and he did. I told my parents they could say whatever they want and then I asked how many commits you have and he said we just got seven on offense. They kept talking and I interrupted like, I'm gonna make eight," Rau recalled. "Everyone got silent, like what? Then coach (Joe) Craddock jumped on me and everyone was excited."

For Rau the cookout was the first time meeting most of the other members of SMU's 2016 class.

"We got along pretty well. They did this big old rock-paper-scissors challenge; that was a good way to know them," Rau said. "Courtland (Sutton) the receiver won the whole thing, he was really funny."

Rau only met his future quarterback David Moore for a moment but one thing stood out right away.

"I met him for a brief second but one thing that stuck out is he is tall, which is good for a QB. He is almost as tall as me," said Rau, who stands at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds.

Rau, who wants to study business at SMU, will not make it back to the Hilltop again this summer but will take an official visit before Signing Day and wants to be there for the first game of the Chad Morris era against Baylor.

For now the focus is on his senior season but Rau knows where he needs to improve before he is ready for the college game.

"After the season I'm going to of course work on getting stronger but my main thing is getting faster. When I got to high school the game really sped up and I know it will happen again even more in college."

When he gets to SMU he has a chance to play right away so it is good to know that the big man will be ready when he gets here.