Niemela receives offer from Idaho
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY) Senior wide receiver Christian Niemela evades a Lake City defender during a game on Oct. 4 at Memorial Field. Niemela was named homecoming king at halftime and had eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY) Sandpoint senior Christian Niemela hauls in a 31-yard pass from Jaxon Pettit during the first half of Sandpoint’s season opener at Post Falls on Aug. 30.
Sandpoint’s Christian Niemela received an offer from the University of Idaho to continue playing football after high school.
Niemela made the announcement in a Twitter post on Thursday afternoon.
This is Niemela’s seventh offer overall and second from a Division I school.
In a direct message on Twitter, Niemela wrote that Idaho offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich reached out to him a couple of months ago and came up to Sandpoint a few weeks back to meet with him in person.
Niemela said Sandpoint head coach Ryan Knowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Thielbahr have helped support him throughout the recruiting process thus far.
“Coach Knowles let me know last spring that my recruiting process may be on a different path and pick up after my senior season,” he wrote. “The recruiting process is an interesting experience. I never really knew what to expect in the way of any offers let alone Division I offers. I just had the goal of working hard, being a great leader and ultimately having a winning senior season.”
The wide receiver now has offers from Idaho, Idaho State, Montana Tech, Linfield College, Whitworth, University of Puget Sound and Pacific University.
Niemela is talking to other schools as well and plans on visiting some of the schools that have offered him scholarships toward the end of this month and in early February before making a final decision.
“I feel very blessed and grateful that some really exceptional colleges have chosen to believe in me and provide me with the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love,” he wrote.