Saguaro High School tight end Jared Poplawski signs with Colorado, February 1, 2017, at Saguaro High School.

Jared Poplawski, agonizing over his college decision, became so ill the past two weeks that he was missing school, Scottsdale Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said.

Once firmly committed to Arizona State, that changed for the tight end in the last month when his would-be position coach, DelVaughn Alexander, left to become the wide receivers coach at Notre Dame, and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey left for Auburn.

“Outside of the connection to his teammates, he really didn’t feel a huge connection,” Mohns said. “He kind of felt like everything he had established was gone.”

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With ASU undergoing coaching changes, Poplawski visited Colorado, which recruited him from the beginning.

On Wednesday, Poplawski signed with Colorado.

“It was tearing him apart,” Mohns said. “The kid was physically ill the last two weeks. He missed a ton of school. He was sick as a dog. It really pulls these young men in a lot of different directions. He had to make a mature decision. He didn’t feel like ASU was the right spot for him. Even though he has teammates he’s been playing with since sixth grade going there, he felt like Colorado was a better fit for him.

“Most 17-year-old kids don’t have to make a decision like that, that’s going to send their life in a completely different direction. I’m proud of him for doing it. It’s not the ideal situation. You want kids to commit and stay locked in. But at the end of the day, kids have to follow their heart, and our job is to support them.”

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Poplawski, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, who missed the state championship game with a knee injury, said he felt like Colorado provided him with better opportunities.

“They’ll set me up for the rest of my life,” he said. “I felt like I had to make a better decision for me.

“ASU still wanted me. It was hard leaving home, leaving where my grandfather played. But he left Wisconsin to come to Arizona. I feel like it will be a good thing to leave Arizona.”

Poplawski, a solid blocker and pass catcher, showed off big-play abilities in his final two high school seasons. He said that Oregon offered him two weeks ago.

“I felt it was way too late in the process to go there,” he said. “Colorado was in it the whole time. They were sticking with me the whole time. I’m really happy with my decision.”

Poplawski admitted it was “very stressful,” especially to have to say goodbye to Saguaro teammates Corey Stephens, Kyle Soelle and Kaelib Jarrell, who all signed with ASU on Wednesday.

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In the summer, Poplawski, outside linebacker Soelle and offensive lineman Stephens committed to ASU at the same time. Jarrell, an All-Arizona safety, committed to ASU recently.

“I didn’t really feel pressure from them,” Poplawski said of his teammates. “I just had to do what was best for me.”

Stephens, a two-time All-Arizona player, grew up cheering for the Sun Devils, so “it was a dream come true to sign with them.”

He said it didn’t matter to him about the changes on coach Todd Graham’s staff in the past month.

“I committed to the university,” Stephens said. “Coaches are going to come and go. That’s the nature of the business. I loved the coaches who left. But I think they brought in good coaches to replace them. I can’t wait to work for them.”

Suggest human interest stories to Richard Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.