The Oregon State Beavers hosted one of their most talented recruiting visit weekends in program history for their 42-34 victory over Utah on Saturday night, and extended at least three key scholarship offers.
As part of the visitor list, Seattle-based Ford Sports Performance, one of the top athletic training facilities and 7-on-7 programs in the country, brought a number of its top athletes – a good sign for Oregon State.
In recent years, FSP has produced five-star quarterback Sam Huard (Washington), five-star defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State), four-star wide receiver Gee Scott Jr. (Ohio State), four-star wide receiver Troy Franklin (Oregon), four-star linebacker Keith Brown (Oregon), four-star tight end Moliki Matavao (Oregon), four-star wide receiver Tobias Merriweather (Notre Dame), and dozens of others, while also working with NFL players such as Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Myles Jack, David DeCastro, Budda Baker, Shaq Thompson and many others.
In other words, building a pipeline to FSP is savvy move for programs on the West Coast and beyond.
Doing its part to build the relationship and recruit top talent, Oregon State extended offers to (at least) three FSP prospects this weekend.
The first player to announce a new offer was class of 2023 three-star cornerback Andre Piper-Jordan Jr., out of Federal Way, Washington:
A rising 6-foot-1, 165-pound cornerback, Piper-Jordan has the length, size and athleticism combination Oregon State has targeted at the position during the Smith era.
Shortly after Jordan’s announcement, class of 2023 athlete Trey Leckner, one of the fastest-rising players in the Northwest, shared that he had also picked up an offer:
Entering the weekend, Leckner’s lone scholarship was from Nevada, but he projects as a double-digit-offer prospect who is likely to blow up into a national recruit before he announces a decision.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound two-way standout is primarily a wide receiver and safety at the high school level, and his future projection remains fluid.
Elite class of 2024 prospect Rahshawn Clark was the third FSP prospect to announce his offer – and it was far from a surprise.
The 6-foot, 180-pound playmaker is rated the nation’s No. 69 overall prospect in his class and already holds offers from Utah, Washington, Washington State and others.
Clark is a sure-fire national recruit, but Oregon State has had improved success rates with bluechip prospects when offering early.
It’s safe to say that is once again the Beavers’ strategy with Clark.
So far, three Ford Sports Performance athletes have announced offers, but given the depth of talent in the program it’s possible more could materialize in the coming days.
— Andrew Nemec | anemec@oregonian.com | @AndrewNemec
