The state of Oregon put on a show at the Under Armour regional event in Los Angeles this weekend.
Tigard athlete Braden Lenzy lived up to his reputation as one of the nation’s fastest athletes, winning the iLLSPEED competition, while South Medford wide receiver Chase Cota advanced to the semifinals despite his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame.
Not to be outdone, the Oregon linemen also found success.
Over the weekend, rising Wilsonville tight end/defensive end prospect Draco Bynum won the Big Man Challenge, which pitted the camps best prospects against each other in one-on-ones scenarios.
Here’s what Scout’s Greg Biggins had to say about the local star’s game:
“Bynum is an impressive looking defensive end with a prototype frame for the position. He plays with a relentless motor to him, does a nice job disengaging, showed a burst off the edge and is a naturally strong kid with a lot of physicality. You should expect to see his stock really soar this spring when colleges can see him up close and personal.”
For the 6-foot-5, 250-pound two-way prospect, the victory is the latest example of his rise after picking up scholarship offers from Oregon and UCLA in recent weeks.
“Oregon is a huge football tradition, so it’s a big honor,” he said. “I’m getting to know the coaching staff over the next year and taking a couple of visits. So far, it’s been really good. I’ve only met coach (Willie) Taggart once. He seemed like a really classy guy. He had an immediate first impression on me.”
Not long ago, Pac-12 offers seemed like a distant possibility, but Bynum’s quick ascension has caught even him off guard.
“There’s a big part of me that’s excited,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited. I’m incredibly excited. UCLA was my first offer, and it took about a week-and-a-half to sink in. I was like, ‘I don’t have to pay for college now.’ ”
But Bynum wasn’t the only Oregon linemen who had a big weekend.
Both Lake Oswego’s Dawson Jaramillo and Corvallis’ Marco Brewer advanced to the Under Armour camp’s OL/DL one-on-one finals, while Jaramillo was also named one of eight finalists (out of approximately 100) for an event that showcased the camps most athletic linemen.
Clearly, it was a banner weekend for the reputation of Oregon high school football.
— Andrew Nemec
anemec@oregonian.com
@AndrewNemec
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