Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAVID MCKINNEY Braden Lenzy's life could have gone in several different directions. There was the Notre Dame com- mitment and decommitment, then the Oregon commitment and de- commitment, and finally a re-com- mitment to Notre Dame. But at a younger age, Lenzy didn't think he'd ever be committing anywhere, at least not for football. Lenzy knew early on he could have a promising track career, but never imagined he'd be heading to college with the opportunity to play two sports. "It was football that was the surprise," he said. "I think fresh- man year I came in at 5-foot-8, 135 [pounds]. I was a small kid, but I was fast. I figured I would make varsity as a junior and start as a senior. "That was always the goal. As a freshman, I started on varsity and everything picked up pretty quick." From there, Lenzy burst onto the scene as one of the top football play- ers in Oregon. The challenges of his underdeveloped physique were still there, but he found a way to get around them. "I figured until my body catches up to me, I've just got to be a lot more technical and control the things I can control," Lenzy said. Once that happened, he trans- formed from a speed specialist to a complete football player. "Going through puberty and get- ting a little older helped," Lenzy said. "I think that clicked for me this senior year. I think that was demon- strated in my film." Football may have been the longshot that miraculously came to fruition, but track was always going to be there. Lenzy said he knew going into high school that if he kept doing what he was doing, a track scholar- ship was sure to come. "Football is rankings off opinion," Lenzy explained. "With track, there's set times, so you know exactly where you stand in the state, on the West Coast and nationally. "Going into high school, I knew if I kept it up I would have my choice of colleges." Turns out he was right. After three seasons of high school track, Lenzy is a two-time Oregon 6A state champion in the 400-meter race, the Tigard high school record holder in the 200 and 400 meters, and has registered the sixth-fastest 200-meter time in Oregon state history. After Notre Dame, Lenzy could have a tough decision to make on what sport he'll try to play at the professional level. It'll be a difficult choice for some- one who puts equal effort into both sports, but it's a decision Lenzy said he'd be happy to have to face. "It's been a blessing to be able to continue football," he stated. "In my mind, I was set on just doing track, but now that I'm able to do both, I'm really excited. "I get four more years to figure out what I'll pursue after college, and I think I have a chance to possibly pursue either one." Balancing track and football in South Bend could prove to be chal- lenging for Lenzy, and was in fact the original reason he flipped his com- mitment to Oregon. But according to Lenzy, the Notre Dame coaching staff laid out clearly how they see his future going on the football field and the track. "We have a plan," he said. "I'll do all indoor track, then during spring football, which is the first three weeks of outdoor track, I'll get to work out every now and then, stay in good shape and still be familiar with track. "It's definitely a football focus for that first three weeks, then a smooth transition into track to get the last five or six weeks leading up to NCAA Championships." There are a lot of unknowns about Lenzy's future. He could end up an NFL player, an Olympic track athlete or neither. What is certain though is that whatever he does in life — be it track, football or something else — he'll be representing the state of Oregon while he does it. In recruiting, Oregon rarely gets the attention that some other talent- Braden Lenzy Wants To Prove That Oregon Prospects Belong Lenzy won the 2016 and 2017 Oregon 6A state championships in the 400 meters, with times of 48.13 and 47.92 seconds respectively. He expects to do both track and football at Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM