Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 55 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE rich states get, and Lenzy said he's ready to show the recruiting world what they've been missing. "When you're from Oregon, you're labeled immediately," Lenzy said. "You know they don't think you have the same capabilities as the kids from Texas, Florida and California." In Rivals' final state rankings for the class of 2018, safety Talanoa Hu- fanga, wide receiver Chase Cota, Lenzy, linebacker Eli'Jah Winston and defensive end Draco Bynum, re- spectively, made up the top five play- ers in the state of Oregon. Of those five, only Winston chose to stay in state. The other four are headed to various different pro- grams, and Lenzy said he's excited for Oregon's top prospects to spread out across the country. "The top four ranked Oregon kids are all leaving the state," Lenzy said. "That upsets a lot people, but in a way I think it's pretty special." Lenzy said he's happy that the class of 2018 is trying to break the stereo- type that top prospects from Oregon always want to stay in Oregon. "There's always been a knock on Oregon kids that they can only really go in state, but we were able to go out of state and basically all of us chose to," he said. "People get hurt by that, but I'm excited because we're going to grow and do our own thing." Lenzy will come from Oregon, but more specifically Tigard, Ore., a city of just less than 50,000 that isn't exactly known for sending football players to major programs like Notre Dame. "It's really special coming from Ti- gard," he explained. "Not too many athletes have made it out. "This is for Tigard, in my memory, the first big-time Division I player that is going straight there and has a chance to play and really represent the high school. I think that's really special." Lenzy will play his college football in a city more than 2,000 miles away from the one where he shattered state track records and enjoyed an all-state football career. But with every touchdown scored or track record broken, the fans cheering Lenzy on will be reminded where he came from. "I'm really excited to do whatever I can to represent Oregon," Lenzy said. "At the end of the day, when we're getting introduced in a lineup, it's not going to say South Bend, Ind. It's going to say Tigard, Ore." ✦ BRADEN LENZY WIDE RECEIVER 6-0 · 175 TIGARD H.S. PORTLAND, ORE. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS.* STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 12 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 264 22 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 150 5 4 * Ranked as an athlete STATISTICS • Registered 1,010 yards from scrimmage and 10 scores as a senior. Also recorded 35 tackles and seven interceptions on defense, while helping Tigard to a 10-3 mark and the 6A state semifinals. • Caught 43 passes for 840 yards and five touch- downs as a junior. HONORS • Named to the All-USA Oregon first team by USA Today as a senior, and also earned 6A all-state accolades from OregonLive.com. • Tabbed as both the Three Rivers League Co- Offensive Player of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. • Four-star member of the PrepStar Top 300 Dream Team, and was ranked as the No. 12 athlete and No. 176 overall player nationally. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Chosen to participate in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu on Jan. 18, 2018, and hauled in one catch for 28 yards. • Took part in Nike Football's The Opening Los Angles Regional on March 12, 2017. Recorded a 31-inch vertical jump and 36.0 in the power ball toss. • Attended the Under Armour IllSpeed Camp on Feb. 19, 2017, and emerged as one of two winners of the competition that measured straight line speed, quickness, agility and reaction. • Participated in Nike Football's The Opening Los Angeles Regional on Feb. 28, 2016. Ran a 4.47 40- yard dash and a 4.27 pro-shuttle. RECRUITMENT • Originally committed to Notre Dame on Feb. 22, 2017, following a visit for Junior Day on Feb. 11, 2017, before flipping to Oregon on June 14, 2017. • Decommitted from Oregon on Dec. 5, 2017, and named Notre Dame, UCLA and the Ducks as his finalists. • Took an official visit to Notre Dame for the Echoes Ceremony on Dec. 8, 2017, and eventually pledged and signed with the Irish on Dec. 22, 2017. • Primarily recruited by offensive coordinator Chip Long and wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander. NOTABLE • Born on Oct. 21, 1998. • His father, Melvin Lenzy, is a graduate of Pur- due University and an executive at Nike. • Also excelled on the track at Tigard. He ranks sixth all time in the state of Oregon in the 200 meters with a time of 21.34 seconds, is a two-time Oregon Class 6A state champion in the 400 meters (48.13 seconds as a sophomre and 47.92 seconds as a junior), and placed second at states in the 200 as a junior (21.73) and fourth as a soph (21.83). • Plans to major in business administration. 2018 PROJECTION • Lenzy has game-changing speed, and Notre Dame will give him every chance to allow that speed to make an impact on offense and special teams. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "When you add two guys like Lenzy and [Lawrence] Keys, extremely athletic with the ball in their hand, complements very well the entire receiving class with Micah Jones, who's already here, that really talks about the balance of the class in terms of what we were able to as- semble there at the wide receiver position." Wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander: "He has tenacious mentality. He's a student of the game. …. He's a competitor on the track. He wanted to stay in school so he could win a state championship. He said the things that you hear in winners, and that's what we want; more and more winners." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Lenzy is an elite athlete that has legitimate game-breaking speed. He always had tremendous acceleration and the ability to gain separation with his speed, but as a senior he improved his burst off the line, which allowed him to play even faster. "Lenzy is a strong all-around athlete with fast feet, impressive balance and explosiveness. These traits allow him to make quick moves on the field, but also allow him to quickly accelerate once he makes those moves. He improved his technique as a senior, and with more work route running should become one of his strengths. "Lenzy tracks the deep ball well, and as a senior he showed more focus when the ball was in the air." Rivals ranks Lenzy as a four-star talent, the No. 3 player on Oregon and the No. 12 athlete nationally. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN