Corvallis (Ore.) Crescent Valley athlete Talanoa Hufanga is undoubtedly one of the top recruits in the West. He's received offers from traditional powerhouse programs such as Michigan, USC, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and the list goes on.
Hufanga has a long list of schools to choose from, but he is not ignoring a school that is placed right in his backyard. The Rivals250 four-star athlete made a quick trip to Oregon State on Thursday.
"I got the chance to just run over there," Hufanga told BeaversEdge.com. "It's really close; it's probably 15 minutes from my house. So it was quick to be able to stop by and create that relationship with the coaches. It was a good opportunity for me to meet with coach Andersen, coach Rushing, and coach Clune.
"They were telling me the vision of the program and what they see the program turning into. They're re-creating the facilities - having nice facilities is one step. You have to have nice facilities if you want to have that swag to bring in recruits. After that, you're going to have a high level program. That's what they're trying to build and establish. They're doing a great job right now putting everything together. It's cool watching that."
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Oregon State likes Hufanga as a safety, but he is also a good looking wide receiver prospect as well. They were one of the first schools to offer Hufanga last spring.
"During the fall, I was able to go to a bunch of Oregon State games," Hufanga said. "Like I said, it's right down the road. I get to visit quite often and I stay in touch with the coaches. I'm building that relationship with them, and that's something that is important. Being a hometown kid, it's cool to have that experience to go over there and check it out whenever you want."
With Oregon State being the local school, it's likely that they'll stay in the mix of his recruitment for the long run, but it's not that simple. Hufanga is truly giving every school a fair shake.
"To be honest, I don't have a top school or a top five. I don't have that. Every school, including Oregon State, is a school I'm looking at right now," he explained. "I just finished basketball; our basketball team made it to the quarterfinals. I've been busy and wrapped up in that. I'm starting to reach out and contact coaches a little bit more.
"Obviously, Oregon State is in the mix because they're right here. That's pretty cool."
Hufanga plans to visit both Oregon and Oregon State for their spring games. He is not sure if he'll be able to take any out of state visits this spring, because he is starting his track season soon.
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