It was 10:18 PM Friday when I got the call. The old NWPR Talent radar was blipping strong right over the City of Sherwood. A Coach in the crowd at Friday’s game between the Westview Wildcats and the Sherwood Bowmen wanted ask me, “Who is Brandon Pili and where did he come from?”.
Beavers Move On Brandon Pili After One Game
That I did not totally know but I had heard rumors of a the Cats new mega-beast linemen. The report was that the big man had 13 tackles and had swallowed up Sherwood’s David Morris (OSU Commit-no easy task) on a goal line stand to put the game into OT; Westview won it 27-21.
Wildcats star Athlete Jason Rucker schooled me up on Pili by about 11:00 PM and the word was travelling fast. Pili is a big man from Alaska and just transferred. He is listed as 6’4″ and 285 lbs. but it sounds like 310 is the right number. After the game the Twitter-Sphere was heating up with his name.
Shortly thereafter Pili’s name made it to several Coaching staffs- those we know and many others. Westview’s Head Coach (Ryan Atkinson) and Line Coach (Alex Linnenkohl) are both OSU Beavers and were both standout players at D-Line and O-line respectively. So maybe no surprise that yesterday Pili tweeted this:
The Beavers made their move and it is a smart one. The men of Black and Orange have a long history of putting top linemen into the NFL and the town and brand of lunch pail and hard hat football could well be the perfect spot for a kid like Brandon. Being first to offer always has an advantage in our book.
Pili had great film in Alaska- being here in Oregon’s big school division and on the I-5 recruiting corridor only added to his allure. Listed as a Guard by 247 Sports he appears to be just as capable of not more so at the DT spot. He bends well, is superbly fast off the ball, and has all the markings of an aggressive big time linemen.
Sounds like the Ducks want in on the action and he is planning a visit. Why not!
Amazing how one game from a complete unknown can launch a kid into the top tiers of recruiting and a full ride offer. I am not sure how he got here to Oregon but we have covered Alaska Football for quite sometime and are well aware of the talent many of the kids there posses. Atkinson and his boys may be keeping their eyes on Alaska and no doubt the word at Dimond High in Anchorage has gotten out. This is as good as it gets so who knows if more talent from the great North may make it down here soon!
Watch Brandon Pili get it done in 2016. More news on his emerging story right here and look for him high up on the All NW 300 that is being released every week Nationally from NWPR.