Junior Day Report: Braden Lenzy

RELATED: Friday Night Lights observations ($)

Stanford is very much in the mix for one of Oregon's top 2017 defensive back prospects, Elijah Molden. The Cardinal might well try to replicate their standing with the Beaver State's top 2018 defensive back, Braden Lenzy, who visited The Farm over the weekend for the Cardinal's Junior Day and Friday Night Lights camp.

Stanford requested Lenzy's transcripts toward the end of the year and invited him to campus, but the camp visit marked his first significant contact with the Cardinal.

Stanford made a strong first impression.

"I'd have to say one thing they did (during their Junior Day) that kind of separated them from other schools was how interactive Coach Shaw was," Lenzy said. "Normally the head coach, they're there, but not saying as much. He said probably more than all of the rest of the coaches and actually toured us a little bit through their facilities. Normally (the head coach has) other people who do that. I thought that was pretty cool that they did that and were a little more hands on. The Junior Day numbers were I want to say 12 athletes. Other Junior Days I've been to were more like the 40's, maybe 50's range. There were more coaches than there were athletes. That was great.

"Just seeing the campus, getting that California feel - it was great. It was beautiful weather - not too hot, just perfect. It was a good time to go, and I really enjoyed walking around and seeing (the facilities) and getting a feel for what it would be like to be at Stanford."

Then it was on to Stanford Stadium for the Cardinal's camp, where Lenzy worked closely with Stanford defensive backs coach Duane Akina.

"It was great," Lenzy said. "I really liked his energy. He wasn't one of those crazy yellers; he was one of those passionate kind of coaches. That's something that I really like. I'm not a kid who doesn't do well with yelling, but I like when they yell with a purpose and they're not just recklessly yelling. When he was coaching it was great. I felt like he really did care and was actually trying to get us better and was also evaluating us. He gave me some great tips throughout the drills, and it really benefited in the one-on-ones."

Stanford currently has only one offer to a defensive back in the 2018 class - to Texas' B.J. Foster. But the Cardinal indicated to Lenzy that he will be in contention for a scholarship moving forward.

"They wanted me to know that I sat really well with them," Lenzy said. "They think really highly of me. I'm that next tier after the DB they've already offered. They see me in that next tier of athletes they would offer. They want me to keep up my academics like I've been doing and have some first four game highlights to see how I'm progressing and just let my body mature and it could happen in the future, I think, if I keep doing those things. That was their advice to me. They wanted to make that clear , that they're a little slow in the process because of their academics, but they definitely have high interest in me. So that was great."

Lenzy would take a Cardinal scholarship offer under strong consideration.

"(I'd have) very high interest," Lenzy said. "I mean, it's Stanford. If we're not talking football, if we're just talking academics, Stanford, it's not comparable to other Pac-12 schools. Even nationally it's just not comparable to a lot of the schools. So, I mean, beyond football - because football is going to come to an end eventually - you're kind of set for life. If you put your mind to it and take those extra ACT's and take those harder classes in high school and get into Stanford and then get that degree, it's a great situation to be in. With that and their element of how good and consistently good they are at football, that definitely sits well with me and my family."

The four-star standout left Stanford's campus with several key takeaways.

"I'd say the biggest thing I learned was just about their whole academic system and I would say equally their weight program - how they consistently have athletes come in and train and get so much better and not get hurt," Lenzy said. "Those numbers stood out actually huge to me - how consistently they had athletes that, if they even did get hurt, they would be back so fast. So, I mean, that's obviously a great situation for the kind of player I am. I'm more of one of those more athletic kind of players, (which) is great, but you put yourself at risk for making those athletic type of plays. It's great knowing that they're going to do whatever they can to make you as safe and healthy as possible."

Lenzy has several connections to Stanford University. For one, a friend from track will be attending the school starting this year. Additionally, a close family friend (who played basketball at Gonzaga) attended graduate school on The Farm. Finally, Stanford alum (and current Nike executive) Ralph Greene, Jr. is a significant influence on Lenzy.

"Ralph Greene, he is a former football player at Stanford - we call him Mr. Tigard, because he's probably the most helpful and influential person in Tigard," Lenzy said. "I'd say outside of my family he has maybe the strongest influence and opinion on my college decision, and he is a very strong supporter of Stanford."