Yelm’s Brayden Platt, state’s top football recruit, commits to University of Oregon
The top-ranked high school football player in the state is headed to Eugene.
On Monday, Yelm linebacker Brayden Platt announced his commitment to the Oregon Ducks on 247Sports’ YouTube channel.
Platt is considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports and the No. 1 rated player in the state of Washington in the 2024 class.
He was a first-team selection to The News Tribune’s All-Area and all-state teams in 2022 after leading the Tornados to the Class 3A state title — the program’s first state championship. Platt was one of the state’s best two-way players at running back and linebacker in 2022. Offensively, he rushed for 1,242 yards and 24 touchdowns on 132 carries and caught 12 passes for 227 yards and another score. At linebacker, he tallied 69 tackles, including five for loss and had an interception.
Platt chose Oregon over Oklahoma. He had 20 offers, which also included Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Washington, UCLA and others.
Oregon had one thing working in its favor that other schools couldn’t match: the Ducks’ track and field program. Platt has said that it’s his goal to play in the NFL and also throw in the Olympics. He won the 3A state shot put title in 2022 and 2023 and won a national title in javelin at Nike Outdoor Nationals in June.
That event happened to be held at Oregon’s famed Hayward Field, the home of Oregon’s track and field program. No other university could match what Oregon could bring to the table from a football and track and field combination.
Yelm is off to a 1-0 start in the 2023 season after an 8-7 road win over Camas last Friday night.
