Rancho Cucamonga football standout Jaylon Redd wanted to celebrate his 18th birthday by making a big decision. He did just that, deciding the University of Oregon was the place he wanted to spend his college career.
Redd, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound defensive back, announced that decision today via video put together with the help of Bleacher Report. He started thinking about the concept about two weeks ago. It took about eight hours to film.
Redd went to Oregon in the spring along with teammate Thomas Graham on an unofficial visit. He plans to go back again in November, the weekend the Ducks play Stanford.
“It’s one of the schools I have been thinking about for awhile,” he said, moments after tweeting out the link to his video. “I think it will be a great fit for me and be a place I have a chance to play as a freshman.”
The only official visit Redd took was to Nebraska. He might still make one to UCLA because it is close to home. The Bruins have been pursuing him quite heavily in recent weeks.
Redd had 16 offers, 11 of those from Pac-12 schools. Among the others were Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame.
Redd is one of the most coveted defensive backs in the country although much of his playing time this season for the Cougars (5-0) has been at running back. He has rushed for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 93 tries and has managed more than 100 yards in every game so far this season.
Cougars coach Nick Baiz has spelled Redd on defense because he has depth there but Redd has played on that side of the ball against certain teams that throw the ball more proficiently.
Redd, who last week celebrated a selection to the prestigious Under-Armour All American game, plans to major in sports psychology and would like to get a master’s in business.
