Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh four-star athlete Brandon Finney racked up around 20 offers throughout his recruitment. Ultimately, Penn State, South Carolina, Ohio State and Oregon got Finney on campus for official visits.
Heading into last weekend, signs were pointing to the Nittany Lions. That was until Finney made his way to Eugene for his final OV with the Ducks. Dan Lanning and Co. in Eugene made a major impression on the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder and have now landed his commitment.
Just about the entire Oregon staff made the Big Ten program feel like home. From meeting with Lanning, all the way to director of performance and speed Kyle Bolton, the Ducks knocked it out of the park and provided Finney with the feeling he was looking for.
“Before Oregon, I was kind of set on Penn State,” Finney told On3. “During the visit, through meetings with Coach Tosh (Lupoi) and Coach (Chris) Hampton and Coach (Cody) Wadood, seeing how they would use me, how they don’t have too many people at corner and then with Coach (Kyle) Bolton, meeting him kinda influenced the decision.”
“It was obviously a very hard choice,” he added. “Realistically the only reason for me not to go to Oregon was really the distance. That was the one thing I had to get over, and I’m fine with that.”
Potential development in Eugene stuck out to Finney
Finney also visited Eugene back in April for the Ducks’ spring game. He got a taste of the atmosphere inside Autzen Stadium and around campus then. During the official over the weekend, Oregon rolled out the red carpet and showcased what the future would look like for Finney as a defensive back in their system.
The potential for growth and overall development was a major factor in his decision.
“Development, I know that Coach Hampton and Coach Wadood want me to develop and truly believe in me. Then playing in a system with Coach Lupoi, who’s going to get me ready for the next level by focusing on the small details,” Finney said. “Then development also ties into the strength and conditioning staff with Coach Bolton. Elite players and an elite program. I know I’ll be playing and guarding the best receivers in practice.”
Finney is On3’s No. 131 overall prospect, No. 5 athlete and No. 3 player in Maryland. He checks in inside the top-200 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He now joins a top-10 recruiting class for Lanning that features eight additional blue-chippers. Despite being over 2,300 miles from Eugene, Finney is ready to make the cross-country move in the future and help the Ducks continue to build something special.
“Coach Lanning is building this program to be great and to compete for a national championship. The thing that I really like about him is his story,” Finney said. “Those values that he holds on the players too, that’s really something.”
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