Alston recaps two major visits

Lavan Alston did not sit home during spring break. The four-star receiver from Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure took unofficial trips to Oregon and Oregon State and they were valuable visits.

Both trips paid off in a big way for Alston, a 5-foot-11 speedster who's rated as the No. 26 wide receiver and the No. 234 prospect in the 2015 class by Rivals.com.

It kicked off Thursday at Oregon and the Ducks are getting much more involved although an offer has not come through yet.

"I met with coach Matt Lubick, the receivers coach, and he was really cool," Alston said. "They showed me the facilities and that was really nice. I talked to coach Lubick a little bit and they're going to come watch me the first day of spring ball to see how I play and how I am in practice."

According to Alston, Oregon has pegged him as one of the top receiver prospects in this class and an offer might come after seeing him in a spring workout.

"He said they're slower on offering kids but coach Lubick said I'm a top guy for him," Alston said. "He said he really likes how I play, he thinks I could be a big impact at Oregon because of my speed. He said he's not necessarily looking for the big receiver. He's looking for the fast slot guy who could stretch the field and be an impact for the team.

"He's going to come out to watch my spring ball and hopefully I'll come out with an offer. I'm one of their top guys. Oregon showed a lot of love so I had a really good visit."

The four-star receiver then spent two days at Oregon State. The Beavers have definitely moved way up after his visit there and a comparison to standout Brandin Cooks was flattering.

"On Friday and Saturday I went to Oregon State and I met with coach (Mike) Riley, coach (John) Garrett and coach (Brent) Brennan," Alston said.

"All three of those guys are really genuine. The whole atmosphere of Oregon State was really cool. People around the campus, the whole staff, everybody showed a lot of love. I really enjoyed being over there.

"They gave me a tour of the campus, we went through some film, I got to hang out with the players for a little bit and I spent a lot of time with coach Brennan. He told me I was one of the top guys and that I could be the next Brandin Cooks. I also met Brandin Cooks and he was a really cool guy."

Oregon State's coaches told Alston that he could fit in the Cooks role really well and the four-star who shined at the RCS Southern California was listening.

The Beavers could be tough to beat but the Ventura St. Bonaventure recruit doesn't want to make his commitment just yet.

"(Brennan) feels they're the right fit for me due to the amount of receivers they've put in the NFL," Alston said.

"Their history is pretty cool. I talked to coach Riley with my family and he reminds me a lot of coach Mack Brown from Texas. He said they really enjoyed having me there and that I reminded him of Brandin Cooks and what an asset I could be to the school if I decided to commit."