Cali OL is NW bound

The plan for Fair Oaks (Calif.) Del Campo offensive lineman Colin Lyons-Pena was always to make an early commitment. In fact, he told us at the NIKE Camp at Stanford back in May that he may decide before the month was over. Although he didn't commit in May, the talented lineman did make his choice and he'll be playing in the Pac 10 in two years.

"I committed to Oregon State," Lyons-Pena said. "I did it last week. I talked with my mom for awhile about it and we just decided that Oregon State was really the best place for me.

"I took a visit to Oregon State a few months back and I really liked it there. The campus was nice, I liked the atmosphere there and I was just really comfortable being there, it already felt like home to me. I've basically been leaning to Oregon State ever since.

"Since then, I've been talking and texting with Coach Cavanaugh a lot and I like him a lot. I like the whole staff but Coach Cavanaugh and I hit it off. Of all the schools recruiting me, I always felt like Oregon State was the one who made me a priority and wanted me the most. I had some other offers but Oregon State recruited me harder than anyone and that was important to me."

As for why he decided to jump on the offer from the Beavers now, Lyons-Pena said he didn't want to deal with any distractions during his senior year.

"I just wanted to focus on school and football, not recruiting," Lyons-Pena said. "This is my last year and I want to end on a high note. Now that my commitment is out of the way, I won't have any distractions and can just go out and have a great season on the field and not worry about where I'll be spending the next four of five years of my life."

Lyons-Pena, 6-4, 310 pounds, was also offered by UNLV and Nevada. He was one of the top lineman we saw at the NorCal NIKE Camp and is a very nice pickup for the Beavers.