Oregon offer makes impact on Bailey

Funny what a scholarship offer from the right school can do.

Quinn Bailey's early list of frontrunners suddenly doubled on Wednesday afternoon, when the 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Gilbert (Ariz.) Higley High School officially became one of Oregon's recruiting targets. The offer, which came after he impressed at a Ducks camp over the weekend, was all the motivation he needed to clear some room at the top of his list.

Bailey, who holds eight scholarship offers, cautions that it's early and that he could change his mind as he visits other schools. But, at least for now, two programs lead the pack.

"It's really close," Bailey said on Wednesday evening. "I haven't narrowed it down too much," Bailey said. "It's really close, so I'm not saying I'm not going to look at the other ones, but I'd have to say the top is Arizona State and Oregon."

Having been on campus just days ago, Bailey has a vivid memory of Oregon. It's why he has no trouble rattling off the perks of the program. His camp experience certainly left an impression. So when head coach Mark Helfrich decided to make things official, Bailey immediately had a new co-favorite.

He may not be on the verge of a commitment just yet, but the Ducks will certainly be a player in his recruitment until the end.

"After I worked out up there, I met with the head coach and the line coach," Bailey said. "They both felt strongly that they were going to offer me, but they had to meet with the rest of the staff. I guess they did that yesterday and offered today.

"It's a really strong program with a really strong future. They have really nice facilities. I don't know too much about the campus yet, so that's all I really know. I love the style of football they play. I think it fits me really well."

Next up on Bailey's travel itinerary is a trip to UCLA's elite camp on Friday. He hopes to earn an offer while there. And while he's not exactly at the top of the Bruins' recruiting board as things stand now, there's a certain level of familiarity already at work.

"One of their coaches came to our school, Angus McClure, the D-line coach," Bailey said. "He watched my film and said he liked it, so they invited me down there for this camp."

Bailey does not intend to take all five official visits allotted to him by NCAA bylaws but instead plans to use "one or two" before making an in-season commitment. He won't speculate about which schools may receive those visits.

"I don't want to waste the time of a school that I'm not really interested in," he said. "I'll have it narrowed down by the time I take officials, so I can go meet the players and the coaches a little bit more."