Oregon visit big for Wilkins

Oregon is one of the early favorites for 2014 quarterback Manny Wilkins so it was an especially big deal that offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich stopped by his game last weekend.

"It definitely means a lot," Wilkins said. "It's definitely something special. I felt really honored so it was a great thing for him to be out there. I didn't get a chance to talk to him though.

"They've probably sent me the most mail out of anybody so it's been good just because I went up to their camp and I got the MVP at their camp. From then on they said they were going to start looking at me and hopefully I'd have a good junior season. I did that so hopefully recruiting will pick up a lot more."

There is a lot of interest in Wilkins, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect from San Marin (Calif.) Novato, but no offers yet. Oregon has been involved ever since Wilkins did so well at its camp last summer and he's hoping things pick up after Helfrich visited.

"One thing you have to look at is how they treat their quarterbacks," Wilkins said.

"A lot of their quarterbacks have a lot of respect coming out of college. One of the key things I look at is what happens after you go to college. If you're in college the goal is to get to the NFL. When you're a college quarterback, getting to the NFL is always going to be your goal.

"My goal is just strictly to go as far as I can with football and I want to get a good degree from my school. Oregon is a great school so that's one of the key things in my eyes about college."

In recent weeks, there has been a great deal more interest for Wilkins, who shined at the Oakland Elite 11 in the spring.

Washington assistant coach Tosh Lupoi stopped by his school along with Boise State and Nevada and Utah State continues to talk with the 2014 standout.