Awaiting his first offer, 3-star ATH Kanen Eaton recaps unofficial visit to Corvallis

The Oregon State coaches continue to impress many in the Pacific Northwest with their consistency in hosting multiple prospects from the region on campus in effort to repair relationships with not only the players and their parents, but with high school coaches as well.

With a staff in place that is very familiar with both the “Beaver state” and “Evergreen state”, it’s no surprise that Jonathan Smith’s team of coaches have quickly made a profound impact on prospects from both states with four commitments in the 2019 class from Oregon.

One prospect from the state of Washington that is still in search for his first offer is 6-foot-4, 178-pound 247Sports three star wide receiver/safety Kanen Eaton from Vancouver (Wash.) at Columbia River high school who took an unofficial visit to Oregon State earlier this week to interact with the coaching staff and to see what it would take to play on the PAC-12 level.

“This was my first time visiting Oregon State as a recruit and my dad came with me on the visit. I was greeted by my tour guides — Michael Doctor and Jessi Seumalo, and they both showed me all the facilities and places where I’d be spending my time as a student-athlete. Oregon State is a beautiful place and the campus was amazing. What I liked about Corvallis is that it’s very similar to where I live now, it has the vibe of being it’s own city but it’s not too crowded. Then we went to meet the graphic designer (Robert Judin) to do the photo shoot. After that we went to check out the stadium and locker room and see what was new with it. Then we went on to meet some of the coaching staff which was great, talked to Coach Burns about how the program is ran and what they are looking for with their DB’s.”

When asked what he thought about the program as a whole, Eaton referenced the feeling of being truly comfortable in his surroundings and at home in Corvallis.

“It’s probably one of the greatest things I have ever experienced. I did not get to interact with any current players because this is their week off so they weren’t on campus at the time. Other than the staff I didn’t see many people around campus because school was out, but the facilities were very nice, the coaches were great and that stadium is something else to experience up close. I could definitely see myself playing there one day. It’s hard to not get caught up in the moment of being at a school on a visit, but Oregon State is definitely a school I would love to attend. If the coaches invite me back, I would love to continue to return to Oregon state multiple times and witness the game day atmosphere”

The interactions with the coaches were an experience that resonated with Eaton and allowed him to understand what he still hopes to improve upon to possibly one day earn an offer from the Beavers.

“I was able to speak with Coach Suiaunoa, Coach Burns and Coach Hynson and I also met with Coach Cookus. Coach Suiaunoa was a recruiter of my brothers when he coached at Montana, and I would say he is definitely my lead recruiter. Unfortunately I did not get to spend 1 on 1 time with Coach Smith and didn’t I get to see him that day. The coaches that I talked to the most were Coach Burns and Coach Suiaunoa for sure. The coaches at Oregon State as of right now would like me to play as a DB/Safety I’m not sure that changes my #1 recruiter, but I know that changes where I must thrive on the field. With Coach Burns, we had a chance to sit down and go over what the look for in there players and see how my film compares to that. With Coach Suiaunoa, we talked about where I am currently in the recruiting process and what my future may look like.”

This past spring Eaton got the chance to compete with his 7-on-7 team ‘Air One’ out of Vancouver, Washington and felt like he made the sort of impact that was able to turn a lot of heads this off-season, and when I got the chance to see him in person, he did just that.

“I have been working on footwork a lot, getting bigger in the weight room, faster with my short bursts and my ability to sprint all over the field playing safety and this spring have been working on become a more physical player.”

While he is still patiently waiting for the opportunity to receive his first scholarship at any level, Eaton is not discouraged and instead uses it as motivation to prove that all of his hard work will one day pay off.

“I don’t have any offers yet but I have still been hearing from Montana state and a couple of D2 schools. I just try and remain humble and stay motivated that one day a school will call me with the news that I had earned a scholarship offer to play football at their school. Distance from home isn’t really an issue for my family, they just want to make sure that wherever I go, it’s gonna be a place that I want to be and that I will be taken care of and helped to reach my fullest potential. A verbal commitment would be nice to have by end of summer or midway through season, but I got to have offers to do that. If it does happen, it will be a dream come true.”

Knowing that a big senior season for Columbia River on both sides of the ball is a necessity to one day receive a scholarship offer, Eaton is hungry and determined to make sure that he does everything in his power as a leader both on and off the field to put his team in the best position possible to be successful.

“Personally I would like to make sure there is no regrets for my senior year of high school. I want to make sure that every decision I make is the decision that is not only best for me, but also what is best for my team. We got a new QB to help us lead the offense in Dawson (Lieurance) and we’re hoping to put up a lot of points this season. As a team, we are looking to make a deep run and show everyone how hard we work on and off the field.”

Eaton’s Hudl highlights:

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