National Signing Day 2016: 4-Star Safety Brady Breeze signs for Oregon

A 6'0, 185 pound safety out of Central Catholic High School in Portland officially chose to stay close to home and sign with the Oregon Ducks today. Brady Breeze, a four-star recruit who also saw playing time at running back in high school, joins his high school teammate and friend, linebacker LaMar Winston, another verbal commit, in the Ducks' 2016 recruiting class as the top two recruits out of the state of Oregon this year. This represents a change from last year, when Oregon faced criticism for failing to sign any in-state recruits.

Breeze is described as a college-ready defensive player with exceptional athleticism, and played at The Opening, an elite all-star summer camp held in Beaverton, Oregon. Breeze gave Oregon an early verbal commitment after seeing light recruitment also from in-state rivals Oregon State as well as Wyoming. Breeze is also following in the footsteps of his family, most notably his uncle Chad Cota who played safety at Oregon in the early '90s as part of the original "Gang Green", before going to play eight seasons in the NFL.

Reportedly, Breeze also acted as an unofficial recruiting tool for the Ducks, as many recruits cite Breeze as a reason for their commitment and as someone who reached out repeatedly in person or via social media.