As I pointed out the other day, I got the insane experience of actually going down to Nike HQ in Beaverton for the unveiling of the Vapor Untouchable II cleats and jerseys, giving me an understanding of how those at the Swoosh strive to be the best in the biz.
And, as all of us know, Nike is the official outfitter of the University of Oregon football team, releasing the sickest uniform combo designs that any college player could want.
Now imagine what it’s like to be a 31-year-old bro who had the chance to head to the school’s campus and get an all-access tour of the Hatfield-Dowlin Athletic Complex—named by Phil Knight, Nike’s Co-Founder and former CEO—as well as get a chance to run out of the tunnel at Autzen Stadium and onto the field before trying out all the ridiculous gear that Nike just released. Pretty dope, right?
So what’s it like to be treated by Nike like an Oregon Ducks football recruit? I’m about to tell you—and prove that my old ass could never suit up for a game because, well, I’m not really the athlete I used to be.
The day began with me at the aforementioned Hatfield-Dowlin Athletic Complex, a state-of-the-art building that looks like it should be the home of a freakin’ superhero, giving all the bells and whistles to Oregon athletes with interactive displays and a homage to the rich history of their sports teams.
It even includes a recently built tribute to the school’s lone Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, with a sick sculpture that resembles Mariota’s home state of the Hawaiian islands and the statue situated in the middle.
Moving from the lobby towards the rest of the building, my tour included some time behind the scenes, with the school’s Director of Football Operations, Jeff Hawkins, showing me how the school honors all of their former players in the NFL with a specific duck with their initials on it. Guys, the public doesn’t get to see this stuff, yet, when being recruited by the school, they’ll pull out all the stops.
I moved into the players’ lounge and locker room, getting a chance to see what it really feels like to be a Ducks football player before the raucous crowd inside Autzen Stadium is set to explode at the very sight of the team running out onto the field. As you can see above, the locker for each player is nuts.
Oh, and that whole barber shop in the locker room rumor that we’ve all heard about? Yep, it’s true, with a single chair and a flatscreen TV situated just off the side of the lockers for those who need a fresh cut prior to kickoff.
With a back exit from the locker room towards Autzen, it was my chance to walk down the tunnel and out to the gridiron—which, even though I wasn’t set to play in front of hundreds of thousands of Ducks fans, still actually gave me chills.
Rushing onto the field, was… well, just take a look at the view I had that morning.
I was ushered into a locker room inside the stadium for my chance to strap on some of the Nike gear I got to see for the first time the day prior, complete with my very own locker and nameplate, my very own pair of Vapor Untouchable II cleats and two duffle bags worth of other Nike accessories and gear like jackets, Dri-Fit base layers and even a brand new football.
Heading over to the Ducks’ indoor practice facility, it was my turn to test my athleticism, getting a chance to compete in the 40-yard-dash, agility shuffle, vertical jump and the power ball toss—with each drill recorded and stored on the recruiting app that Nike has partnered with to measure recruits’ performance, Hudl. The app, which logs and stores results, allows the player and coaches all around the country to visually see what a recruit can do in each drill and ranking each. It’s actually really dope.
Although I didn’t completely embarrass myself, I’ll spare you the story of how I did in each drill. But, other than my vertical jump, I was actually pretty satisfied with how I did—though I’m clearly not the athlete I was in my glory days.
After some 7-on-7 touch football with some of the coaches from the Oregon football staff, the day concluded with lunch in the press box of Autzen before a trip back to Portland for the night.
In the end, my day as an Oregon Ducks football recruit was more than I could have ever expected, leaving me wondering this—when are they going to extend an official recruiting letter to me so I can really suit up one day?