Elijah George, the best player in Arbor View football history, commits to Oregon

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 | 6:30 p.m.

When Elijah George was promoted to the Arbor View High varsity football team for the playoffs during his freshman season, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle had only been playing football for about four months.

While he was raw in talent, the potential was obvious.

“In practice, he was banging some of our senior kids and knocking them (off the line),” Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said. “I looked at some of my other coaches and we knew this kid, right now, was ready to go.”

George, as it turns out, has only scratched the surface with his potential. A three-time all-Sunset Region selection, George verbally committed Sunday to Oregon after a weekend visit.

George picked Oregon over offers from multiple schools, including hometown UNLV, Oregon State, San Diego State, Colorado and others. He also visited Duke two weekends ago.

“I felt like it was the right fit,” said George, the unquestioned best player in Arbor View’s eight-year history. “It’s just the people up there. They were all nice.”

Oregon is known for its fast-paced, spread offensive attack. While Arbor View’s double-wing attack is nothing like Oregon’s high-scoring offense, the Aggies used a no-huddle package a few years ago to give George some brief experience.

“They are always moving on offense and I’m always moving up the field, so it’s a good fit,” he said.

George will be the first Arbor View player to directly sign with a Division I school. He was a key reason why the Aggies beat rival Palo Verde for the first time this year, finishing his three-year career with 29 wins. Arbor View was undefeated this year until they lost in the Sunset semifinals —the best season in program history.

“This is Oregon. What are they, a top three team? This is a big deal,” Barnson said. “I can’t be more proud of the kid and our program. This is huge for him, but also huge for Arbor View. It’s something we are very proud of.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.