Class of 2021 Lebanon High School standout Keith Brown hasn't taken long to make his mark at the high school level.

As a freshman wrestler, he was the district champion and finished as the state runner-up at 195 pounds.

This fall, Brown was one of the best football players in the state at the 5A level, receiving first-team all-league honors at running back and honorable mention recognition at linebacker in the Mid-Willamette Valley Conference.

Those performances, coupled with Brown's 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame and eye-opening athleticism, have piqued the interest of several college football programs, including the Oregon State Beavers and Oregon Ducks.

But this week's unofficial visit to Oregon State was special, as he picked up the first of what could be many college football scholarship offers.

"Honestly, going into that day, I had a feeling I might get an offer," Brown said. "Once coach (Jonathan) Smith walked in and came straight to me and said, 'Hey, what's up Keith?' I kind of had a feeling, but I didn't think it would happen this early in my high school career."

Smith originally approached Brown when he was about to eat a meal, so the head coach called an audible and spent time chatting with Brown's mom, who accompanied him on the trip.

"He talked to my mom for awhile," Brown said. "Then right before he was about to go he said, 'I'm about to leave, but before I leave I've got to tell you guys I'm going to offer your son a scholarship.' At that point, I didn't even know what to say. I just... it was the greatest feeling I ever had in my life. Me and my mom were kind of speechless, but we definitely thanked him and told him that it was great."

Obtaining one's first scholarship offer is reason enough to give an unofficial visit high marks, but Brown was also impressed by the pregame energy around the Oregon State program.

"It was great," he said. "The atmosphere was energetic. It felt pretty good."

While it's too early to definitively say where the Lebanon star will play at the college level, it appears defense will be his eventual landing spot.

"What I've gotten out of all the coaches is that if I grow they want me as a defensive end-type, but if not, they like me at linebacker," Brown said.

One area the dynamic star is no longer worried about is whether or not he'll be recognized playing for a 5A school in the state of Oregon.

"There's been a small, small handful of D-1 kids that have come out of Lebanon," Brown said. "The amount of exposure Lebanon gets is very small, so whenever I get a chance to go up against D-1 guys, like the guys on (Crescent Valley), I try my absolute hardest to get exposure."

Despite the early recruiting attention and high school success, Brown will return to typical teenage life this winter.

"I was really strong on doing 7-on-7 this year, but then I found out I have to do driver's ed around the same time 7-on-7 is... my mom won't let me get my license without out, so I have no choice," he said.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec