Breeze, Cota

Oregon freshman safety Brady Breeze with South Medford star wide receiver Chase Cota.

(Courtesy of Chase Cota)

The South Medford football program elected to take the morning off Wednesday, which gave 247Sports four-star wide receiver Chase Cota a chance to travel with family to check out an Oregon Ducks football practice.

Despite being around the program for years, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound pass-catcher admitted that he'd never been to a practice before.

Making the experience even more special, Cota got a chance to meet up with cousin and Oregon freshman safety Brady Breeze, who officially joined the program in the class of 2016.

With Breeze in the fold, the two cousins are halfway to their dream of playing together at Autzen Stadium.

"It was really cool to see him. It was weird. I always remember him being a commit and always waiting to get there, and all of the sudden he's there," Cota said. "It was crazy to see."

During the morning practice, Cota and his family, including former Oregon star Chad Cota, were greeted by several coaches before a brief introduction to the team.

"At the end of practice, the recruiting coordinator brought me to the front of the team huddle," Cota said. "They were all on a knee, and Coach Helfrich introduced me, my dad and my Grandpa Mike to the whole team. It was the first practice I'd ever been to, so that was a pretty cool experience."

Next came a tour of the campus - another first for Cota.

Shortly after the trip, Cota received a message from Oregon State assistant coach Mitch Singler urging him to head to Corvallis for his next stop.

That plea didn't fall on deaf ears, as Cota has built a strong relationship with the Beavers coaching staff, particularly wide receiver coach Brent Brennan.

"Hopefully I'll visit (Corvallis) during fall camp, but whenever I get time off," he said.

In the class of 2017, Cota will be among the most coveted offensive playmakers on the West Coast.

Oregon and Oregon State are both looking to get a foot in the door early - something both fan bases should expect to continue in the form of gameday visits this fall.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec