Joey Olsen, Lakeridge 4-star tight end/wide receiver, discusses Ducks, Beavers visits, future plans

It's the golden era of tight ends in the state of Oregon.

Leading the way in the class of 2023 is Under Armour All-American Game selection and Central Catholic pass-catcher Riley Williams, the nation's No. 2 tight end.

But the class of 2024 is loaded with some talent of its own.

Both North Medford's A.J. Pugliano and Lakeridge's Joey Olsen are top-10 tight ends nationally, and have generated early interest from programs all across the country.

Hoping to lay the foundation for a long recruitment, Olsen took a pair of unofficial visits this spring to check out the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound pass-catcher came away impressed with both programs - and learned he could play either wide receiver or tight end at the college level.

"I'm a hybrid wide receiver/tight end," Olsen said. "I played tight end mainly in youth, but when I came into high school I didn't have the body yet. But I plan on playing that hybrid tight end/wide receiver position in college."

The in-state star visited Oregon in late January and had high praise for Dan Lanning's program.

"I really like the new staff," Olsen said. "I really like coach (Drew) Mehringer, the tight ends coach. He's a great guy. He was with us most of the time when we were down there a few months ago. He ate lunch with us, talked with us and was kind of with us the whole time we were there."

Olsen also took a trip to Corvallis for Oregon State's spring game and liked what he had to see.

"That was my third time being down at Oregon State," he said. "They were my first visit. I've always liked it down there. I love the coaching staff down there and what they've done with that program the past few years. I've got a couple of friends there, so it's really close to home." 

While most programs see Olsen has a hybrid offensive weapon, Oregon State has focused on him primarily as a wide receiver. 

"They were one of the first colleges to trust who I am as a player, so that definitely helps," he said. "They've mainly talked to me about being a receiver. I talked to coach (Kefense) Hynson a lot when I was there with my mom.

Although it's still way too early to say where Olsen will end up at the college level, Oregon and Oregon State have the added bonus of being close to home. 

"My family being able to watch me every weekend, and being that close to home, that's a big part," he said. "Having my family and friends be able to come to my games on the weekend has always been something that's appealing to me." 

Olsen is talking to Arizona State, Tennessee and Utah a lot recently, and will likely take trips at some point to each one.

But currently, the in-state star remains in the information gathering stage of his recruitment.

"I'm taking all of the colleges recruiting me seriously," he said.