Brett Bafaro
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 220 40: 4.5
Position: OLB
Year: Class of 2012
High School: Liberty HS
(Hillsboro, OR)
On the field he’s a firework, the kind of talent you can’t help but notice, one who has you standing up in the ninth inning or the fourth quarter knowing you might see something you’ve never seen before.
Brett Bafaro batted .571 in high school baseball this spring. In two football games last fall, he rushed for 229 yards on 17 carries, caught six passes for 92 yards and scored five touchdowns. In the season’s first six games he had 369 rushing yards, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. In one game against Putnam, he had 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and broke up two passes. For the season, he accumulated 80 tackles and five sacks.
On any given play in either sport, he has talent that explodes off the video. Head coach Eric Mahlum told oregonlive.com’s Jerry Ulmer, “He’s kind of a manchild. “He’s a big, physical kid, and he loves to hit. He’s fast, and he’s got good natural instincts. For us, he’s kind of a game-changer. When we’re on defense, the kids kind of rally around him and his passion.”
Bafaro has shined in the summer evaluation camps, but Oregon’s stiffest competition for the linebacker/fullback might be the 2012 major league baseball draft. He can throw a pea from centerfield to home plate, but what a waste of football talent it would be. Watch his football highlight video below. His playing style is aptly summed up in one play: at 2:47 Bafaro is lead blocking on a sweep and absolutely levels the opposing linebacker, lifts him off his feet and presses his sternum into his back. As his coach said, he’s quick, physical and tenacious.
Owen Marecic, move over. Bafaro has more physical ability and star power, and probably hits harder. But will he do it for the Oregon Ducks, or the Colorado Rockies?
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