The Oregon State Beavers are laying the groundwork for the 2017 recruiting class, sending out dozens of spring offers.

For Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson, Arizona) offensive lineman Matteo Mele, the early scholarship helped Oregon State get its foot in the door.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound athlete received offers from both Colorado and Oregon State on Thursday, highlighting his rising stock and proving that his extra effort this offseason is already paying off.

"It's really exciting," he said. "It definitely validates all the work I've put in the last few years, and makes me want to put in more work."

That's a big order for Mele, who is already putting in two-a-days in the weight room and eating five meals a day in the hopes of eventually reaching the 300-pound-mark by the start of college.

Regardless of what the scale indicates in the coming months, the Arizona product fits the bill for the Beavers.

Over the past few recruiting classes, Oregon State has made a concerted effort to recruit linemen in the 6-foot-5-to-6-foot-6 range, hoping to develop overwhelming size up front as those players grow and hone their craft.

So far, the Beavers have found success with that recipe, culminating in a physically-dominant fourth quarter showing in the Civil War against Oregon in a win last fall.

For Mele, it's a sign the staff knows how to successfully develop the big boys.

"I think that's really great for the staff," he said. "It's definitely something, that in my eyes, is pretty important. As a lineman, you have to be an athlete, I don't care what anybody says. To recruit kid with an athletic frame, have them put weight on and still be active, that's super important."

Between the offer and the targeting of taller linemen, Mele's interest is piqued, and he intends to take a visit to Corvallis to check things out in the coming weeks.

"I definitely want to see Oregon State for their Junior Day and their spring game, which are on the same day," he said. "Colorado offered me and I've been pretty interested in them, so I'll probably take a visit out there."

There will be plenty of competition for Mele, but Oregon State has got its foot in the door this week.

-- Andrew Nemec
anemec@oregonian.com
@AndrewNemec  

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