Eugene (Ore.) Churchill defensive back Myles Green-Richards is living a fast-changing life. Earlier this week the 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete participated in his first practice with his new school in the spring before his senior season. Since his freshman year, the multi-sport athlete had played for South Eugene.

And then last week he landed his first D-1 scholarship offer.

Duck Sports Authority caught up with the Eugene-area speedster to get an update on his new school as well as his recruitment.

It is not an easy decision to change schools right before your senior year. It involves leaving old friendships and developing new ones, along with changes to your everyday routine that can be difficult to become accustomed to. For Green-Richards it took some soul-searching and family discussion before making the move.

“Sometimes you have to be a little bit selfish when it comes to your future and your families’ future. I wanted to be somewhere I could be the most successful athlete and student I could be and that was Churchill for me.

“I talked to my family about it for a long time. We talked about all the benefits of going to Churchill; it is right down the street from our house in the Churchill district. I lotteried into South Eugene my freshman year.

“The coaches here bring a lot of energy. They bring a lot of new knowledge to me. Everything you kind of look for in a program to have a successful football season is what Churchill brought to the table.”

Churchill head coach A.J. Robinson led the Lancers to a 5-4 record last season but feels the pieces are coming together for 2017 to be far better than that. And his new reinforcement will not hurt.

“We were obviously excited to get a good player, but we were just as excited to get a good person,” said Robinson. “It was known that there was a kid that lives in the Churchill district that was playing for South Eugene.

“We knew we had some pieces coming back and we could be pretty good this year. Him coming here kind of accelerated that thinking. Maybe we are going to be tough to handle and put a good product out on the field.

On May 30th Green-Richards first knew that he would be attending college on a football scholarship when the Washington State Cougars tendered their offer after seeing him play both sides of the ball in camp.

“I was surprised when Washington State offered. I had not been talking to them very much but I had been getting double digit mail from them every week. But then I got a text from Coach (ST coach Eric) Mele saying ‘hey, call me right now.’

“I was on my way to a workout but I called him and we were talking about different things then we started talking about recruitment. He said ‘speaking of recruitment, Washington State wants to offer you, congratulation.’

“It kind of took a second because to have my first offer be from a Pac-12 school, it was strange. So that day I just did my workout went home talked to my parents about it. But then I went to bed and when I woke up it felt real. It didn’t feel real in the moment because you are on a high. You just got your education paid for by a Pac-12 school that you really enjoyed your Junior Day at.

“To get an offer from one of the top three schools you dreamt of playing for as a little kid is pretty cool. But I am going to be patient with my whole process. I want to take my time and make sure of everything. It is definitely a blessing to have that offer.”

When you play football in Eugene, Oregon, it can be tough to get teams interested in you. In order to catch their eye, you have to attend camps where you compete against other top players. That is exactly what Green-Richards did to prove his worth as a Division I athlete.

“I competed at the Northwest Best Showcase last Friday. They saw a lot of competitiveness out of me. They liked how I was at the front of every line, how I worked hard in every drill, how I am versatile. I got reps at wide receiver when there were not enough of them, I got reps at DB when there weren’t enough DB’s. So I kind of bounced around.

“They liked how I can play corner or safety and they liked my speed. That is what sealed the deal with them was my laser 4.52 time at the Opening in Oakland. That opened some eyes.”

Another set of eyes that has been opened is his new head coach, who knew he had something special even before it happened.

“I know he is a great kid,” said Robinson. “He is a 3.9 GPA student and he lives in the Churchill region of Eugene. He grew up playing on the Churchill youth teams so he is friends with a lot of our kids already.

“Just going through one day of spring practice, I saw that he practices extremely hard. There is a reason he has a division one offer; he has division one practice habits. He works hard, is respectful to coaches and he wants to be somewhere where people value football and where other kids want to play.”

When you get your first D-1 offer during your junior year, that means more will be coming over the next twelve months. There are a number of candidates for offer number two. The fact that he can be in college in time for Spring Camp 2018 is something they will find attractive.

“Oregon State, Eastern Washington, Columbia, Princeton, Montana, Montana State, Northern Idaho, Weber State; there are a lot of schools talking to me. Sometimes you have to go through your twitter messages to figure it out.

“Montana was saying a couple weeks ago that they wanted to offer me. But things kind of calmed down after Washington State offered me.

“I have a 3.8 GPA so I got a lot of core classes out of the way already. I got a good education at South in that department. If I decide to go to college early in the spring, I could easily get the classes I need done in time here at Churchill.”

Whether the hometown team tenders their offer is entirely in his hands. The Ducks have been in steady contact with Green-Richards, and have given him a path towards that goal.

“Oregon is a team I have liked since I was little being in their back yard and all. It is something I am going to continue to work for. I am going to their camp this summer and I am excited for that because they personally invited me to their camp. I am going to play both sides of the ball at that camp to try to show them my versatility.

“Talking to their coaches, that is what is standing between me and an offer from them; how I perform at that camp.”

Duck Sports Authority will keep track of Myles Green-Richards as he impresses more college football teams and more opportunities continue to present themselves.