Payton Accetturo knew he was going to be the starter in 2018 heading into his freshman year for Kentlake (Wash.) high school.

What he did not know is that it would be on varsity.

After leading the JV squad as their quarterback for the first part of the season, he was called up to start for the Falcons when their senior signal caller went down to injury. By the end of the year, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound frosh had completed 42 passes for 600 yards and six touchdowns in his five games at the helm.

Colleges took notice. Heading into his sophomore season, now with Auburn Riverside, Accetturo is hearing from numerous colleges with scholarship offers sure to follow as he progresses through his next three years of high school football. In the meantime, his focus is on improving his game.

Last weekend he was looking to do just that as he headed south to Eugene, Oregon for the Ducks’ Saturday Night Live recruiting and training event.

“It was my second time there, so I had been there before,” said Accetturo. “It’s always amazing going down there. It gets better every time.”

“I had my teammate (2022 Tumwater HS) Austin Terry with me,” he said. “He thought it was amazing as well.”

Open to the public was a two-hour training session with the Oregon football staff, with competition against 80 other promising prep athletes. Off the field the athletes and their families got a glimpse behind the scenes of the Duck operation.

“My favorite part of the trip was probably hanging out in the locker room after getting our gear,” said Accetturo. “They made us feel like we really were Oregon players and a part of the family.”

On the recruiting front, interest is already starting to build for the pro-style passer.

“The schools I’ve heard from most are Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Navy, Southern Utah and some others schools a little bit.”

If the rising sophomore develops on and off the field on the trajectory he has shown so far, playing in the Pac-12 is a real possibility. And should their relationship get more formal, Oregon has already made a strong impression on him.

“The Ducks are an amazing program,” said Accetturo. “They really show me and everyone that Oregon is different from the rest of schools.”