Homewood-Flossmoor lineman Marcus Harper II commits to Oregon

Three years ago, Marcus Harper II and some of his Homewood-Flossmoor football buddies were talking about their dream colleges.

”If we could go to any school, it would be Oregon,” Harper remembers saying.

Now the dream is becoming reality after Harper gave an oral commitment to the Ducks late Monday night.

It’s been an interesting journey for Harper, a 6-4, 290-pound offensive guard who didn’t start playing tackle football until high school.

Citing the wear and tear on players’ bodies, Harper’s dad delayed the start of his career.

“He said, ‘Let me wait till your freshman year,” said Harper, who stayed busy in the meantime with a wide range of sports: flag football, basketball, baseball, soccer and swimming.

“Freshman year, I came in off the street without a lick of football knowledge,” Harper said.

That has changed in a big way. Now he’s one of the state’s top prospects in the Class of 2020 — ranked ninth by 247sports and 10th by Rivals — as well as being a consensus top-45 player nationally at his position.

Harper has 17 offers, including Illinois, Indiana and Illinois in the Big Ten. He committed to the Illini in April before reopening his recruiting three weeks later.

Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt first saw Harper at a camp as a sophomore. “And although he was still raw, the tools and attitude were there,” Helmholdt said. “This is a young man who loves to play the game and loves to be an offensive lineman.

“Oregon has had some success recruiting the Midwest in the past, and their NIKE-based facilities and uniforms resonate with young kids today.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Ducks also are a national power, or that they run an offensive scheme similar to H-F’s. Throw in the fact that their offensive line is senior-dominated, giving him a path to early playing time, and Harper was sold.

At first, he wasn’t sure about going so far from home. But with the recent introduction of nonstop flights from Chicago to Eugene, the travel hurdle doesn’t seem so big.

“At first, it was a concern,” Harper said. “Obviously I want my parents to come out and see me as much as possible. (But) I’ve always felt Oregon was a perfect fit.”