Turlock’s prized recruit: Avery Michael makes college decision. Here’s who he picked
Turlock High junior offensive lineman Avery Michael is regarded by many as the most high-profile football recruit in the city’s history.
On Sunday, the highly sought after recruit made his college decision official, announcing his commitment to the University of Oregon on social media Sunday afternoon.
Michael sat down for an exclusive interview with The Bee to explain his fast rise as a prospect, why he picked the Ducks and his hopes for his career in college and beyond.
Michael is the 59th ranked offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 79 recruit in California according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Though the 6-foot-6 offensive tackle has a three-star ranking, it could be upgraded to four stars by the spring. Locally, he was the 2025 Central California Athletic League Outstanding Offensive Lineman and a Bee All-District Offensive Lineman.
He is on track to graduate high school in December and enroll at Oregon in the spring.
“In terms of linemen, the coaches and the program, they’re very good at development and sending guys to the NFL, and that’s my goal,” Michael said of picking the Ducks.
He compiled 30 offers and chose Oregon over Power 4 schools like Vanderbilt, Michigan, Nebraska, Cal Berkeley, USC and others. He also garnered a large amount of local interest, receiving offers from Fresno State, San Jose State, Nevada and Sacramento State.
And Michael had offers from FCS national champion Montana State and FCS school Northern Arizona, which has former CCAL football players Joey Stout and Joseph Ramirez already on its roster as wide receivers.
His first offer was to Sacramento State, but shortly after that, more started rolling in. He attended the Sacramento State camp, the same one that kicked off former Modesto Christian and Central Catholic lineman Mana Itete’s recruitment, and picked up three offers in a matter of days. Since the 2025 high school football season ended, Michael released his final six schools: Oregon, Michigan, Washington, USC, Cal and Nebraska.
The Sacramento State offer came in March 2025, and a month later was followed by Montana State’s. The camp was in June and Michael has been a target for top colleges ever since.
“It was cool, for sure,” he said of his first offer. “Just knowing everything I worked for is right in front of me. Once you get one, you’re kind of like, ‘When’s the next one coming and who is it coming from?’”
Michael had the blueprint early. His dad, Alex, and mother, Courtney, both were Division I athletes at the University of Southern Mississippi. At Southern Miss, Alex played offensive guard, playing in 39 career games and starting every game of his senior season. Courtney pitched on the softball team, tallying 240 strikeouts in her first three seasons, including 117 as a freshman.
“They know what it takes to get there,” Avery said. “They had experience playing, so they know what I need to do to get there.”
Said Alex Michael: “It was always about focusing on the work and getting better. I always tell him to focus on your craft, and the money and accolades will come along when the time comes. So, with all of the attention, we just focus on getting better. Because the big goals are still ahead of you.”
Michael’s high school career had humble beginnings but progressed quickly.
He started on the Bulldogs’ freshman team in ninth grade, played the regular season as a sophomore on the junior varsity team and was pulled up for the playoffs as a sophomore.
A few weeks of practice later, he was blocking in the Division I postseason.
Michael helped the Bulldogs beat Laguna Creek 48-12 in the first round and was part of an offensive line that powered the Bulldogs to their biggest win of the past four seasons, a 43-42 overtime win over Central Catholic in the D-I quarterfinals. The game was believed to be the first ever matchup between the Stanislaus District football powers.
As a junior, he started every game and rarely left the field.
Michael has big goals for his final year of high school. And he plans to accomplish all of his goals at Turlock, even in the era of players transferring and going to prep schools.
He is the newest member of Turlock High’s newly rekindled 1,000-pound club (combining personal bests from bench press, squat and dead lift).
“My parents always told me once you start something, you have to finish it, so I wasn’t going to go anywhere else,” Avery said.
He has all of the measurables, the size, speed and technique to make him a top high school lineman and an impact player in college. But Turlock High head coach James Peterson said Michael’s work ethic sets him apart.
“He’s consistent,” Peterson said. “He’s the first guy here in the morning and is always like, ‘Good morning, coach’ with his hands full with his gym bag, his lunch and everything. He’s really doing everything every day that you can to be successful. I’m so happy for him because that’s exactly who (colleges) are looking for.”
Michael said he hopes to bring championships to Turlock High, then a national championship to Oregon before enjoying an NFL career.
