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The purpose of our NEI/Barton elite events are to let the top athletes in the Northwest train against one another. It is the only event of its kind in the entire region, and in doing this we are able to find hidden gems that flat out ball. Recently at a Portland Elite Event Caleb Wells (6-6 245 Jr. DE) of Benson, showed up and made a name for himself in less than two hours.
The big man was absolutely phenomenal coming off the end going toe to toe with one of the west coast’s top lineman in Andrew Kirkland (6-5 295 OL) of Jesuit. His overall athleticism and size were overwhelming for most of the top lineman, so it was a very impressive day for the kid from Portland.
Wells has widely gone under the radar due to playing for a school that has struggled on the football field. Benson always has athletes, but structure has been lacking throughout the PIL as a whole so times have been tough. None of this matters to Caleb as he just wants to stay positive and play football, ” I think we are a team filled with skill players that have a lot of spots to fill on both sides of the line, some of our impact guys like Kendrick Bourne (6-2 190 Jr. WR/FS) and Joseph Hart (6-0 185 RB/CB Jr.) are the real deal and can get the job done”.
About 6 weeks ago Wells reached out to NEI and said ” My name is Caleb Wells, I go to Benson HS in Portland OR and Im ready to have a breakout season”. The rest is history
The kid wanted to compete against the best, and it just so happens he could be one of the best D ends in the entire northwest himself.
The thing that sticks out about Caleb most other then his 6-6 frame and ridiculous wing span is his overall smarts and love of the game. ” Personally I would like to have an all state year, lead the state in sacks, and have as many D1 scholarship offers as possible”. He continued, “In an Ideal situation I would probably play TE on offense, but I will be needed on the line”
Caleb projects as a D1 Defensive end that could easily add 30-40 pounds on his frame and still maintain his speed. He will be listed as one of the top players in the state of Oregon when our new rankings are released, and we can’t say enough good things about him.
Wells added, ” Kendrick is an absolute play maker, countless times last year he would turn a 5 yard slant into a 50 yard Td as his vision is just ridiculous”. Caleb continued, ” On defense he’s a ball hawk and picks off anything that stays in the air to long”.
We had a chance to see Bourne this past week and the kid is the real deal. We had seen him before at Barton 7 on 7’s last year at Oregon St, but he has really come into his own. He will be considered one of the top dual threat athletes in Oregon if he continues at this pace.
Benson was (2-8) last season and may be lacking in numbers, but they do have a couple of the top football players in the state to work with. We look forward to working with Caleb over the coming off season as we see him being a big time talent at the D1 level.
Caleb Wells Highlights- https://www.northwesteliteindex.com/articles/jordan/feb12/bartonevent4.html
Caleb Wells 6-6 245 Jr. DE Benson
