Oregon Ducks, Dana Altman Schedule Visit With Elite Five-Star Recruit

Oregon Ducks basketball coach Dana Altman is hosting a lot of primetime recruits during this upcoming fall, but arguably none of them are bigger than five-star center Ethan Taylor. One of the best bigs in the class, Taylor has the Ducks inside his recently-revealed top-six.

Feb 14, 2022; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts during the first half against the Washington State Cougars at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball program has made it a point to be proactive in the 2026 recruiting cycle after finishing with one of their worst recruiting classes in recent memory during the 2025 cycle.

Their approach has began to pay off with some of the top recruits in the country deciding to spend a weekend in Eugene during the fall for a visit, including five-star center Ethan Taylor.

Oregon Set To Host 2026 Five-Star Center

Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Taylor spoke with Rivals about his recruitment and offered up what he is looking for in a program.

“I want to go to a school that has a great history of developing bigs. A program that has a winning culture and a great environment. I want to play for good coaches, ones that will push you, but also understand that you’re human," Taylor said.

Altman has a great track record of bringing in bigmen. The top three recruits to ever sign with Oregon are forward Bol Bol, and centers Kel'el Ware and N'Faly Dante. All three players were recruited by Altman.

The No. 1 center and No. 22 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Taylor holds 17 offers, but recently cut his list down to six finalists. Oregon joins Michigan State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Kansas as Taylor's finalists.

He is set to also visit with each school. The Ducks are first up on his list and he will be in Eugene from Sept. 5-7 for Oregon's big recruiting weekend as the Ducks are plannign to host four recruits that weekend, including Taylor.

After his visit with Oregon, Taylor will visit Oklahoma, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan State, and Kentucky in that order. On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine favors Kansas in Taylor's recruitment and gives the Jayhawks a 23 percent chance of landing the five-star recruit.

Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self looks on during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Busy September Coming Up For Ducks

Feb 22, 2018; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman supports his team during the first half in a game agains the Arizona State Sun Devils at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

In addition to Taylor coming into town on the weekend of Sept. 5, the Ducks are expected to host three other five-star recruits. The football team will be hosting Oklahoma State in an exciting Power 4 non-conference battle.

The highest rated recruit that will be visiting that weekend is five-star forward Christian Collins. He is ranked as the No. 1 power forward and No. 2 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Collins' St. John Bosco High School teammate, five-star forward Tajh Ariza, will also be visiting. The No. 3 small forward and No. 9 player in the country, Ariza would be the highest rated recruit to visit Oregon on nearly every other weekend in the fall.

Five-star guard Taylen Kinney will be making the trek to Eugene as well. The No. 1 point guard and No. 16 player in the country, he is only one of two point guards Altman and the Ducks have offered.