Oregon Ducks Hosting Major Notre Dame Recruiting Target on Campus

According to Rivals, Parks visited both Notre Dame and Oregon in April before returning to both schools for official visits in June. The Ducks hold the advantage of hosting Parks for his last visit, and Oregon could be trying to sell the four-star defensive lineman on joining a talented group of recruits in the Ducks' class of 2027.

Oregon commits like five-star edge Rashad Streets and four-star Will Mencl, as well as uncommitted five-star receiver Xavier Sabb, are also visiting Oregon for the weekend of June 19 alongside Parks. The top prospects in the country often gravitate towards playing with each other, and the Ducks might have some help peer recruiting prospects like Parks and Sabb.

oregon ducks recruiting brayden parks notre dame fighting irish marcus freeman dan lanning four star defensive linemanoregon — Chandler quarterback Will Mencl (7) throws a pass during spring football showcase at Chandler High School in Chandler on May 12, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon vs. Notre Dame Recruiting Battle

While Sabb has been trending to Oregon, Parks' recruitment appears to be a battle between the Ducks and the Fighting Irish. While Oregon coach Dan Lanning can sell Parks on a bright future and development alongside fellow top recruits, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman shouldn't have any problems selling that vision either.

In On3's class of 2027 rankings, Notre Dame holds the No. 3 overall class in the country while Oregon currently sits at No. 8 (No. 1 in the Big Ten). According to 247Sports, Parks is the No. 162 overall recruit in the class of 2027, the No. 18 defensive line prospect, and the No. 7 player in Illinois.

There are some similarities between Freeman and Lanning both being defensive head coaches on the younger side, but Parks plays high school football at Brother Rice in Chicago, Illinois, meaning distance is on Notre Dame's side as opposed to Oregon.

oregon ducks recruiting brayden parks notre dame fighting irish marcus freeman dan lanning four star defensive lineman — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Parks has visited Notre Dame's campus eight times, per Rivals, and he has received a prediction to commit to the Fighting Irish from Rivals insider Steve Wiltfong.

As a result, this final visit to Oregon from Parks is a crucial one. With some speculation that the visit might not happen in the first place, getting him on campus in Eugene is a win for the Ducks. However, Lanning and company seemingly have their work cut out for them when it comes to competing with Notre Dame for Parks' commitment.

Parks does not yet have a commitment date set, but a summer decision could make sense with the final weekend of official visits wrapping up in June.

Brayden Parks' Potential Fit in Oregon's Recruiting Class

Oregon currently has two defensive linemen committed and three edge recruits committed:

- Rashad Streets, five-star edge
- Zane Rowe, four-star defensive lineman
- Cam Pritchett, four-star defensive lineman
- Achilles Reyna, three-star edge
- Josh Christensen, three-star edge

With the Ducks replacing all starting defensive lineman after the 2026 season, it makes sense that Lanning and the Oregon staff are looking to add more defensive line recruits in the class of 2027. Parks would join an already elite class of defensive linemen alongside Rowe and Pritchett, giving the Ducks three blue-chip prospects.

At 6-3, 305, Parks would be the biggest defensive lineman to commit to Oregon.

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