Oregon Ducks Battling Big Ten Rivals for Four-Star Safety Recruit Malakai Taufoou

The West Catholic Athletic League in the Bay Area has been a recruitment hub for major college football programs for quite a while now. That includes Oregon Ducks legendary quarterback Dan Fouts from Saint Ignatius in San Francisco, California, who was named the 1982 NFL Offensive Player of the Year with the San Diego Chargers.

From Northern California powerhouse Junipero Serra in San Mateo, California, alumni include NFL greats Tom Brady, Lynn Swann, and David Bakhtiari, to name just a few.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff have built a relationship with their 2027 four-star safety Malakai Taufoou out of the 2027 recruiting class over the last couple of months.

Sunday, February 5, 2017, Houston, TX - The New England Patriots vs. The Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI, NRG Stadium, Houston, TX. Tom Brady celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy after the game. The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach | Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taufoou was offered by the Ducks back in January and has scheduled an unofficial visit to Eugene, Oregon, during the spring on April 5, according to Rivals' Max Torres. He also has official visits planned with the Penn State Nittany Lions on June 5, the California Golden Bears on June 12, and the Washington Huskies on June 19, per Rivals.

The UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, and BYU Cougars are also being considered by Taufoou through numerous unofficial visits.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back ranks as the No. 33-best player at his position and No. 33 recruit coming out of the state of California, per Rivals.

In his junior season, Taufoou finished with 46 total tackles (38 solo, 8 assisted), six tackles for losses, four interceptions, three pass deflections, two blocked field goals, and two blocked punts in 14 games played. Offensively, he added 242 yards as a passer, catcher, and runner to go along with seven touchdowns.

Taufoou also played basketball at the varsity level with Serra.

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Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts during the first half of the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Oregon's 2027 Recruiting Class

According to Rivals, the Ducks' 2027 class currently stands at No. 13 amongst the nation's top programs and No. 4 in the Big Ten Conference behind the No. 3 USC Trojans, No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers, and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Oregon has landed no commitments in the secondary yet. Autzen Stadium will soon be welcoming six other commits at other vital spots:

Four-star defensive lineman Cam Pritchett
Four-star running back Cadarius McMiller
Four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder
Three-star athlete Sam Ngata
Three-star offensive tackle Avery Michael

New co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton, right, joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football as they prepare for the 2023 season. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ducks have shown interest in four-star cornerback Danny Lang from Santa Ana, California, and four-star cornerback Josiah Molden from West Linn, Oregon, as well as five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson from San Diego, California, and unranked safety Brett Smith from Corona, California.

Lang will be in the Pacific Northwest on his official visit on June 19, and Molden went on an unofficial visit back on Jan. 24. Fa'alave-Johnson has taken four unofficial visits to Oregon over the course of nearly the last two years.