Oregon Surpassed by Texas as Biggest Threat to Flip 5-Star USC Recruit

The Oregon Ducks joined the Texas Longhorns as two powers linked to prized USC Trojans commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, but the tide is shifting in the favor of the SEC power it appears.

Texas' head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures \"hook em' horns\" before the game against Texas Tech, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Oregon Ducks own two five-star recruits for the 2027 recruiting cycle as of July 12. Wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets are the two Oregon recruits with the highest ranking per 247Sports composite.

The Ducks did miss out on a different five-star,USC wide receiver/defensive back commit Honor Fa'alave-Johnson. The Cathedral Catholic of San Diego star recently shot down the rumor of him potentially flipping to the Ducks.

And now, Texas surpassed Oregon as the biggest threat to land Fa'alave-Johnson.

Texas, not Oregon, is Aggressively Recruiting 5-Star

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

National recruiting insider for On3/Rivals Adam Gorney revealed a new update about where things stand involving Fa'alave-Johnson.

"The Longhorns seem to be playing the long game here in case anything changes at USC after this season or they can circle back closer to signing day because the San Diego (Calif.) standout said Texas is still contacting him every single day," Gorney wrote.

His words paint another picture: Oregon is starting to lose ground in trying to flip Fa'alave-Johnson, as Gorney mentioned that others "have backed down a little bit."

But this doesn't mean that Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks coaching staff are done recruiting other blue-chip prospects who haven't made their decision yet.

Who Oregon Appears to be Targeting Next on Recruiting Trail

Oregon coach Dan Lanning oversees the Oregon Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene April 25, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon is putting together a stellar July recruiting month already. Four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr. plus fellow four-star wide receiver Xavier Sabb (who's a five-star per Rivals Industry and ESPN rankings) joined the 2027 recruiting class, making their decisions before the Fourth of July.

But it looks like the Ducks aren't through with filling out their current No. 2 ranked recruiting class per 247Sports (Oregon sits at No. 3 overall per On3/Rivals).

Four-star linebacker Brayton Feister is rising as the next potential verbal commit for the Ducks. Feister originally was set to make his college choice earlier in July, but multiple reports via the national recruiting outlets revealed he needed to attend to a family matter, which delayed his announcement. There's a feeling he'll shut his recruitment down, though, soon and Oregon holds a 94.1 percent chance, per Rivals, to win over the Washington High of Massillion, Ohio star over Georgia and other powers.

He's not the only four-star recruit to closely monitor in the coming days. Oregon doesn't appear to be letting its foot off the gas pedal in going after defensive tackle Brayden Parks of Chicago. The Brothers Rice High star is involved in a "tug-of-war" as described by Tom Loy of 247Sports with Notre Dame.

But the Fighting Irish are trending as the favorite to win over the 6-3, 305-pound defender, with On3/Rivals handing Notre Dame an 89.9 percent chance to claim the recruiting victory here. Still, Oregon is one school to never rule out when it comes to closing recruiting sale pitches for prominent recruits the Ducks are going after.

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