A Top-Five Recruiting Class is Still in Play for Oregon in the 2024 Cycle
Oregon is flying high on the recruiting trail once again after landing five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland over the weekend.
With him now in the fold, Oregon's pool of top targets in the 2024 class continues to shrink as space is getting tight. The Ducks are now ranked No. 9 nationally according to 247Sports and with some elite targets still on their big board, I believe finishing the cycle with a class ranked inside the top five nationally is still in play.
Let me tell you why.
Aydin Breland
Starting off with Breland, I need to be honest and say I didn't think Oregon was going to get him. I never ruled it out completely, but when he took that last visit to Georgia, I thought he was going to be a Bulldog.
Now that he's committed to Oregon, Dan Lanning has gotten over a big hump in just his second year at the helm in Eugene. He's beaten out the top SEC program for an elite prospect in a head-to-head battle. A move like that generates major recruiting momentum and people take notice.
With their first five-star recruit now in the fold, the Ducks are also heavily involved and in some cases trending with a number of other elite recruits.
Five-star Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic EDGE Elijah Rushing is trending heavily to the Ducks after de-committing from Arizona. Since that move was made I put my pick in for Oregon the second time around and continue to hear very good things about their chances. There's more reports coming out that he's expected to make his college commitment sooner rather than later and I think that bodes well for the Ducks.
Furthermore, the Ducks are also trending as the heavy favorites to land Orem (Ut.) four-star tight end Roger Saleapaga. I put my prediction in for Oregon to land him on Monday night following the news of Jackson Ford reopening his recruitment.
Tight end is a need for this group after it was a bit of a question mark in the 2023 cycle and Saleapaga is one of the stronger playmakers out West.
Seattle (Wash.) O'Dea running back Jason Brown Jr. is another player Oregon is also in great standing with. I made my pick for the Ducks back in August, however I think Noah Whittington's injury could complicate this one a little. If he comes back for another year, that definitely makes the path to playing time harder for Brown.
I'm not going to change my pick, but playing time is something recruits always weigh in their process.
St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers wide receiver and Ohio State commit Jeremiah McClellan is also still very much in play for Oregon. He visited for the Colorado game and the buzz between him and the Ducks continues to be strong.
Flipping a wide receiver from any school is never easy, but it's especially difficult with Ohio State. Either way, that visit tells me he's still willing to listen to what Oregon has to say, and if they can land him that would go a long way in the rankings.
We also need to mention Fairfield (Calif.) Armijo defensive lineman Jericho Johnson. He took an unofficial visit to Washington over the weekend and I still view the Huskies as the biggest threat to Oregon. I have my pick in for the Ducks, but I also think I didn't really expect Oregon to get Breland until just a few days before his commitment.
Basically, I thought it was a win to get one of Breland or Johnson. Now it seems like they could realistically land both. It won't be easy, but if they have Breland, Rushing and Johnson that might be the best defensive line haul in the country.
There's a long way to go there, but I still feel solid about Oregon's chances.
I'll also mention five-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and Tampa (Fla.) Catholic interior offensive linemen Eddy Pierre-Louis.
Seaton is taking his official visit this weekend for the Washington State game. While I view the Ducks as a long-shot, you never know what can change with one visit. I'm also hearing that Pierre-Louis is expected on campus next month for a trip, but Oklahoma is viewed as the favorite there.
Lastly, you need to mention Tampa (Fla). Carrollwood Day EDGE Solomon Williams. He has Oregon in his top five and will be back in Eugene this weekend.
I think Oregon's offensive line could stay where it is now with the guys they have, but it's clear Lanning wants to add game-changers along the defensive line to get this program to the next level.
Numbers will definitely be tough for Oregon to juggle here, but the point I'm making is the talent is there. And not only is it there, the Ducks have a really good shot with a majority of the players I've mentioned here. You won't get everyone on this list, but I think this is the main group of guys to focus on if you follow recruiting.
Good players want to play with good players, and Oregon's culture will face a test here because not every player is going to be able to be "The guy" in this star-studded 2024 class. It just isn't possible.
But I think Dan Lanning has proven he's capable of being the one to take Oregon to new heights on the recruiting trail.