Dan Lanning Visiting Rodrick Pleasant In-Home Ahead of College Commitment
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The February signing day is just about a week away and the Oregon Ducks are full steam ahead trying to close out the 2023 recruiting class with a bang.
Head coach Dan Lanning and the rest of his coaching staff have been traveling all over the country of late, recently making a stop in Yelm, Washington on Monday, home of 2024 Oregon linebacker target Brayden Platt.
He's making another big stop on Tuesday, as Ducks Digest learned he'll be stopping in the Los Angeles area to take an in-home visit with Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra cornerback Rodrick Pleasant.
Pleasant is the top uncommitted cornerback in the country and has been busy since the conclusion of his senior season with the Cavaliers. He took an unexpected official visit to UCLA in December, prior to playing in the Under Armour All-American Bowl across the country against the nation's best in Orlando, Florida.
READ MORE: 2024 LB Dylan Williams breaks down Oregon visit as recruitment booms
This month he announced his top five schools, which consisted of Oregon, UCLA, Boston College, Cal, and USC, who got his final official visit from January 13-15. He followed that up with another long trip out to Hawaii to play in the Polynesian Bowl.
Pleasant also set a commitment date of February 1, as a highly-anticipated recruitment is finally slated to come to an end.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback is one of the top playmakers in all of Southern California, which is overflowing with skill talent every year. Pleasant made a name for himself as one of the best defensive backs in the region, using his blazing speed, short-area burst, ball skills and playmaking ability to cap off a strong high school career.
Last track season he set the California state record in the 100 meters, running a jaw-dropping 10.14. His speed has helped set him apart at the high school level as arguably the fastest recruit in the nation alongside Oregon target Nyckoles Harbor, who's taking his official visit to Oregon this weekend.
Torres' Take
This is a pretty significant piece of news this close to Pleasant's commitment. Seeing that he already took his official back in November, it's a nice boost for the staff to get some extra face time with him.
Dan Lanning making it a priority that he be there as head coach presents an even better look as a major priority to finish off this class.
Even though he's down to five schools, I get the feel that this is going to come down to Oregon vs. USC, with UCLA maybe being the No. 3 school after getting him on campus and generating some buzz after landing Dante Moore. USC should be viewed as a major threat here after their strong 2022 season and the renewed emphasis Lincoln Riley has placed on recruiting Southern California. The Trojans have also historically had a pipeline to Serra, dating back to players like Adoree Jackson and Robert Woods.
We all know Oregon's historic achievements and state-of-the-art track facilities are a part of the conversation, and numerous Southern California ties on the staff like Demetrice Martin and Rashad Wadood really have the Ducks squarely in the mix.
I'm not ready to make a prediction on Pleasant just yet, especially since you figure USC is going to try to visit him in-home as well due to the proximity. But this is certainly a positive development for Oregon as they look to add Pleasant to an already impressive haul in 2023 that also includes speedsters Daylen Austin and Cole Martin, both Southern California natives in the secondary.
WATCH: Nyckoles Harbor runs blazing track times ahead of Oregon official visit
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