Is Oregon Pulling Away in Recruitment of Darrius Clemons?
After losing commitments from 2022 wide receivers Isaiah Sategna and Nicholas Anderson to begin the month, some fans were concerned with where this year's recruiting class was headed after dominating on the trail this summer.
With those two players now slated to play closer to home, a lot of eyes are now on Westview (Portland, Ore.) wide receiver Darrius Clemons, who was in Eugene for a visit during the Colorado game on Halloween weekend.
Ducks Digest caught up with Clemons following Westview's playoff game against Tualatin to get the latest in his recruitment.
"Now that my season’s over I’ll probably sit down, think about that type of stuff and figure it out," he said. "I was just focused on my team and giving it all to these guys. Now I’ll probably sit down with my parents, pray about it and probably come to a decision before signing day some time."
An integral part of the recruiting process for most prospects is taking visits. I spoke to Clemons back in August when he announced his top three of Oregon, Penn State and Auburn.
In the time since, he's been able to take trips to all three schools and spoke about each as well as the relationships he's built, starting with Penn State.
"That was a great trip. They had a lot of the commits on my official visit with me so they were obviously recruiting me," Clemons said. "Being around those guys, definitely a great program. Love Coach [James] Franklin and Coach [Taylor] Stubblefield.”
"Coach Franklin, I sat down and talked with him, great guy. Coach Stubblefield, he’s proven to develop guys," he said of the coach's track record. "Jahan Dotson is probably gonna win the Biletnikoff this year, going crazy. Being in that offense, there’s definitely a lot a receiver can do.”
Auburn has had an up and down year that's featured a head-to-head loss to the aforementioned Nitanny Lions, but the Tigers also have some quality wins over the likes of Ole Miss and Arkansas. Despite being a West Coast kid, Clemons' trip into SEC country wasn't one into unfamiliar territory.
"Auburn is great. My family’s from down South, got a lot of family down there," he said. "It was just great to get down and see what they have going down there. They have a new coaching staff and not a lot of receiver talent so it’s definitely a place I can come and compete for an early spot."
In the midst of his first year at the helm of the program, Head Coach Bryan Harsin has brought in a lot of new faces to help build his team following Gus Malzahn's firing, but having a fresh staff could be a positive for the receiver.
"It’s cool just knowing they’re making me a priority and that they want me to come and be the face of the program.”
Bringing it back closer to home, Clemons made the short trip down to Eugene to see the Ducks take on Colorado.
"Just a free weekend. It was a home game early in the day so I was like why not get down there?" he said of why he wanted to get out to Oregon. "I hadn’t been there for a game yet. I’m taking my official visit not next weekend but the weekend after.”
"It was cool just seeing how they adapted. Having AB at the quarterback they have to run a bit more," he said of the offense, which has dominated on the ground this year. Moving forward, the Ducks have a lot of youth to be excited about in the quarterback room, including true freshman Ty Thompson, the highest-rated quarterback in program history.
"Getting down there, it was my first time down there at a game in almost like a thousand days, so getting down there and seeing the game that was cool," Clemons said. "Getting around those guys again, it’s always a great time there at Autzen.”
The Ducks' staff has continued to recruit him hard and will likely turn up the heat as early signing day approaches.
"I talk to Coach B Mac [Bryan McClendon] almost every day. Coach [Mario] Cristobal a few times a week. Great guys," Clemons said of the Oregon staff. "They’re on me. I’m sure they’ll probably get in touch with me right after this game and get the full court press on now that my season’s over.”
On the outside looking in, it could look like the recent losses at wideout may have freed up a spot for Clemons. However, he set the record straight that it's not a numbers game for him. He's going to compete regardless of where he ends up.
"With me it was never really a competition thing with other receivers. If I wanted to go to Oregon and I was the seventh receiver I would have done it regardless, so it didn’t really mean a whole lot to me," he said. "Just gotta take it all in. That’s my last official I think and then maybe take a few more unofficials and go from there."
What excites him the most about the Oregon program and the chance to play for Mario Cristobal?
"The opportunity to play early," he said. "They don’t have a lot of receivers that are like my play style that are big and can go deep like that. All great receivers in that room. The way I look at it that’s only gonna make me better playing with guys of that caliber.”
As early signing day nears, two schools are recruiting him the hardest.
"I think it’s probably pretty even between Auburn and Oregon, and then Penn State is kinda falling off a little bit, but they’re still recruiting me.”
The Early Signing Period begins on December 15, when Clemons plans to sign with the school of his choice before going public with his decision at the Adidas All-American Bowl in January.
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