New Jersey Safety Jaylen McClain Places Oregon in Top Schools
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We may be in the middle of a recruiting dead period in February, but that doesn't mean the news slows down or stops coming out.
On Saturday, West Orange (NJ) Seton Hall Prep safety Jaylen McClain placed the Oregon Ducks in his top ten schools. He announced his new group on social media.
McClain has 31 reported scholarship offers and included the Ducks along with the likes of Notre Dame, USC, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee and Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back took a recent visit to Tennessee in January.
The Ducks currently have the No. 8 class in the country for 2024 according to 247Sports.
McClain is rated a four-star (0.9134 per the 247Sports Composite) prospect and ranked the No. 242 player nationally, the No. 21 safety and the No. 4 prospect in his state. The Ducks signed two prep safeties in 2023 in Tyler Turner and Kodi DeCambra and supplemented that depth with transfer portal additions Tysheem Johnson and Evan Williams.
READ MORE: 2024 EDGE Jaxson Jones locked in with Oregon
The safety rom in Eugene is crowded and experienced, which should bode well for the Ducks in 2023, but it also creates a more pressing need at safety in the 2024 recruiting class.
Oregon has seen some coaching turnover this offseason in the secondary, with Matt Powledge leaving Eugene to become the defensive coordinator at Baylor. Dan Lanning brought in Chris Hampton to take over coaching the safeties and fill the void created by Powledge's departure.
The Ducks haven't been particularly active recruiting the Northeast in recent years, but they do have some momentum this recruiting cycle, holding an early verbal commitment from Philadelphia (Penn.) Roman Catholic wide receiver Tyseer Denmark.
Expect Oregon to prioritize getting McClain on campus in the coming months as the recruiting trail reopens for visits in March.
READ MORE: Bruising running back Cameron Jones discusses Oregon visit as recruitment takes off
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