Prediction: Oregon Poised to Land 5-Star Recruit
It’s was an eventful weekend for Oregon on the recruiting trail.
After landing a commitment from College of San Mateo (Calif.) cornerback Sione Laulea III on Sunday, the Ducks look like they’re trending for another elite recruit in the 2024 class.
Today I’m logging a prediction for 2024 Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic edge rusher Elijah Rushing to commit to the Oregon Ducks.
Confidence level: 6/10
Explaining the Pick
For the first time since I started writing for Ducks Digest, I’m predicting a recruit to commit to Oregon for a second time. I previously had Rushing predicted to Oregon, but the intel I was getting from my sources in the days leading up to his initial commitment indicated he was trending toward Arizona, so I changed my pick. That’s really all there is to say, you follow the scoop.
I was told in the days leading up to his Arizona commitment that Oregon was going to continue pushing for Rushing even if they weren’t the pick. Well, they weren’t the pick the first time around so they didn’t stop swinging.
They sent in one of their best recruiters in defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who attended Rushing’s game on Friday night and has served as one of his primary recruiters on the staff. With him choosing to reopen his recruitment right after a visit from Lupoi would certainly seem to indicate that Oregon is the new leader.
Furthermore, I know that Oregon has been emphasizing their development at his position, and Lupoi himself has worked with some big defensive talents like edge rusher Myles Garrett.
The Ducks are all in on pitching that they’re the best fit for him on and off the field and I find it hard to get against them this time around with Rushing.
He hasn’t set a new commitment date or any visits, but I think the Ducks are clearly in a great spot to land the top player in Arizona.