Isaiah Sategna Names Final Two of Oregon and USC

One of the fastest wide receivers is down to two schools after wrapping up visits to each in June.

Author:
Max Torres
Publish date:
Jul 2, 2021 5:49 PM EDT

Isaiah Sategna took an official visit to Oregon, and shortly after the trip he reopened his recruitment, backing off a verbal pledge to Texas A&M. He flew back to Fayetteville before making the trip to Los Angeles, one that obviously left quite the impression and has created a heated Pac-12 battle.

The speedster has seen his recruitment accelerate since opening things up and spoke to why he decided to trim his list to two.

"I'm gonna be doing track and football in college," Sategna told Ducks Digest. "I wanna go somewhere the track team is one of the best in the nation too. USC and Oregon both have top five teams every year."

The trip to Los Angeles for his official visit was a bit last-minute, and the reason for the trip is rooted in the Trojans' NFL output.

"In past years they've been Wide Receiver U. They throw the ball a bunch and they really highlight their wide receivers," he said.

Sategna spent time with a lot of players, including incoming freshman Prophet Brown, an intriguing athlete from Elk Grove, Calif. He hit it off quite well with them.

"It's crazy there's so many big prospects," he said of the talent at USC. "Seeing Korey Foreman. It blew my mind."

His favorite part of the trip came was when he got to see Wide Receivers Coach Keary Colbert in his element first-hand. He worked one-on-one with Tyler Vaughns, a former Trojan now with the Indianapolis Colts that was back in town for a visit.

Colbert was the coach he spent the most time with, and he liked the energy he saw in his reactions with the wideouts.

"I really like him, you can tell he really cares about his players. He's 39 years old and still runs routes with them. He was routing up their DB’s."

Clay Helton has developed a strong relationship with both him and his parents.

"My parents and I really liked him. He’s a man of God," Sategna said of the Trojans' head coach. "That’s pretty big in my family. Mom really enjoyed that."

Like Oregon, USC also has a strong track tradition to go along with sending wide receivers to the NFL, which is part of the school's pitch.

"You can come to USC, run track-- and they were saying you can be the fifth best (WR) at USC and you’ll still be catching the ball," he said of USC's pitch. "You'll always be playing with a Heisman winning quarterback."

"They have a good quarterback committed. (Devin) Brown is one of the best QB's in the nation they think."

In the time since his trip to Eugene last month, the Ducks have remained in heavy contact.

"I talk to Coach McClendon just about every day and I talk to Coach Cristobal every day," he said.

During his visit, Sategna also had time to work with McClendon one-on-one and talk about the plans he has for him at Oregon.

"Coach McClendon--when I was there we had a position meeting, showing how he was developing me. You could tell he was one of the best coaches. I was taking some videos of it and incorporating tips in my game."

The frequent contact with Cristobal isn't something Sategna takes lightly.

"You can really tell that he wants me," he told Ducks Digest. "He wouldn't be talking to me every day if he didn't. It's really cool a coach texts me every day. He texts my parents too."

"Both of my parents were on the Oregon trip. They really liked talking to Coach (Cristobal). They talked to him for three hours straight at dinner."

Oregon and USC are completely different places, and they both have positives in eyes of the Fayettville prep.

"USC, it's a big city, there's a bunch of people. Two completely different vibes. I really hit it off with all the Oregon players. They were all really cool, giving me good advice."

Cristobal and his staff are also making the track pitch, with a brand new Hayward Field to show off as well.

"They're saying Oregon is the only place to win a natty in both," Sategna said. "Oregon has the new stadium for the track--we got to tour it. It’s impressive to say the least."

How big of a factor will track be as he mulls over his commitment?

"A big part," the speedster said. "Track has always been my main sport, both my parents did track. One of the biggest things I'm looking for is a wide receiver coach who is going to be the best at developing.

"All my talent is raw talent. I think I’ll end up being better in football."

Moving forward he's hoping to announce his commitment prior to his senior season, and could have his mind made up as soon as the end of this month.

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