Southern California Cornerback Rodrick Plesant Announces Top Six Schools
Rodrick Pleasant is down to just six schools in his recruitment, and Oregon is one of those schools.
The Junipero Serra (Garden, Calif.) High School product included the Ducks along with fellow finalists Boston College, California, Penn State, UCLA and USC in his updated list on Thursday.
Pleasant is one of the best defensive backs in the country in the class of 2023. But lately, he's become more well-known for his blazing track speed as one of the fastest sprinters in the country.
Back in May, the 5-foot-11, 180 pounder set the California state record in the 100 meters with a blistering wind-legal time of 10.14.
He broke down his finalists with 247Sports' Greg Biggins and spoke highly of Dan Lanning's new coaching staff in Eugene.
"They have a great program in track and football and I was able to spent a lot of time with both coaching staffs," Pleasant told Biggins. "I’ve known coach Meat (Demetrice Martin) for a long time and I’m really comfortable with him. The new staff is really good, defensive oriented with coach Lanning coming over from Georgia and I think they’re building something really special there.”
Pleasant was clearly intrigued by Dan Lanning's vision for the Ducks, as he took an unofficial visit to Oregon in January shortly after the hire.
READ MORE: Way-too-early predictions; Oregon vs. Georgia
Torres' Take
Back when I released my five most important recruits for Oregon story, I knew I wanted to include Pleasant as one of those players. With Lincoln Riley now at the helm at USC, Oregon is going to need defensive backs to help keep the elite skill talent he will surely recruit at bay.
With the recent addition of Caleb Presley, the Ducks now have five defensive backs in the fold for 2023. Pleasant looks like he's going to take his time with his decision and is planning to run track in college as well.
It's hard to think of many places better than Track Town U.S.A. to do just that. Demetrice Martin, a Southern California native himself, will be crucial in Oregon's pursuit here, as will the play of the defensive backs this season.
At this point in the 2023 cycle, Pleasant would be a nice cherry on top of the defensive back haul, and since he's in no hurry, this recruitment is shaping up to be a battle right to the end.
I don't view Oregon as the favorite right now, but there's plenty of time to put in some good work on the trail. Pleasant hasn't been particularly active on the recruiting trail taking visits, which means each future trip will mean that much more.
*WATCH RODRICK PLEASANT HIGHLIGHTS HERE*
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