The Latest With Oregon Football and Quarterback Jaden Rashada
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Pittsburg (Calif.) quarterback Jaden Rashada has been all over the country taking visits this spring, and he also punched his ticket to the Elite 11 finals after a strong showing against the best passers in Las Vegas. Over the weekend Rashada made his way out to Eugene for an unofficial visit to Oregon, an important trip after the Ducks couldn't get him on campus for the spring game.
Pittsburg QB Jaden Rashada
Matt Solorio/SI All-American
Here's what I've been told about the visit from a source close to Rashada's recruitment. It's not a ton, but I'm trying to give you all the most that I can gather.
The visit went well in Rashada's eyes and during the trip he got to spend time with Dan Lanning, a positive development as Kenny Dillingham has been the lead recruiter in Oregon's pursuit after getting hired.
I've been told that Florida will get an official visit from Rashada after the Gators offered in early April. Florida has come on VERY strong in this recruitment and is a serious contender to keep an eye on.
Pittsburg QB Jaden Rashada
Pittsburg QB Jaden Rashada
Pittsburg QB Jaden Rashada
SI All-American
Torres' Take
It was good for Oregon to get Rashada back on campus, especially in an unofficial capacity as they push for an official visit over the next month. Optically, it's another good sign that he cut his list of schools down to seven right after the trip, implying that he's seen what he's needed to in order to know what schools are legit contenders.
Spending time with Lanning was very important, as a lot of top recruits want that strong relationship with their future head coach.
However, the more I dig into this recruitment it feels to me like Ole Miss could be in the driver's seat after receiving his first official visit back in late April. The Texas A&M offer certainly makes this one interesting and I've heard repeatedly that he's very intrigued by the big-time football that comes with playing in the SEC, further evidenced by his recent string of visits to LSU, Ole Miss and Arkansas, which has since landed a quarterback and been eliminated.
It looks likely that Texas A&M will get one of his four remaining official visits. That leaves Florida as the third, and two more up for grabs, with Oregon, LSU and Miami battling to get him back on campus before his commitment, which is set for June 18.
The timing of the officials will be another factor to monitor, as we all know how important the final visit can be leading up to a commitment. Rashada is one of the most important recruits for the Ducks in 2023 not just because he's a quarterback, but also because he's a top West Coast prospect in California, a state that should be Oregon's sweet spot despite recent invasion by other top programs nationally.
The Ducks are also heavily recruiting Detroit quarterback Dante Moore, who's taken recent trips to Oregon, LSU, Notre Dame and Florida this spring. Notre Dame has been viewed as the favorite for a while in that recruitment, and Moore has yet to set a commitment date.
Oregon has also started to offer other quarterbacks in the 2023 class such as Avery Johnson from Wichita, Kansas and Aidan Chiles from Downey in Southern California.
Chiles earned quarterback MVP honors at the recent ESPN Elite Underclassmen camp in Oakland over the weekend, and Johnson said the Ducks will get an official visit following the Elite 11 camp in Nashville. We'll have more on him later today.
RELATED: Aidan Chiles discusses Oregon offer, visit plans
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