Torres' Take: The Latest in Oregon Football Recruiting
Dan Lanning and the Ducks are locked in for their week 3 game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, but we're seeing some new developments on the recruiting trail.
Some fans may be underwhelmed by Oregon's No. 12-ranked 2024 recruiting class, but the coaching staff has been hard at work behind the scenes. Oregon defensive line commit Xadavien Sims will be back on campus this week for an unofficial visit, and he's surely not going to be the only big-time recruit in town.
Let's dive into the latest developments for the Ducks on the recruiting trail.
Aydin Breland
The 2024 five-star defensive lineman dropped his top three on Wednesday, and Oregon finds themselves competing with Georgia and Miami for the elite defender's commitment. Breland will head east this weekend to check out the defending national champs in Athens during his by week, which is a notable development.
The good news for the Ducks is that he hasn't set a commitment date yet. If that changes coming out of this weekend's trip, I'd feel a bit shaky, but for now I'm liking where Oregon stands. They may even hold a slight lead right now. Breland has been a priority target for a long time, and Oregon being his first offer means Lanning has longevity to his advantage.
Even though he's working from a top three, I'd say this is a two-team race between Oregon and Georgia. With Breland taking a trip to see Kirby Smart this weekend, I fully expect the Ducks to do what they can to get him back on campus for a visit. Maybe the Colorado game next week? We'll see.
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Brandon Baker
As for Breland's five-star teammate, it's a different story. After some deliberation and talking to some folks here in Southern California and close to that recruitment, I decided to change my prediction from Oregon to Texas. As the summer wore on and we got closer to the season, Baker didn't make it back to Eugene and there's still no official visit scheduled with the Ducks, which only makes it look like Oregon's chances are continuing to fade.
Baker will head to Nebraska this weekend for his official visit with the Cornhuskers, but I think Texas is the clear-cut favorite heading into his commitment on September 24. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle has been closely linked to the Ducks for a long time, but it appears their priorities have shifted to other offensive linemen in the 2024 class like Eddy Pierre-Louis and Jordan Seaton. I expect both to make it out to Eugene this fall.
Solomon Williams
The Florida edge rusher placed the Ducks in his top five schools on Thursday morning and it's clear the Ducks are picking up some steam in this recruitment.
He'll make the cross-country trip to Eugene for his official visit when Oregon hosts Colorado next week, and boy what an important that visit is for Dan Lanning. Williams was last in Eugene this summer and has been a frequent visitor, which certainly helps Oregon's cause.
The Ducks have struck out with some premier edge rushers this cycle like Elijah Rushing, Colin Simmons and Jordan Ross--but they're doing what they can to make sure that's not the case with Williams. A strong visit could go a long way in his recruitment as official visits ramp up this fall and he likely gets closer to a decision.
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Micah Hudson
This is an interesting recruitment to talk about. After news broke last weekend that Oregon was getting involved with the five-star wide receiver out of Temple (Tex.) Lake Belton, he promptly committed to Texas Tech. Right after the Ducks pulled out a win in Lubbock no less.
If you follow recruiting you've probably heard about him and how strong his ties were with Texas Tech. Joey McGuire and his staff had put in a TON of work behind the scenes and make him a major priority. That's why it felt like more of a matter of when not if with him becoming a Red Raider and now he's the first five-star they've ever landed.
I think the Ducks are going to stick around and maybe try to get him out for a visit, but I definitely wouldn't expect anything too crazy to happen in the near future.
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Quarterbacks of the future
I've been lucky enough to get eyes on all three of Oregon's quarterback commits in Luke Moga, Michal Van Buren and Akili Smith Jr. After seeing all three of them in person, I think I've come away with a bit of a surprising conclusion.
Of the two 2024 commits Will Stein has in the fold, I might be a bit higher on Moga than I am Van Buren. Now granted, Van Buren is playing against much tougher competition, we're talking the hardest schedule in the country--I'm just so excited about Moga's upside.
He's an elite athlete, as is demonstrated by his 10.49 speed in the 100 meters. I also really like his ability as a playmaker, keeping plays alive all while keeping his eyes downfield. He kind of has this backyard or recess vibe to his game and it's just flat out fun to watch.
Moga will have work to do once he gets to Eugene, especially since this is only his second full season as a starting quarterback at the high school level, but the ceiling is super high and I really like his game.