Who's Next for Oregon After Landing Elijah Rushing?
Dan Lanning and the Ducks are celebrating another huge recruiting win after landing five-star EDGE Elijah Rushing on Monday.
Recruiting moves quickly and fans are always asking: who's next?
So let's take a look at some of the top candidates that could be in line to commit to Oregon next.
Jordan Seaton
The five-star offensive tackle out of IMG Academy in Florida seems to be one of the top recruits that Oregon has picked up a lot of buzz with. He was in Eugene for an unofficial visit when the Ducks faced Washington State and I expect him to return for an official visit before making his commitment.
I'm feeling more confident that Oregon is capable of pulling this one off, but they'll have to hold off the likes of Alabama, Florida and Ohio State to get it done. A'lique Terry has been a very strong recruiter since he joined this staff and Seaton would no doubt be his biggest win on the trail.
Solomon Williams
Staying in the state of Florida, the four-star EDGE was also in town when the Ducks faced the Cougars. However, his visit was an official visit. Williams is publicly down to a top five, but coming out of the visit is reportedly down to two schools, with one of them being Oregon.
I think Alabama is probably the biggest threat to Oregon right now, but I'm hearing some Texas A&M chatter as well.
It's pretty crazy to think that the Ducks are in serious contender to add another quality edge rusher after landing Rushing, but it's pretty clear the buzz for Williams to Oregon is very real.
Roger Saleapaga II
Saleapaga is another recruit I have predicted to Oregon, although it feels like the buzz has died down a bit. That's not to say the Ducks have lost ground, but I thought he was going to make his decision a bit ago.
It now appears that he's going to take some more time with his process, as he reportedly has five official visits scheduled moving forward. I still like Oregon's chances, especially after Jackson Ford backed off his pledge to the Ducks.
Jericho Johnson
Johnson is a huge target still on the board for the Ducks right up there with Solomon Williams. He took his official visit to Utah over the weekend, one of his four finalists, which means he had a front row seat to Oregon's domination of the Utes.
I still think Washington is the main threat here, but official visits to USC and Oregon remain on the schedule. I know Tosh Lupoi is pushing to get the final official visit and with a public decision expected in December I think Oregon's on-field performance is only helping their chances.
Jason Brown Jr.
Brown is the top uncommitted back on the West Coast, but I think his recruitment is one that's slowed down. I think there are three reasons behind that.
The first is that Washington is playing the best football they've played arguably in Brown's lifetime, and being a Seattle native he's going to hear the Huskies out. It makes sense to reason this is down to Oregon and Washington after Michigan State fired Mel Tucker, but maybe some other schools try to hop in.
The second reason is that Noah Whittington's injury likely means he'll return in 2024, which would make the path to playing time that much more difficult for Brown as well as any back on the Oregon roster.
Lastly Oregon is still pursuing Georgia commit Nate Frazier, and I've made it very clear that Frazier has been their No. 1 guy at running back this entire cycle.
Nate Frazier
Frazier told me that the contact from Oregon has only increased since his teammate Aydin Breland committed to the Ducks.
He kind of deflected my questions about if Oregon has a legit shot, but I think as long as he's responsive or open to communication, which I get the impression he is, the Ducks will stay alive.
The next step here is probably getting him on campus for a game, which is never easy with recruits committed elsewhere. But the Ducks will try.
Brandon Baker
This one is kind of a long shot. It became clear down the stretch that Oregon's priorities were taking them elsewhere, which I think is why he chose Texas.
However I really got the sense that Baker wanted to be at Oregon so maybe this is one to keep tabs on after Breland told me he's trying to flip him and Frazier.
