Prospect Spotlight: Oregon Getting Involved With WR Derek Meadows
Oregon generated a ton of buzz during the early signing period back in December and and a big reason why was Junior Adams making a huge splash at wide receiver.
The Ducks flipped a pair of blue-chip wide receivers in Jeremiah McClellan (Ohio State) and Ryan Pellum (USC). Add in five-star Gatlin Bair, who committed earlier this month and you have one of the better wide receiver hauls in the country.
Now we're getting some more clarity on who the Ducks are after in 2025 at wide receiver, and more big names keep popping up. After landing early commitments from pass catchers Dallas Wilson and Adrian Wilson, I'm taking a closer look at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman wideout Derek Meadows, who was offered by the Ducks in early February.
It's been a huge start to 2024 for the 6'6", 195-pound pass catcher, as he also added offers from the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators and defending national champion Michigan Wolverines, just to name a few.
As a junior in 2023 he caught 15 passes for 391 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns (according to MaxPreps) en route to a Nevada 5A state championship with the Gaels. With 22 reported scholarship offers to his name, there's a lot to like about his upside.
While his production on the field wasn't elite, he demonstrated why he's a top-tier athlete by taking home Nevada Gatorade track and field player of the year honors. He had a time of 36.73 in the 300 meter hurdles.
When you turn on the tape it's easy to see why he's garnering attention of so many schools. He's got great agility and a solid release for someone of his size. Even at 6'6" he can get behind defenses with relative ease and use his long arms and body control to make impressive catches. Oregon has some recruiting juice in Las Vegas, as they signed safety Kodi DeCambra from Gorman in the 2023 class.
One of the reasons I think Oregon offering Meadows is interesting is because of how their recruiting blueprint at receiver has continued to evolve over the years. They've more or less traditionally placed a strong emphasis on top prospects out West (Troy Franklin, Jurrion Dickey, Chase Cota) like one would expect, but they've also set up shop in Texas recently while trying to push further into the South/Southeast.
The transfer portal has made it easier for the Ducks to land players they missed on coming out of high school. A perfect example is Texas A&M transfer and former 5-star Evan Stewart, and the portal part of the reason the Ducks fall into the "rich get richer" category.
Notre Dame appears to be the school with the most public momentum in Meadows' recruitment, but maybe he'll get up to Eugene this spring, which would allow the Ducks to make up some ground.
It's going to be a battle for Junior Adams and the Ducks to hang on to both of their wide receivers already committed this cycle, and they're also in a great spot with route runners like Cooper Perry and Isaiah Mozee.
I think they'll end up signing four or five wide receivers this cycle, and with the work they've put in at the position up to this point, they should have the ability to be selective with who they take as Dan Lanning tries to build another elite class.
Oregon's 2025 recruiting class
- 4* WR Dallas Wilson (Tampa, FL)
- 4* WR Adrian Wilson (Pflugerville, TX)
- 4* QB Akili Smith Jr. (San Diego, CA)
- 3* EDGE Matthew Johnson (Concord, Calif.)
- 3* OL Chavez "Sandman" Thompson (Melbourne, FL)
