Five-Star Recruit Elbert Hill Visiting Oregon Ducks, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan

The Oregon Ducks are getting a visit from top recruiting target, five-star cornerback Elbert Hill. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, and Alabama Crimson Tide are also in contention to land Hill's commitment.

Five-star cornerback Elbert Hill wearing Oregon gloves in his high school game. / Instagram / @11.rockkk

Five-star cornerback Elbert Hill is one of the top prospects in the recruiting class of 2026, and the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning are a contender to land the elite talent's commitment.

Steve Wiltfong of On3 spoke with Hill's father, Elbert III, about his son's recruitment process and upcoming visits in the offseason. In addition to a return trip to Oregon, the top recruit in Ohio, Hill is also considering visits to Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, and Michigan.

"Oregon they’ve done a phenomenal job recruiting him. They were the only school that actually came to watch him this year. They came out and it was actually our playoff game against Walsh. They came out from the beginning of the game, and it was rain, snow, thunderstorms everything. They made it out and said they wanted to see him and that meant a lot to us."

Five-star cornerback Elbert Hill wearing Oregon gloves in his high school game. / Instagram / @11.rockkk

Wiltfong confirmed that Hill will be visiting the Ducks in January.

The elite recruit has visited Oregon multiple times, including a trip to Eugene in November as the Ducks beat Maryland in Autzen Stadium. Additionally, Hill has spent time with Lanning and the rest of the staff during a summer visit as part of the program's Saturday Night Live camp.

In the fall, Hill released a top 10 that consisted of Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC. The Ohio native has taken a trip to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama coach Kalen Deboer and the Crimson Tide, and the midwest schools have a distance advantage on their side.

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The Ducks have had recent success in recruiting the defensive backfield under Lanning's leadership. In the 2025 class, Oregon landed commitments from four defensive backs ranked inside the 247Sports Composite top-50: cornerback Na'eem Offord, cornerback Brandon Finney, safety Trey McNutt, and cornerback Dorian Brew.

"Oregon, we talk to those guys if not every day, every other day," Elbert III said to Wiltfong. "They already told us about the plan they would have for him. He told them his goals and what he’s looking for in a school. We’re just making sure everything aligns right as we’re making this decision, it’s a big decision."

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 recruiting cycle has not officially ended with National Signing Day in February, but Oregon's 2026 class is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by the On3 Industry Rankings. The Early National Signing Period took place in December, and the Ducks finished with the top class in the Big Ten.

However, five-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson was granted a release from his financial aid agreemnt and flipped from Oregon to Florida. Most recently, five-star quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele has entered the transfer portal after flipping from Cal to Oregon and participating in Rose Bowl practices with the team.

Should Oregon land Hill over Ohio State, Alabama, and the rest of his finalists, the elite cornerback would join a 2026 class with fellow five-stars, tight end Kendre Harrison and offensive tackle Kodi Greene.

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