Oregon Ducks Or Texas A&M Aggies To Land 5-Star Recruit Brandon Arrington?

Can the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning secure the commitment from five-star recruit Brandon Arrington? The Texas A&M Aggies and Mike Elko are the front runners to land Arrington, the No. 8 player in the nation, the No. 1 Athlete, and the No. 2 player in California.

The Oregon Duck is lifted up by cheerleaders on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, after the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 45-37. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the high school recruiting season happening around the clock for college football programs, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks are not just preparing for their Rose Bowl appearance on New Year's Day, but also laying the groundwork for seasons to come.

Right now, the Ducks are in the mix for five-star wide receiver and cornerback prospect Brandon Arrington, a four-star athlete in the class of 2026. He’s the No. 18 prospect of his class according to 247 Sports and his On3 Sports Industry ranking puts him even higher, No. 8 in the nation.

Arrington is also valued at the No. 1 athlete for the class of 2026 ESPN Jr. 300.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Battle Sports (@battlesports)

Currently, Arrington is a top target for the Texas A&M Aggies. His last unofficial visit with the Aggies was on Aug. 31, and it is one of two unofficial visits Arrington has done in addition to a stop with the San Diego State Aztecs. On3 currently projects Arrington to commit to the Aggies with an over 93% certainty, but the Ducks are also pursuing this prospect.

The Ducks offered Arrington on Jan. 29, 2024. The Spring Valley, California native would fit in with Oregon’s high-flying offense as he’s a dual sport athlete for track and football. In the 2024 track and field season for Mount Miguel, Arrington won state titles in the 100 meter and 200 meter races. Arrington is considered one of the most gifted sprinters in the 2026 class, according to his most recent scouting evaluation.

“Has personal best times of 10.43-100m and 20.76-200m as a sophomore and could easily double sport in college,” wrote 247Sports scout Greg Biggins. “On the grid-iron, shows the ability to play corner or receiver and should also develop into a dangerous return man. Has a long, athletic 6-2, 180 pound frame with plenty of room to add good weight.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MileSplit (@milesplit)

With a lot of promise to improve on the horizon, the Ducks could get that speed-based receiver they’ve historically specialized in developing as a program.

“Still developing as a pass catcher, fights the ball at times but has made big strides over the last year in his ability to track the football and run after the catch,” Biggins said. “Can run more than just go routes and has improved as a route runner and in his ability to set up an opposing corner.”

Right now, Oregon has 12 returning wide receivers. Highlights of the potential receiver corps for next year are junior Gary Bryant Jr, and sophomore Justius Lowe. Junior receiver Evan Stewart is expected declare for the NFL Draft, but no decision has been announced yet. Sophomore Kyler Kasper is expected to return after a season ending injury, and redshirt freshman Jurrion Dickey is also expected to make an impact after a season riddled with battling injuries as well. Oregon has seven freshmen in their receiver corps for the 2024 season.

As for the cornerback room, that’s an area where Oregon is actively bringing in new talent to fill a sparse room with so many departing seniors. Na’eem Offord, the No. 2 cornerback prospect of the 2025 class, recently flipped his commitment to Oregon from Ohio State. Four-star Brandon Finney and Dorian Brew are also being picked up from the class of 2025 with Northwestern junior transfer Theran Johnson also joining the Ducks for next season.