Oregon Ducks Football Finalist For Nation's No. 1 Tight End: Also Play Basketball?

The Oregon Ducks football team is recruiting the nation's No. 1 tight end in the 2026 class. Five-star Kendre Harrison has narrowed his schools to Oregon, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida State, Penn State and Miami. Harrison plans to also play college basketball: a great addition for Oregon coach Dana Altman.

Tight end coach Drew Mehringer joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football Thursday March 16, 2023. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA

The Oregon Ducks are finalists for the nation's No. 1 tight end prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. Landing five-star Kendre Harrison would be a huge addition for coach Dan Lanning's football team and coach Dana Altman's basketball team.

The five-star Harrison stands 6'6 and weighs 250 pounds. He hails from Reidsville, North Carolina and is the top player in the state according to On3. Harrison also ranks as the No. 6 overall recruit in the country and No. 1 at his tight end position.

Harrison is down to six schools: North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Florida State, Penn State, and Miami. He has unofficially visited all the schools except for the Ducks.

Oct 8, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks tight ends coach Drew Mehringer against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As a sophomore, Harrison caught 17 receptions for 263 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also played defensive end and recorded 92 tackles (24 tackles for loss), nine sacks, and two blocked punts.

"Could be molded into a variety of different things, but ceiling might ultimately be highest as an in-line tight end given large catch radius and potential as a blocker. Rare size makes him a straight up mismatch for high school defenders, especially in the red zone as he fights for positioning. Not the sharpest route runner at this stage in his development, but can adjust to off-target throws and is a handful to bring down in the open field once he secures the prize. Will move people out of the way and open up run lanes, but improved technique will only allow him to make more of an impact at the point of attack. Must keep progressing and buy into the process at the program of his choice, but has the tools to be a true difference-maker on Saturdays."

- Andrew Ivins via 247Sports

He also plans to play basketball at the next level and holds offers from Florida State, NC State, and Texas A&M as a four-star power forward recruit according to On3. Harrison averaged 21.5 points per game and 15.1 rebounds per game while leading Reidsville to North Carolina’s 2A state championship game as a freshman.

Get this, he's actually shattered two backboards in three months. Altman, take note!

No commitment date is set yet by the 2026 dual-sport athlete as he continues to take more visits to his top six choices.

Oregon's Terrance Ferguson has one final season of eligibility remaining before he moves onto the NFL. Don't worry, another elite tight end might be on his way to Eugene in 2026.