Oregon DL Target Ben Roberts Decommits from Washington

Could Oregon swoop in and steal another former Huskies pledge?

2022 defensive lineman Ben Roberts  has decommitted from Washington and is reopening his recruitment. He announced the news over Twitter on Tuesday.

"I always wanted to play football at the next level, and this was nothing I was looking forward to," he wrote. "After talking with my family, I have decided to decommit from the University of Washington. I like to thank Coach Lake and his staff for showing me endless love.

"This decision was not easy to make at all, but I know God will put me in the right spot for success. I will be re-opening my recruiting process."

Roberts, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman from East High School in Salt Lake City, originally committed to Washington on June 27. He chose the Huskies over Oregon, Tennessee, Washington State, Virginia Tech, and Nebraska.

Washington has had a tough offseason in terms of recruiting, as Roberts is now the fourth recruit to decommit from the program. Defensive tackle Sir Mells pledged to Washington before decommitting and switching to the Ducks in June. The Huskies currently have 10 commits with just two coming on the defensive side.

Roberts committed while on a visit to Seattle. He also took visits to Tennessee and Virginia Tech in June, and he visited Oregon for the SNL camp in late July while he was committed to Washington.

The Ducks will certainly be back in the mix for Roberts. They have been a landing spot for a couple of players who previously committed to other programs, including Mells and former Texas A&M wide receiver commit Isaiah Sategna.

Defensive tackle is an area that the Ducks could look to add to in the 2022 cycle. They currently hold commitments from Mells and Gracen Halton, and they have interest in other linemen such as Roberts, Anthony Lucas, and Nyjalik Kelly.

Utah is a state where the Ducks have pulled a bunch of elite players, especially in the trenches. Penei Sewell, Kingsley Suamataia, Haloti Ngata, Jackson Light, and Ricky Havili-Heimuli are just a few of the linemen that the Ducks have brought in from Utah.

If the Ducks can land Roberts, it would be yet another victory for them over the Huskies in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Puyallup offensive lineman Dave Iuli chose Oregon over in-state Washington, and San Diego cornerback Jahlil Florence picked the Ducks hat over the Huskies just last week. 

Oregon has another chance to steal a talented recruit away from Washington as Jalil Tucker will decide between the two Pac-12 schools as well as Florida State on August 20. The Ducks already have bragging rights over the Huskies in recruiting — and on the field, as they've won 15 of the last 19 meetings — but bringing Tucker and Roberts to Eugene would be a crushing blow to the Huskies and a delight for Oregon fans.

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