CLASS IMPACT: Tight End Jackson Ford Commits to Oregon

Breaking down Oregon's newest commitment in the 2024 recruiting class.

On Wednesday, Oregon secured a commitment from 2024 Melissa (Tex.) tight end Jackson Ford. He's the ninth commitment for Dan Lanning this cycle and made his decision after visiting this past weekend. 

We're breaking this one down from all angles, focusing on what his addition means for the Ducks.

Recruiting Impact

Ford's commitment comes at a great time for the Ducks, who have now landed four commitments in the month of April. Heading into a massive recruiting weekend that coincides with the spring game, it's nice to have a bit of juice starting things off.

His commitment also further strengthens Oregon's pipeline to Texas, one of the most talented states in the country. He's the second Texan to join the fold this cycle, following in the footsteps of safety Aaron Flowers from Forney.

Maybe an added bonus? Ford is teammates with 2024 four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II, who has visited Oregon before and is someone he plans on recruiting to join him in the 2024 class.

The Ducks have been short on tight ends this spring. The transfers of Moliki Matavao and Cam McCormick are really stinging right now, as Terrance Ferguson's injury has left the team with just two scholarship tight ends in Patrick Herbert and Kenyon Sadiq. 

It looks like the staff doesn't want to be in this position again, and Oregon's newest commit should help build depth at the position. The Ducks now have pledges from two tight ends including North Medford standout A.J. Pugliano.

Evaluation

Ford is an interesting eval at 6'6", 242 pounds.  If you turn on his film, his athleticism is hard to miss. 

He moves well for his size, but what I kept thinking was the he actually moves better as a defensive end than as a tight end. That could be because he's newer to the position and told me he didn't get as many looks as he wanted to at tight end in 2022.

As a recruit that used to play quarterback, you can see he's still honing in a lot on his technique and getting comfortable just moving around in his body as a tight end. He's got physicality for sure, but there's not a lot to go on from a route-running standpoint. 

At the moment he seems like more of a project than an early-impact kind of player, but maybe this staff sees him making a big leap during his senior season.

Roster Outlook at Oregon

The tight end picture is pretty in flux at the moment as spring ball winds down. I wouldn't be surprised if Ferguson had a strong enough season to test the NFL waters, and Herbert is entering 2023 as a fifth-year junior. 

With Ferguson out until fall camp, early enrollee Kenyon Sadiq is drinking from a fire hose right now as an early enrollee freshman, but that could benefit him down the line. All that to say Sadiq is the only scholarship tight end that I'm confident will be back in 2024 if we're trying to project.

With the Ducks holding a commitment from Pugliano as well, my thinking is that they expect at least one of him or Ford to be able to contribute as a true freshman in some capacity. Right now I'm giving the edge to Pugliano, but Ford is the more physically-imposing player, which could make it easier for him to find the field.

If he has a productive senior season and hones in his technique, the Ducks' tight end haul could look even more intriguing.

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