Ducks Digest

Jamari Johnson Previews Final Decision

Jamari Johnson is one of the best athletes in Southern California and the Ducks have been making a strong push late in the 2023 cycle.

Max Torres

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Earlier this week Oregon landed a commitment from 2023 Cypress (Tex.) Cy Ranch High School defensive lineman Ashton Porter. 

Now as we look toward the weekend the Ducks could be closing in on another commitment with Inglewood (Calif.) tight end Jamari Johnson set to make his final college decision during the Adidas All-American Bowl on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound prep spoke with Ducks Digest in San Antonio on Thursday.

Heading into his decision the Louisville pledge has a small group of schools that are still in the mix.

"Oregon, Louisville, Pitt, and Cincinatti," he said.

The versatile athlete has been busy in recent weeks, taking a trio of official visits, including one to Louisville following the hire of new Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm.

"I've been to Pitt and I've been to Oregon and I went to Louisville."

The Ducks hosted Johnson in Eugene during the season as well and continue to make a strong impression.

"Lot of the guys at Oregon are pretty cool, like the coaching staff and stuff like that," he said. "Coach Lanning is a really cool guy, I've gotten to spend a lot of time with him. Coach Drew (Mehringer). I spent the most time with them two. It was a pretty cool visit."

The Ducks already signed Idaho Falls (ID) athlete Kenyon Sadiq, who will play tight end, during the early signing period. It sounds like Johnson would welcome the competition if he ends up with the Ducks.

"Oregon uses their tight ends. They go 12 personnel, 13 personnel sometimes," Johnson said. "If I go there then we would probably just be splitting time and just getting after it."

Another ACC school, Pat Narduzzi and the Pittsburgh Panthers are also battling down the home stretch following a 9-4 season.

"It was a good trip. It was cool to get to watch a college practice and an NFL practice because they practice with the Steelers. That was a pretty cool experience."

Johnson said he plans to sign with his school of choice in February and enroll early in time for spring practice.

What will be most important when he goes to make his final decision on Saturday?

"The most important thing to me is basically where I want to be. I want to be comfortable there," he said. "Like a fit for me, not nobody else. That's the main thing I'm looking for. The whole picture." 

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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