Oregon Ducks Early Contenders for top 2024 O'Dea Athlete Jason Brown Jr.

The Ducks are in a great spot with one of the premier athletes in the Northwest for 2024.

The Ducks just landed a commitment from 2023 safety Kodi DeCambra, but they're also hard at work pursuing prospects in the 2024 class. 

One player Oregon is very high on early is O'Dea (Seattle, Wash.) athlete Jason Brown Jr. Standing 5'10" and weighing 194 pounds, Brown has made a name for himself on both sides of the ball, doubling as a speedy running back and a lockdown corner. 

With his junior season coming up this fall, schools from across the country including Alabama, Michigan State and of course Oregon, have all come calling with scholarship offers. 

“It's still all pretty fresh and new to me," Brown said of the recruiting process "I'm just trying to navigate through it a little bit. See what places fit me best in the upcoming future.”

READ MORE: What Kodi DeCambra's commitment means for Oregon 

As he navigates the process and starts to talk with schools, there's a group of schools he's been in contact with the most.

“Definitely Oregon. Oregon's at the top I just had a conversation with Coach Lock on the phone for about two and a half hours yesterday (Friday)," he said. "We had a really good conversation. UW of course, USC, Michigan State."

Brown clarified that he doesn't have any leaders in his recruitment, but the Ducks are recruiting him the hardest, led by new running backs coach Carlos Locklyn.

Jason Brown Visits Oregon

Jason Brown Jr./Oregon Athletics

O'Dea running back Jason Brown Jr. poses inside Autzen Stadium. 

“He's been very upfront and honest throughout this whole recruiting process," Brown said. "He likes to call it building a relationship and I feel like he's truly making an effort to build a relationship with me beyond the football part.

"I mean yesterday we were having conversations about everything. A lot of coaches when they talk to me, it's usually oh, yeah, let's talk ball, let’s talk ball, let’s talk ball, especially when it comes to going on visits and things like that. Of course it's good to talk football, but he's talking to me as if I’m his own son in a sense, just having conversations about life.”

Brown has been on Oregon's radar since before Dan Lanning took over as head coach, but he's noticed a tangible difference in the new staff.

“I was getting recruited by Coach Cristobal’s staff, but the thing is about Coach Lanning’s staff–I don't know, it's just a completely different feel. It feels like— even when they come to like practice and conversations with these guys, the energy, the energy just stands out.”

“All the players they want to be there," he said. "All the guys that are on that roster want to be there and they’re willing to bleed into that program. That stands out.”

Jason Brown Visits Oregon

Jason Brown Jr./Oregon Athletics

2024 athlete Jason Brown Jr. poses with head coach Dan Lanning.

Another school that seems to have some momentum early is USC. Brown was able to trip down to Los Angeles for a short visit this spring and echoed a similar sentiment when describing the energy around the Trojans program as Lincoln Riley works to turn things around.

"I feel like the thing that stands out the most is–I don’t know even the presence of Lincoln Riley, I feel like it brought the program to a whole new level. And then the guys that are surrounding that program really believe in what Coach Riley is speaking. That stands out a lot."

READ MORE: Kodi DeCambra details Oregon commitment 

The Trojans have also created a lot of buzz around the players they've landed through the transfer portal like former Pittsburg wide receiver Jordan Addison.

"For guys that, from their previous schools to win Biletnikoff awards and things like that to still want to go into another program. That stands out. A lot of guys that are transferring in, they were fine where they were. These guys were dominating doing really good things where they were. Obviously USC is building something special if those guys are willing to up and pack their bags and jump into something new like that.”

As the summer looms Brown doesn't have any trips planned, but he does have some schools in mind he'd like to check out.

"I hope to hit up some of the schools that I've already visited like Oregon and USC. I definitely want to go visit Michigan State soon," he said. "Just really the places that are recruiting me the hardest right now. These programs are showing a lot of love to me early, so I definitely want to see what they're talking about.”

*WATCH JASON BROWN JR. HIGHLIGHTS HERE*

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