Oregon's Move to the Big Ten a "Green Light" for Dakoda Fields in Flip From USC

Dakoda Fields' flip from USC to Oregon is evidence that a great recruiting rivalry will only heat up in the Big Ten.

Los Alamitos, Calif.--After putting on dark red carinal USC gloves for the better part of a month, 2024 Gardena (Calif.) Serra cornerback Dakoda Fields was pulling on bright green Oregon Ducks gloves as he warmed up to scrimmage Los Alamitos.

It was just one indication of his recent flip from Lincoln Riley to Dan Lanning-- a huge statement on the recruiting trail following the news of Oregon heading to the Big Ten.

New #Oregon CB commit Dakoda Fields getting loose before tonight’s scrimmage against Los Alamitos. #GoDucks 🦆 pic.twitter.com/ZRWNN1Ezez

— Max Torres (@mtorressports) August 12, 2023

The recruiting process was a stressful one for Fields, filled with the pressure to stay home and play for the Trojans. He reflected on why he chose to flip to Oregon.

"Ever since I committed to SC, Coach (Dan) Lanning, just the Oregon coaching staff as a whole, they kept pushing. They made it clear that they weren't going to give up, they were going to try to get me. 

"I felt a lot of love from them and I just felt like Oregon has always been my school since I was a kid. I've always enjoyed being there, all the visits that I've been on and I've just got genuine love for the coaches and they have genuine love for me. So I just feel like it's a family-oriented place and I just feel the most comfortable there."

With a decision made, he feels like a weight is off his shoulders and he's ready to compete with the Serra Cavaliers during his senior season. Fields also commented on the strength of his pledge.

"Yeah (it) definitely is because in my head it's been back-and-forth SC and Oregon, what's the right decision? But I think now I'm going to stand on my commitment, 100% Oregon."

Oregon's move to the Big Ten in 2024 has been dominating headlines in recent weeks and the Ducks' new conference may have been what pushed them over the edge.

“A big role was actually the Big Ten," Fields said on the timing of his decision. "I was waiting on that for a long time. I didn’t want them to stay in the Pac-12 because I wanted to play against the best competition. Once they moved to the Big Ten, that was the green light for me."

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back built plenty of strong relationships with the Oregon coaches, and those never faded while he was committed.

"Coach Meat and Coach Tosh and Coach Lanning, they dang near feel like my uncles and cousins," he said. "I talk to them almost every single day. It's not one day that goes by without one of them talking to me. They never stopped recruiting me even when I committed to SC."

Fields drew a lot of attention when he visited Oregon for Saturday Night Live last month. It was during that trip that he knew he wanted to be a Duck.

"Honestly I knew during the last day of the visit," Fields said. "I got to hang out with Rodrick Pleasant, Solomon Davis, Jerry Mixon--a lot of the freshmen, Kodi (DeCambra) and I just got a real feel for how it is being at Oregon. Being a student athlete. After that I felt real comfortable, kept feeling love from the coaches. My relationships kept getting better."

Pleasant went to Serra with Fields and his decision came down to the wire on National Signing Day in February. He also chose the Ducks over the Trojans.

"He told me that he didn't even know where he wanted to go the day of (his commitment)," Fields said of Pleasant's decision. "But he felt like the Oregon coaching staff was more defensive-oriented, so he picked the defensive school."

Fields is the latest big-time recruit to depart from the talent-rich hotbed of Southern California and head to Eugene to play his college football. 

What's almost a guarantee? 

He certainly won't be the last.