Prediction: Oregon to Land All-American Quarterback

Will Stein and the Ducks appear to be closing in on another commitment from one of the top passers nationally.

Oregon is surging up the national recruiting rankings following the recent commitment of Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy cornerback Ify Obidegwu on Sunday.

Now, their attention turns to a number of big names including USC wide receiver transfer Gary Bryant Jr., who is set to announce his decision on Saturday.

Today, I'm ready to roll out another prediction. I'm predicting that Oregon will land 2024 Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy quarterback Michael Van Buren.

Confidence meter: 7.5/10

Explaining the pick

First off, Van Buren, or MVB as he's come to be known in the Oregon Football community, has clear interest in the Ducks. He has them in his top three along with Maryland and Penn State.

Furthermore, he took two trips out to Eugene in the month of April, which would also indicate clear interest. However, maybe you could dial back what you take away from that second trip just a hair because he did compete in the Elite 11 Eugene regional. 

That's not to say he didn't want to take another trip, but that probably played a role in his prompt return out West.

Furthermore, he's spoke very highly of his relationship with offensive coordinator Will Stein, who's generated a lot of buzz in just the short amount of time he's been on staff with the Ducks, securing commitments from quarterbacks Austin Novosad ('23) and Luke Moga ('24).

The Ducks also landed a commitment from Van Buren's teammate Ify Obidegwu, which gives them a peer recruiter that can stay in his ear about Oregon in a more casual sense versus a coach's approach. He's not on the same side of the ball, but it's still an opportunity to play college ball with a friend, which offers familiarity and a sense of comfort, which is especially important given the distance.

The Ducks are already building a special class that's ranked inside the top ten nationally, and both MVB and the coaches know a commitment from him could shoot this class to the next level and attract more high-level recruits. Penn State, the team that had previously been viewed as his leader, offered a 2024 quarterback in Trever Jackson out of Winter Garden, Florida late last month, which could indicate that they're pivoting their approach, or at the very least preparing for a situation in which they lose out on Van Buren.

Lastly, some of the sources I've talked to are indicating that a commitment date of July 8 that the Under Armour-American had previously set could very well be flexible, so if you take into account all of his recent activity on the trail, Oregon continues to trend as the team to beat.

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