Prospect Pulse: 5-Star DL Aydin Breland

The race for the No. 1 player in California continues to heat up following an unofficial trip to Georgia.

When looking at the 2024 recruiting class, there may not be a bigger target on Oregon's board than 5-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei defensive lineman Aydin Breland.

He took and unofficial visit to Athens over the weekend to see Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, so it feels like a good time to check in on where I think the Ducks stand in his recruitment. 

For starters, I know this trip to Georgia made some Oregon fans uneasy. Especially with his teammate Brandon Baker trending towards Texas ahead of announcing his commitment this weekend, it's even more important that the Ducks land Breland.

I get it, it's not great to see one of your top targets visiting the back-to-back national champions, who also boast the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by three 5-star recruits.

So I'll offer this.

In my eyes, one encouraging sign for Oregon here is that Breland has not set a commitment date yet. If he had announced a commitment date fresh off this trip, then I would be more concerned about the Ducks chances, as that would mean Georgia would appear to be the leader--at least on the surface. But that's not the case.

Oregon is still alive in this recruitment. While Georgia may have the momentum after a recent trip, the Ducks have prioritized Breland in this class and haven't let up in their efforts. Furthermore, seeing that a bulk of this class is filled out with 23 commits, their group of uncommitted targets has shrunk over the summer, which means they have a clearer idea of who to focus on and ramp up contact with. 

I'm almost positive Breland is at the top of that list, with a lot of Oregon's Southern California ties on the coaching staff and roster being leveraged here. Now, the priority shifts to getting him back on campus for a visit. 

While Breland used Mater Dei's bye week to trip out to Athens, you'd have to think that setting up an unofficial visit to return to Eugene would be fairly easy. This is a situation where Oregon has distance on their side. 

If he doesn't go to Oregon, he'd be playing across the country in Georgia or Miami. We can't be too quick to write that off. After all, his teammate Nate Frazier committed to Georgia last month and will be a Bulldog.

As for Miami, that's another school that's very far from home, but they're riding some solid recruiting momentum right now. They landed a commitment from five-star Miami (Fla.) Central defensive lineman Armondo Blount following their big win over Texas A&M in week 2.

I'll end it with this. Oregon can do three things to wrap this one up.

With no commitment date set, they can keep consistent contact. Make sure he knows he's a priority, but also give him space. I've interviewed him multiple times and can tell it's not his style to have his phone blown up constantly.

Secondly, do everything you can to get him back on campus. It may appear like the Ducks need to get him back on campus to land him. While I'm not so sure that's the case, having your top target in Eugene to soak up a gameday atmosphere in Autzen certainly can't hurt.

And lastly? Just win. It may go without saying, but winning on the field is still the best recruiting tool. Oregon's defense looks like its settling in, and players like Jordan Burch, Matayo Uiagalelei and Popo Aumavae are all playing big roles early in the 2023 season. 

If Dan Lanning's vision can continue coming together on the field, that will ensure the Ducks are still an appealing option.

So now, we wait to see what comes next.