Sione Laulea, Nation's No. 1 JUCO Prospect in 2024, Trims List to Three

Laulea holds 18 offers and could be approaching the finish line in his recruitment.

Max Torres | Aug 21, 2023

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Oregon Ducks

2024 College of San Mateo (Calif.) cornerback Sione Laulea is closing in on a decision.

At least, that's what it looks like after the standout defensive back announced his top three schools on Monday, with Oregon making the cut.

Oregon finds themselves in the company of the USC Trojans and Miami Hurricanes in their pursuit of the top junior college prospect in the country, who has yet to announce a decision date.

Listed at 6'4", 190 pounds, Laulea has the size and athleticism that Dan Lanning covets in his cornerbacks. He took an official visit to Oregon in June, and that trip clearly helped the Ducks gain some ground in his recruitment.

"As soon as I got to put my own two feet on the campus, I got to see the true development and true love behind the coaching staff," he told Ducks Digest. "Coach Tosh Lupoi, he was well-invested in in my time being there. He almost didn't leave my side. Which meant a lot to me."

Laulea also took official visits to USC, Penn State, Utah and Oklahoma this summer.

Torres' Take

Laulea is a special type of cornerback that Oregon has clearly taken a serious interest in. Despite already holding verbal commitments from Dakoda Fields and Ify Obidegwu and having a crowded cornerback room in Eugene, Dan Lanning has proven he'll continue to pursue elite talent. Maybe this is a situation where you try to land the recruit and then figure out the numbers later.

Laulea took an unofficial visit to Penn State when the recruiting dead period ended last month, which made it a surprise to see the Nittany Lions get cut from his recruitment. Oregon has a strong haul already and that includes the secondary.

However, as the number of priority recruits continues to shrink, I wouldn't expect Oregon to let off, but rather put the petal to the medal.

2024 Oregon Recruiting Class

QB Michael Van Buren (MD)
QB Luke Moga (AZ)
RB Da'Jaun Riggs (Washington, D.C.)
TE A.J. Pugliano (OR)
TE Jaxson Ford (TX)
WR Jordan Anderson (CA)
WR Dillon Gresham (CA)
WR Jack Ressler (CA)
OL Fox Crader (WA)
OL JacQawn McRoy (AL)
OL Devin Brooks (OR)
OL Trent Ferguson (OR)
DL Tionne Gray (MO)
DL Xadavien Sims (OK)
EDGE Jaxson Jones (AZ)
LB Kamar Mothudi (CA)
LB Dylan Williams (CA)
CB Dakoda Fields (CA)
CA Ify Obidegwu (MD)
S Aaron Flowers (TX)
S Kingston Lopa (CA)

Published Aug 21, 2023

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.