The Latest With Oregon and Boise State WR Commit Gatlin Bair

Bair took a recent visit to Eugene for the USC game and his recruitment is getting interesting.

The early signing period is approaching next month, which means that Oregon is trying to put the finishing touches on a strong 2024 class. One player that they'd love to add to the fold is Burley (ID) wide receiver Gatlin Bair, who's currently committed to Boise State.

The Ducks hosted Bair for an unofficial earlier this month and I was able to speak with Burley head football coach Cameron Andersen to get the latest details in Bair's recruitment.

With Boise State firing head coach Andy Avalos earlier this month, Andersen commented on Bair's commitment to the Broncos.

"The situation that he has committed to isn't the same situation that's there now. He's been pretty open with the Boise State staff that he was going to take in the other options that he was comfortable with.

"Boise State really doesn't have any answers right now because they're in the middle of also trying to play for a championship and their coaching search. He's been pretty open with all the staff that he's going to step back and look at everything and I think that Oregon and Michigan have done a really nice job of putting themselves in a spot where they can be considered."

The Ducks have excelled at recruiting the wide receiver position under Junior Adams, and it sounds like they've done a great job with Bair, showing a relentless pursuit.

"They've done a really good job of recruiting him," Andersen said when asked about Bair's Oregon interest. "They didn't really slow down their recruitment when he committed to Boise State. They really didn't slow down at all. They've made it known to him that he's a high priority for them."

One thing that's made this recruitment a special one for the Ducks is the personal involvement of their head coach.

"Coach [Dan] Lanning has really been integral in his recruitment as well," the Burley head coach said. "Obviously Junior [Adams] and Joe [Lorig] have been a big piece of it, but Coach Lanning has been really hands-on with this. As far as Gatlin goes I think one is their style of play. I know that they really value who he is and he looks at what he does and looks at the wide receivers like [Troy] Franklin that are there now. He looks at what they're doing and he sees the obvious capacity for him to have success in that system as well."

Bair's latest trip to Eugene sounds like it definitely helped the Ducks.

"I think that they've done a really phenomenal job, especially on his visit---they really did a really good job of showing him the atmosphere, demonstrating to him and his dad, who went with him, reestablishing the strength and conditioning which is a big piece for Gatlin. Reestablishing that he feels solidarity with Coach Lanning, because for him it's not are you gonna be there next year, it's gonna be there two years? I would say they've done a really good job to put themselves in a really good spot."

With the 6-foot-3, 195-pound speedster taking another look at his options, his head coach shared his insight on when Bair might make his final decision on where he wants to play his college football.

Some fans may be surprised to learn that there's some flexibility despite him being an early high school graduate.

"He got his mission call. He's gonna go to Dallas, Texas," he said. "He leaves in February, so really his options are still open to sign in either period (December or February). I would say that either is still an option. 

"Obviously the advantage to doing it early is that you can get it done and then he can just focus on his mission and finishing his senior year out early. But also he's been in a situation that he committed to, it has changed. And I think there's value to collecting as much information as possible."

It doesn't sound like there's any more trips on Bair's schedule, but that doesn't mean the process will slow down.

"He's visited both twice (Oregon and Michigan). He's built good relationships with both and both are doing in-home visits with him next week. So he'll have had all of the situation necessary to commit and sign in December, but he hasn't really made a decision on what's the best option thus far. Oregon will be there Monday and Michigan will be there Tuesday."

As he enters another important stretch of his recruitment, it sounds like he's focusing on a core three of Boise State, Oregon and Michigan."

"There's no schools under consideration that aren't in that list. In that top three. The only one's that he would be considering would be those three. By the end of this week, there should be some clarity as to what his direction is going to be."

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