The Latest With Oregon and Jahlil Florence Ahead of Early Signing Period

The Ducks have a strong presence in San Diego and Florence is one of the best defensive backs in California.

We've already seen attrition on the recruiting trail for Oregon in the form of three decommitments following the departure of Mario Cristobal to Miami. With the early signing period just over a week away, the Ducks are hoping to hang on to as many of their 2022 commits as possible.

One of those recruits is Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) High School defensive back Jahlil Florence, who committed to Oregon back in August. He took some time to update Ducks Digest on the latest in his recruitment.

Cristobal's move to Miami surprised the California prep, who was expecting a visit from the former head coach over the weekend. 

"When I got the news, I was really surprised. He was supposed to be at my house on Sunday. He called me and told me it was a personal reason was why he couldn't make it."

In the time since Cristobal's departure, he's continued to hear from the Oregon staff, with Director of Recruiting Don Johnson and Cornerbacks Coach Rod Chance still recruiting him.

Florence is one of many recruits whose coach has taken another job, and he now finds himself playing the waiting game.

"My commitment status is still committed, really just waiting to see who the head coach is to make my next move," he said. "See if by signing day we have a coach and by then I’ll decide what I'm doing with my recruitment."

Roy Manning, the former Oklahoma cornerbacks coach, is expected to join Lincoln Riley's staff at USC and paid Florence a visit on Monday.

"It was cool," the prep said of the visit from the staff. "He was letting us know what the Oklahoma staff is gonna bring to Southern California and how they’re gonna change USC back to how it really used to be. By next year they’re gonna have things rocking and rolling."

That visit ended up resulting in a scholarship offer from the Trojans. But how much weight does it hold, seeing that he's committed to Oregon?

"The offer was great. Very thankful for it. I’m really not looking too deep into it right now. I'm still committed to Oregon and waiting to see what happens with the next head coach."

USC's hiring of Riley has taken the country by storm and drummed up a lot of excitement. Florence shared his thoughts on the hire.

"That’s crazy. He brings a lot to football. You can see that he loves the game," Florence said of Riley. "You can see his history at Oklahoma and he likes to win. That’s the biggest part about it. I like the energy he brings to football. He's gonna bring USC football back I feel like."

Looking ahead to the next week, Florence says he "definitely" won't be signing on on the 15th of the month. As for his calendar and visit itinerary, he's only used two of his five official visits, with trips to Eugene as well as Michigan's Ann Arbor.

What's next for him hinges on what emerges from Oregon's search for a head coach in the near future.

"If I don't get any news soon I’ll definitely be taking some visits to look at my options," Florence said.

247's Greg Biggins tweeted that Florence's teammate and fellow Oregon commit Jalil Tucker was offered as well. From the sound of it, he's in a similar situation with Tucker playing the waiting game.

"We’re both in the same boat. We both take the process together," Florence said. "I don't know what decision he’s making. We're both trying to figure out who the head coach is gonna be."

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How Mario Cristobal's departure will affect Oregon recruiting

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