Torres' Take: The Latest in Oregon Football Recruiting, Stanford Week
The talk surrounding Oregon Football right now is the team's roadtrip to Palo Alto to face the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, but there's still plenty to talk about on the recruiting trail.
After landing a commitment from 5-star defensive lineman Tony Cumberland, who told me he's going to try and reclassify to 2025, the Ducks are laser focused on some big-time talent, particularly in the 2024 class.
Let's get into another edition of Torres' Take.
Aydin Breland
Breland is arguably the biggest name still on Oregon's board in the 2024 recruiting class. On Friday he set a commitment date for October 14, the same day the Ducks head to Seattle to play the Washington Huskies in a massive rivalry showdown.
The 5-star defensive lineman from Mater Dei appears to be finished taking visits, and his last one was to Georgia just a few weeks ago. I wrote that I was encouraged by him not setting a commitment date right after that trip, but the timing of this doesn't make me feel a whole lot better.
It's my thinking, and probably that of many others as well, that the Ducks need to get him back on campus to have any real shot of landing his commitment over fellow finalists Georgia and Miami. I'm not saying that all hope is completely lost, but boy this one sure isn't looking promising. I'm gonna try to do some digging for scoop but my immediate reaction to this news is not great.
Jericho Johnson
Fortunately for the Ducks, Breland isn't their only remaining target along the defensive line. They hosted the All-American trench talent from Northern California for the Colorado game and that was an important visit.
Johnson told me he's planning to make his decision some time in November before going public with his school during the early signing period in December. I'm feeling like it might be time to put in a prediction for the Ducks.
I have a hard time betting against Tosh Lupoi for elite Northern California talent and it looks like the plan is for Oregon to get the last official visit before his commitment, with trips to Utah and USC in the works as well.
I think Breland gets most of the attention because he's a five-star and plays at Mater Dei, but I'm not sure the gap between him and Johnson is as big as some people think.
Jeremiah McClellan
I don't have anything new on this front, but I think last weekend's visit tells us something. The Ohio State wide receiver commit made the trip out to Eugene from St. Louis on his own dime and I don't think he does that if he's not still at least willing to hear the Oregon coaches out.
I think the Ducks will have a shot in this one as long as he's still responsive to contact from the staff. Furthermore, I think that part of the reasoning there might be an opening in this recruitment is the idea that Brian Hartline could head to the NFL next year.
While there's no hard reporting or intel that that's the case, I think Oregon is still very much alive in this recruitment and I'll bet they try to get him out for another game, possibly USC.
Sione Laulea III
I logged my pick for Oregon to land the nation's No. 1 JUCO prospect on Thursday and I'm glad I finally did. Not only do the Ducks have a strong relationship with his school and track record of landing its top players, but I think Khyree Jackson's development and Christian Gonzalez's rise in the NFL only strengthen Oregon's case here.
He announces next Sunday on October 8 and as of right now it doesn't appear that he's going to take any other trips before then.
Jason Brown Jr.
The Oregon crystal balls finally started rolling in for Brown this week fresh off his latest trip to Eugene for the Colorado game.
I made my prediction back in August and I think the recent developments at Michigan State only make me feel better about this pick. I think Oregon will continue to try to flip Nate Frazier away from Georgia, but that should be viewed as a long shot.
Now we'll wait for Brown to set a decision date and perhaps more importantly official visits to Oregon and possibly Washington.