Linkon Cure, 5-star tight end, on Oregon: 'What is there not to love, honestly?'

Andrew Nemec | Nov 6, 2024

Five-star tight end Linkon Cure on a visit to Oregon / Courtesy of Linkon Cure

The Oregon Ducks are set to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, which will provide a Big Ten backdrop to host recruits.

And a big one is expected on campus.

Goodland (Kansas) five-star tight end Linkon Cure is making a return trip to Eugene, despite his commitment to the Kansas State Wildcats.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound pass-catcher is rated the nation's No. 32 overall prospect and No. 1 tight end.

For his part, Cure has a lot of positive things to say about Dan Lanning's Ducks ahead of his return visit.

"Everything stands out about Oregon for me," he said. "What is there not to love, honestly? It’s a great route for me personally for a multitude of reasons and we’ll just have to see how the weekend goes. It’ll be a lot of fun to be around the coaching staff. They are like a family to me."

Cure fits a key position of need in the class of 2025 - and Oregon has worked tirelessly to flip Vander Ploog from the Washington Huskies and Andrew Olesh from the Michigan Wolverines.

Could he be the answer?

Kansas State continues to feel good about its chances of keeping Cure in the fold, but the race appears to be tightening at the right time for Oregon.

In the end, it could come down to Cure's feeling on this weekend's trip.

Whoever gets the Kansas product will be securing a future difference-maker for their offense.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about the All-American Bowl selection as a prospect:

"Big, athletic, playmaking tight end prospect who can line up as a true receiver and provide mismatches in the passing game."

"Valuable two-way snaps at the high school level, combined with strong multi-sport athletic profile. Double-digit scorer and high-flying act on the basketball court. Kansas 3A state championship-caliber hurdler."

"Uses speed-changing nuance as a route runner and gravitates toward space when available. Combines strength with speed as a run-after-catch threat. Athletic enough to hurt defenses in the vertical game, while also providing a big-play threat in the screen/quick game. Advanced ball skills and corresponding tracking ability in the deep portion of the field. Excellent ball-winning consistency in contested situations, likely influenced by multi-sport background and excellent functional athleticism relative to size."

"Strong production as a junior with nearly 1,000 receiving yards and 14 TDs on 22.5 per reception. Adding some mass/strength and calibrating to P4-caliber opponents, especially when blocking in the run game, are keys."

"Enters senior season as an elite tight end prospect with high-round NFL Draft upside. Gifted flex tight end with physical tools and strength capacity to fit all TE modes at the high-major level, and potentially beyond."