Since coming to Eugene last year, head coach Dan Lanning and defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin have recruited an abundance of highly-skilled DBs. Former Alabama CB Khyree Jackson, high school track star Rodrick Pleasant, and 4-star Cole Martin — Demetrice’s son — were all recruited under the tandem of Martin and Lanning.
Now at the start of the 2024 recruiting cycle, Lanning and Martin seem to have another talented DB interested in Oregon. Yesterday, CB Selman Bridges named UO as one of his top nine schools. Bridges is a 4-star player who hails from Texas, which is the state home to four of his other top schools.
At 6’3″ Bridges is much taller than the typical CB, but he still possesses the breakaway speed that is vital for a lockdown corner. In coverage, he seems most comfortable in man-to-man sets, and he is capable both in the press and when he is backed off the line.
Even though Oregon has a surplus of young DBs, Oregon could still be an enticing destination for Bridges. In the 2023 NFL draft, former Duck Christian Gonzalez was the second CB selected, and a program’s ability to produce NFL-caliber CBs is a strong selling point.