When it comes to the 2022 recruiting class, things for the most part are signed, sealed, and delivered. On Tuesday morning, we even saw a handful of 2022 class members take the field in Oregon for their first collegiate practices, with Jahlil Florence, Devon Jackson, Jusius Lowe, Harrison Taggart, and Michael Wooten making their Ducks’ debut.
However, there are still a couple of top-rated recruits left on the board, and the college football world is awaiting their announcements. One of those players is 5-star OT Josh Conerly, who will announce his commitment on April 8. The other is 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton. He hasn’t announced a commitment date, but as we get closer to him making a decision, there is a hierarchy of teams to beat.
Fortunately, for the Ducks, they are in a great position to potentially land him over the Texas A&M Aggies, who currently stand as the favorites.
Here is the explanation from 247Sports Steve Wiltfong:
Right now we see the Ducks as the school best positioned to beat the Aggies.
New head coach Dan Lanning is the reason. Overton and Lanning got really close when Lanning was the defensive coordinator at Georgia and Overton is excited now that Lanning is in the corner office. He could see himself going out to Eugene and helping Lanning build that program up.
Overton likes the young staff at Oregon, he enjoyed the vibe on campus during his official in March, and the ties to Nike make a future out West enticing as well.
Wiltfong explains that since Overton grew up rooting for Texas A&M, it will be hard for any other school to land his commitment outside of college station, but the relationship built between Lanning and Overton while Oregon’s new head coach was in Georgia is something special, and it could be the difference down the stretch.
The other schools in contention for the 5-star’s commitment are the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Oklahoma Sooners.
As we await an announcement from Overton, the Ducks should feel really good about where they stand with the top unsigned defensive player in the 2022 class. They aren’t the favorites to land him right now, but they are certainly lingering in a great spot.
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