Tag: Emar’rion Winston

With 3 Oregon commits, Dan Lanning proved that keeping in-state talent matters to the Ducks

Dan Lanning immediately proved he values in-state talent by signing three of the state’s four top players.

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In Oregon Duck football’s recent history, in-state high school talent hasn’t exactly been a priority. Beginning with Willie Taggert and then Mario Cristobal, the recruiting emphasis has been to go more cross-country with a focus on Texas and SEC country.

To be fair, the state of Oregon hasn’t been a huge hotbed of talent, but even those kids who are the best the state has to offer haven’t been a top priority of the Ducks.

New coach Dan Lanning intends to change that trend and change it immediately.

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“We’re going to battle to keep the best in our state, and we think that we should be able to keep the best in our state,” he said as Oregon announced its 2022 signees. “Obviously (Lake Oswego wide receiver Justius Lowe) is in that category. I think before the day is over with people will realize that we were able to be really competitive in our state and get guys on board on our team.”

Lake Oswego’s Justius Lowe and Oregon Duck signee. Photo by Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Lowe was ranked as the state’s No. 3 rated player, and he was just the appetizer. True to his word, Lanning later secured the commitment of the state’s No. 2 rated player in safety Trejon Williams, a defensive back from Jefferson High in Portland, followed by linebacker Emar’rion Winston, Oregon’s No. 4 prep player out of Central Catholic who also committed to the Ducks.

“My very first day recruiting, the very first time I could get on the road, I spent that day in Oregon, and in Portland, and in the area. That will always be a priority for us, and obviously, for us, we have the ability to go anywhere, and that’s a blessing. But we have to win home first,” Lanning said.

The state’s No. 1 player, wide receiver Darrius Clemons from Westview High, signed with Michigan back in December before Lanning was the Oregon coach. If the timing had been different, Oregon might have been able to land what could have been the Fantastic Four.

But Lanning and his staff have to be overjoyed with the haul they were able to pull in on this late signing day. The Ducks were able to get every single player they expected to sign and even a couple of nice surprises. Running back Jordan James flipped from Georgia to the Ducks and offensive lineman Dave Iuli, a previously verbal commit, spurned Cristobal and Miami, as well as USC and signed with the Ducks.

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BREAKING: 4-star LB Emar’rion Winston commits to Oregon Ducks over Florida Gators

4-star LB Emar’rion Winston is coming to Oregon. Dan Lanning’s defense picks up another player from the Portland area with extremely high upside.

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The good times are still rolling for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, who secured another blue-chip commitment, this time from 4-star linebacker Emar’rion Winston.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge player is the No. 3 player in Oregon, hailing from Central Catholic High School in the Portland area, where he recently helped lead the Rams to a 6A State Championship.

Winston was previously committed to the Ducks, but de-committed after the change in coaching staff back in December. He has been recruited heavily by the Florida Gators and multiple other Pac-12 teams in that time, but ended up back in Eugene, where his older brother Lamar played from 2016-2019.

So what can the Ducks expect from Winston in the future?

“After shedding weight from his junior year, Winston showed more explosion, athleticism, twitch, and suddenness as a senior,” wrote Brandon Huffman, the National Recruiting Editor at 247Sports. “Can play as a stand-up edge or put his hand down and be used as a pass rusher but also his linebacker background gives him the opportunities to cover backs and tight ends in the passing game. A three-down linebacker, Winston’s tackling ends plays and he can make violent hits to quickly stop the ball-carrier. Finds ways to get to the ball to force or recover fumbles and has taken several back for long gains. Plays with an energy and an edge and all the way through the whistle. Projects as multi-year Power 5 starter.”

The Ducks got a boost in the recruiting rankings after adding 4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence earlier in the week, and they will likely see a nice bump from the addition of Winston as well.

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