Tag: Jahlil Florence

Where the Ducks’ 2022 recruiting class ranks after Jahlil Florence’s commitment

Going into Monday, the Ducks ranked No. 55 in the recruiting rankings. Where do they sit after the addition of Jahlil Florence, the top-unsigned CB in the nation?

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Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks secured a massive win on Monday afternoon, with 4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence announcing that he would be committing to Oregon over the USC Trojans.

The commitment from Florence, who is the No. 11 CB in the 2022 class, is not only a big win for the Ducks but also for Lanning himself. It was the first massive recruiting battle between Oregon and the new Lincoln Riley-led USC staff and notched an early victory for Lanning.

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So after the commitment, where does that leave Oregon’s 2022 recruiting class as far as the rankings go? According to The Oregonian‘s Andrew Nemec, it moved them up quite a bit.

That ranking can continue to get better over the next couple of days as well, with the announcements coming from 4-star RB Jordan James, 4-star OL Dave Iuli, and 4-star ATH Arlis Boardingham, among others.

There’s a good chance that Oregon can continue to add some highly-rated prospects to this recruiting class and shore up what once was a top-10 rated class before Mario Cristobal left for Miami.

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Why Jahlil Florence’s commitment is such a massive win for Dan Lanning and the Ducks

Oregon’s recruiting rivalry against USC is just getting started, but Dan Lanning picked up the first major victory with the commitment of 4-star CB Jahlil Florence.

In the moments after winning the national championship game with the Georgia Bulldogs earlier this year, new Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning made a choice. Rather than put off his future duties and stay completely in the moment, he put on his Ducks’ coaching cap and made a call.

It was 4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence who picked up.

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At that moment, Lanning let it be known that Florence was the biggest prospect for Oregon to target over the coming month leading up to National Signing Day. He took the time to show Florence, the No. 11 CB in the 2022 class, that he was a priority to Lanning and offered a look at the success around him. That dedication to Florence continued later in the month when Oregon coaches showed up at his door at 12:01 AM as soon as the recruiting period opened up. Florence repaid the favor by taking a last-minute visit to Eugene this past weekend for a visit, the final one before making his decision.

It all led to this moment — Jahlil Florence announcing his commitment to the Ducks, choosing Oregon over the USC Trojans. On the surface, it looks like an elite prospect choosing to bet on the Dan Lanning experiment and show trust in what the Oregon coaches are building in Eugene. If you wish to look, though, you can find more.

This is Dan Lanning winning. This is him setting his sights on a recruit and not giving up until they agreed to join his team. This is him going up against Lincoln Riley, one of the biggest recruiting powers in the nation, and coming out on top. It may not mean that Oregon will win every head-to-head recruiting battle with the Trojans over the coming years, but it’s certainly a nice victory to have early in the rivalry.

With the commitment of Florence, Lanning showed that he is absolutely capable of playing with the big boys, and the talent pipeline to Eugene didn’t dry up when Mario Cristobal left for Miami.

The Lanning era is off to a great start in Oregon.

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BREAKING: 4-star CB Jahlil Florence commits to Oregon Ducks over USC Trojans

QUACK: Jahlil Florence is a Duck. The 4-star CB out of San Diego chose Oregon over the USC Trojans on Monday.

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A lot of Oregon Duck fans were hopeful that this would be the outcome, and on Monday afternoon, 4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence made it official, announcing his commitment to the Ducks.

Florence is an elite prospect out of Liberty High School in San Diego, CA, and he stands as the 11th best cornerback in the 2022 recruiting class. Florence was committed to Oregon previously but opened up his recruitment after the departure of Mario Cristobal back in December. That’s when Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans made a real run at him, though it was Oregon who prevailed in the end.

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So what type of player are the Ducks getting in Florence?

“Long, athletic corner who has made huge strides as a prospect over the last couple of years,” wrote Greg Biggens, the National Recruiting Analyst for 247Sports. “A late bloomer to the game who was more of a basketball player coming into high school. Plays a physical game and has the size and toughness to bully opposing receivers and the speed and quickness to turn and run with them as well. Shows excellent ball skills and ball awareness and has the skill set to play receiver at the college level although we like him as a corner. Is strong in run support and plays with a nice edge in his game.”

The Ducks are currently a bit thin at the cornerback position after the departure of Mykael Wright to the NFL draft, and DJ James through the transfer portal. There is hope that the duo of Dontae Manning and Trikweze Bridges can become productive on the field in 2022, but there’s a chance that Florence, as well as high school teammate Jalil Tucker, end up seeing a good amount of playing time as true freshmen.

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BREAKING: 4-star corner Khamari Terrell commits to Oregon

Dan Lanning has secured the commitment of four-star corner Khamari Terrell to become an Oregon Duck.

This is one of the main reasons Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens hired Dan Lanning. Oregon wanted to get someone who is a premier recruiter who can convince the top defensive talent to come to Eugene.

So far it seems like Lanning is producing.

With the February signing day coming up next week, Lanning has acquired the verbal commitment of four-star cornerback Khamari Terrell. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Texas is rated as the No. 43 corner in the country. Oregon was battling Baylor for his services and it seems as the Ducks have come out on top.

The Ducks are hoping Terrell is just the first part of a possible dynamic duo at corner as Oregon is one of just two schools four-star corner Jahlil Florence is considering with USC also in the mix. Florence has been a top priority of Lanning’s since he arrived in Eugene. If Florence does sign with the Ducks, the new coach would have salvaged a recruiting class that was once in flux.

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4-star CB Jahlil Florence takes last-second visit to Eugene before choosing between Oregon and USC

Jahlil Florence will be picking between Oregon and USC on Monday. The 4-star CB’s late trip to Eugene seems notable.

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4-star CB Jahlil Florence announced earlier in the week that he would be making his final decision between the Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans next Monday at 2 p.m. PT on CBSSports HQ. It’s been clear for a while now that those two schools were in the driver’s seat to land this elite recruit, but hard to see how either team would get a leg up in the race.

Then, late on Thursday night, a tweet from Florence might have shown that the momentum is with the Ducks. Florence announced that he was in Eugene for a final visit with Oregon before making his decision. There were rumors early in the week that the Lincoln CB, who ranks as the 11th best at his position in the nation, might be coming to Eugene, but nothing confirmed.

The visit to Oregon is huge for the Ducks, simply because it gives them one last chance to sell Florence on the program before he makes his decision. Earlier in the month, Florence announced that he would not be taking any more visits before National Signing Day, spurning schools like Miami in the process. The fact that he now turned around and came to see Oregon one last time is notable, and the fact that it leads right into his announcement coming on Monday is certainly a big deal.

He hasn’t committed just yet, and there is still some time until he makes his decision, but if you are an Oregon fan hoping that Florence ends up as a Duck next week, this is certainly something to celebrate.

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Report: 4-star CB Jahlil Florence to decide between Oregon and USC on Monday

You’re going to want to tune in to CBSSports HQ at 2 p.m. on Monday. 4-star CB Jahlil Florence is going to be announcing his decision between Oregon and USC.

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According to a new report from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins, arguably the biggest prospect on the Oregon Ducks’ recruiting radar will be making his final decision on Monday afternoon, shown live on CBSSports HQ.

Jahlil Florence, a 4-star CB who ranks as one of the top uncommitted players in the 2022 class, has announced that he is down to a decision between the Ducks and the USC Trojans. Florence, who ranks as the No. 72 prospect nationally, was previously committed to the Ducks but backed off of that after the departure of Mario Cristobal.

Dan Lanning and Oregon have been recruiting him hard in the interim, with Lanning Facetiming the elite prospect in the minutes after winning the national championship game with the Georgia Bulldogs. The Ducks also showed up at Florence’s door for an in-home visit at 12:01 AM as soon as the recruiting period opened.

We will see if that effort paid off on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT.

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4-star CB Jahlil Florence narrows list to Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans

One of the best unsigned recruits in the nation, 4-star CB Jahlil Florence, is deciding between the Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans.

As National Signing Day inches closer, one of the premier unsigned players in the nation, 4-star CB Jahlil Florence, is narrowing his list of potential schools to just two.

The Oregon Ducks made the cut.

On Sunday evening, Florence, who is the No. 18 CB in the 2022 class, the No. 154 player overall, announced that he is down to two choices in his recruiting, with the Ducks joined by the USC Trojans. Florence was committed to Oregon back in 2021 but decided to open up his recruitment when former Ducks’ head coach Mario Cristobal departed for the Miami Hurricanes.

Florence’s Lincoln High School teammate, Jalil Tucker, signed with the Ducks in the early signing period back in December, and Oregon has been recruiting Florence hard ever since.

National Signing Day is still a couple of weeks away, but we now know that the Ducks stand among the finalists to land this elite prospect out of San Diego. Now it’s time for the final push from Lanning and his team.

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What can the Oklahoma Sooners expect from new cornerbacks and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

Now official, what can the Oklahoma Sooners expect to get from new cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator Jay Valai?

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With one final hire following the final game of the year in which the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Alabam Crimson Tide to become national champions, the Oklahoma Sooners have filled all of their major on-field coaching positions. It took them a bit of time but Brent Venables has his first full staff of coaches as he looks to guide Oklahoma for the long haul.

The final piece was finding a cornerbacks coach and the Oklahoma Sooners officially named Jay Valai cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator. Initially reported back on Jan. 3, the Sooners bring in the former Alabama Crimson Tide assistant with ties to the state of Texas.

Valai will be coaching the cornerbacks and will be the passing game coordinator on defense for the Sooners. Valai takes over for Roy Manning, who now coaches outside linebackers at USC.

The Valai hiring brings a true cornerback with collegiate and NFL experience to lead the unit in Norman. Valai played his high school ball in the Midcities area of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and was a former All-Big Ten defensive back at Wisconsin. He’s coached at both the collegiate and NFL levels since joining the profession in 2016.

With his success at the collegiate and NFL level, he brings a similar dynamic that running backs coach DeMarco Murray brings to the table. A former player turned coach, who can tell his recruits and players what it takes to get to the NFL level. For the Sooners’ his presence could mean some major strides and changes being made to a talented but smaller unit and a unit with a few guys who just scratched the surface of how talented and productive they can be at a major program.

Now that he’s officially hired, he’ll be entering a room that recently lost one of its more talented youngsters to the transfer portal in Latrell McCutchin. McCutchin is someone Valai knows well since he was part of the Texas staff that recruited the former Sooner out of high school. Woodi Washington, DJ Graham, Joshua Eaton, Jaden Davis, Billy Bowman, and Justin Broiles remain, providing the Sooners with some talent and experience for Valai to work with.

On the 2022 recruiting trail, Gentry Williams should be priority number one. Williams has remained steadfast with his commitment to Oklahoma waiting to see who the next cornerbacks coach would be. Valai has to secure that commitment before he worries about any other potential 2022 recruits. Elsewhere, four-star CB Jahlil Florence had Oklahoma in his sights for a visit but due to personal reasons no longer plans to take visits anywhere. Can Valai make up lost ground there or will Florence ultimately stay with Oregon where he was previously committed?

Valai has some work to do to bring in some more bodies to the Sooners’ cornerback room via the transfer portal and the 2022 recruiting class.

Before the official announcement of his hire, we compiled a list of some defensive backs that the Sooners should target via the transfer portal.

On top of the names listed there, with Valai on board, the Sooners can also look to the transfer portal for immediate 2022 help from someone like Louisville transfer Kani Walker, a freshmen cornerback who just announced an offer from Oklahoma.

 

Once he wraps up the grind to secure more players for the 2022 roster, Valai’s biggest obstacle is getting his new room bought in. Again, the Sooners have talent but maximizing this talent and turning them into a unit to be feared was something the previous coach simply couldn’t do.

All told, the Sooners have a lot of questions that need to be answered for this position group and its new position coach heading into 2022. Between transfer decisions, recruiting decisions, and getting settled in, the Sooners new cornerbacks coach has his work cut out for him. He’ll be pushed and stressed early and often. Only time will tell how he adapts.

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Gators make top 5 for this four-star defensive back

Florida needs to make up some ground on this recruit despite landing in his top five.

Four-star defensive back Jahlil Florence has cut his list of schools down to five and it includes the Florida Gators.

The California recruit announced on Twitter that he’d be focusing on Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC moving forward. He plans to commit on National Signing Day but only has a visit set up with Miami so far, according to 247Sports.

The Ducks earned Florence’s commitment back in August, but he backed off that pledge in December after Mario Cristobal went to Miami. The Trojans already hosted him before the dead period, putting Florida and Oklahoma at the back of the pack.

Although there’s some ground for Billy Napier and his staff to makeup, Florence could easily be a Gator come February. He’s available on Jan. 21 and Jan. 28 for a visit, and Florida should be pushing to get him to the Swamp.

Miami may have Cristobal but they don’t have a defensive backs coach yet, and Oregon’s just got picked up by Colorado. Florida has Corey Raymond, who helped land five-star Kamari Wilson in the early signing period.

Florence is No. 72 nationally on 247Sports’ rankings and he’s the No. 11 corner available for 2022. ESPN, Rivals and On3 have him rated as a four-star recruit as well.

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4-star CB and former Oregon commit Jahlil Florence lists Ducks in top-5

4-star CB Jahlil Florence de-committed from the Ducks after Mario Cristobal left, but he included Oregon in his top-5 again ahead of signing day.

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After former Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal took his talents to South Beach, there was a mass exodus of recruits that de-committed from the program and chose to reassess their options for the future.

4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence was one of those players.

The 6-foot-1 DB out of San Diego was originally a member of Oregon’s 2022 class but decided that he would reopen his recruitment and take some time to decide where he would go to school next season. His high school teammate, Jalil Tucker, went ahead and signed his NLI with the Ducks in the Early Signing Period after initially de-committing, but we’re still waiting to see if Florence will do the same.

Florence announced on Wednesday that his top-five schools were the Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, USC Trojans, and Florida Gators.

 

Florence is currently rated as the No. 26 CB in the nation, and the No. 202 player overall.

The Ducks recently saw a win on the recruiting front when 2023 4-star CB Cole Martin committed to the Ducks, signaling that he will follow his father, Oregon’s new cornerbacks’ coach Demetrice Martin, to Eugene.

There is no word yet on when Florence will be making his decision, but with National Signing Day taking place on February 2nd, it’s something to monitor over the coming weeks.

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