The atmosphere inside Autzen will be electric on Saturday. The Ducks are hosting some highly-rated recruits to show them what Oregon is all about.
While the matchup on the field may be a little bit lopsided this weekend between the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal, the atmosphere inside Autzen Stadium is expected to be electric.
With the kick-off for this rivalry not taking place until 8 p.m., the Pac-12 After Dark vibe will be alive and well, and Autzen is going to be rocking.
To take advantage of this atmosphere, Dan Lanning and the Ducks will be hosting a number of big-time recruits on both official and unofficial visits for the weekend to show them what Oregon is all about. In a storied rivalry for the Ducks, recruits will get a good feeling for how passionate both the team and the Oregon fanbase can be.
So who will be in Eugene on visits? Here’s an updated list of who we have confirmed thus far:
5-star David Hicks, the No. 1 ranked DL in the 2023 class, announced his commitment on Wednesday.
The Oregon Ducks put forth a valiant effort on the recruiting trail for 5-star defensive lineman David Hicks, but in the end they were unable to land him.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hicks — the No. 1 DL in the 2023 class and No. 9 overall player in the nation — announced that he would be committing to the Texas &M Aggies, choosing them over Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, Texas, and Michigan State.
Hicks came to Eugene on an official visit earlier in the year and was said to have liked the program a lot. While Dan Lanning and the Ducks initially put themselves in contention to land the elite lineman, the sway of the Sooners ended up winning in the end.
Dante Dowdell will visit Ole Miss this weekend, but a source tells @zacharycneel that the 4-star RB remains “100% committed” to Oregon.
The rumor mill has been churning in college football recruiting circles over the past week, and the panic meter for Oregon Duck fans may be on the rise.
It came out earlier in the week that 4-star running back Dante Dowdell, a verbal commit to Oregon, will be taking an unofficial visit to Ole Miss for their game against the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. There are conflicting reports as to the nature of the visit. Some outlets say that Dowdell is going alongside a few of his friends and teammates who are considering the school. Others say that Dowdell is still seriously considering Ole Miss, and that they have not let up on his recruitment since his verbal commitment to the Ducks.
A source very close to the situation tells me that Dowdell is not in any way considering flipping his commitment to Ole Miss, and remains locked in on the Ducks.
“The visit isn’t even about him,” the source tells me. “He’s going to support his friends just like they supported him when he was going to all the visits. He wants to spend as much time as he can with his friends before he leaves for Oregon in January.”
While there are reports out there that Dowdell has been enticed by the prolific running game that Ole Miss’ coach Lane Kiffin has put on the field this year, I am told that Dowdell, the No. 19 RB in the nation, has never wavered on his commitment to Oregon. He remains close with running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, as he does with head coach Dan Lanning, despite Ole Miss’ efforts to continue recruiting him since his verbal commitment earlier this year.
So while rumors are bound to swirl with one of Oregon’s prized commits down in Oxford for the weekend, I can confidently say that fans should not be worried. Dowdell remains locked in on his commitment to the Ducks.
Andrej and his dad Peja Stojakovic were in Eugene for the Oregon vs. BYU game, and also spend time shooting around in Matthew Knight Arena.
It appears that 5-star small forward Andrej Stojakovic liked what he saw when in Eugene a couple of weekends ago for an official visit with the Oregon Ducks.
On Wednesday, the 6-foot-6, 185-pound forward trimmed his recruiting list down to four schools, keeping the Ducks in the mix.
Stojakovic, who is rated as the No. 17 overall player in the 2023 class, attended the Oregon vs. BYU game earlier this month, getting a sideline pass with his dad, former NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, a three-time NBA All-Star and NBA Finals winner in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks.
There is not yet a timeline for Stojakovic to announce his commitment, but we can now at least confirm that the Ducks are in the running to land this blue-chip talent. With Stojakovic in the mix, and continued rumors about the recruitment of Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James, it’s clear that Dana Altman is taking a dive into the gene pool of some NBA legends.
A couple of future Oregon Ducks are heading to Eugene this weekend to see what Pac-12 After Dark is all about inside Autzen Stadium. 4-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart announced on Twitter earlier this week that he and fellow Oregon commit Tyler …
A couple of future Oregon Ducks are heading to Eugene this weekend to see what Pac-12 After Dark is all about inside Autzen Stadium.
4-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart announced on Twitter earlier this week that he and fellow Oregon commit Tyler Turner, a 4-star safety, would be at the 8 p.m. kick on Saturday night between the Ducks and Stanford Cardinal.
Cozart is an intriguing prospect for the Ducks, as he flipped his commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners earlier this year. Cozart is ranked as the No. 17 WR in the 2023 class and No. 157 player overall. Likewise, Turner chose the Ducks over Oklahoma as well. The Texas product is ranked as the No. 35 safety in the 2023 class.
According to multiple reports, Oregon’s 4-star RB Dante Dowdell is taking a visit to Ole Miss this weekend. What does it mean for the Ducks?
Does it mean something, or does it mean nothing at all?
That’s a question that a lot of Oregon Duck fans are likely asking themselves this week after news has gotten out that 4-star running back Dante Dowdell will be taking an unofficial visit to the Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels this coming weekend.
Dowdell, a verbal commit in Oregon’s 2023 class, is ranked as the No. 19 RB in the nation, and the No. 4 player in the state of Mississippi.
We will keep a close eye on how things go down south this weekend and wait to hear back. It appears, at this time, that Dowdell’s verbal commitment to the Ducks may not be as solid as a lot of fans would hope.
Spencer Fano, the No. 7 OT and No. 53 overall player in 2023, listed Oregon among his top schools ahead of his official visit this weekend.
The offensive line has been the talk of the town for the Oregon Ducks after they went yet another game without allowing a sack, now standing as the only unit in the nation to achieve that stat through four games.
It seems that OL play is having a positive impact on recruiting, as well.
On Sunday afternoon, 4-star OT Spencer Fano announced his final four schools, with the Ducks firmly in the mix. Fano, who ranks as the No. 7 OT and No. 53 overall player in the 2023 class, is scheduled to take an official visit to Eugene this coming weekend for the game against the Stanford Cardinal.
It appears that the Ducks are in a solid position to land the elite blue-chip talent. According to On3’s recruiting prediction machine, Oregon has an 88.8%% chance to land Fano, holding a massive edge over the Utah Utes.
There is not yet a public timeline for Fano to make his decision.
Oregon’s 4-star TE commit Kenyon Sadiq is flying up the national rankings.
The commitment that Oregon got from 4-star tight end Kenyon Sadiq flew under the radar quite a bit. He’s a dynamic player on the field, but not a flashy recruit off of it. Coming from Idaho Falls, there was not a ton of hype or publicity surrounding his high school career, and while he can play with the best of the best, I’d feel confident in saying that not a lot of Duck fans knew about Sadiq before he announced that he was coming to Eugene.
Now that he’s in the fold, though, it’s about time you got excited about him. The 6-foot-3 tight end is a playmaker, and figures to be more of a pass-catcher and offensive weapon — a la Terrance Ferguson — rather than a blocker.
On 247Sports, he is listed as the No. 11 athlete in the 2023 class. However, On3 recently refigured their top-300 rankings for this cyle, and Sadiq made a big jump up in the TE rankings, where he now sits at No. 7 in the class.
If you haven’t seen film of this kid, then that needs to change. It’s about time he got some hype as part of Oregon’s incoming class.
The No. 1 ranked DL in the 2023 class will make his commitment before the month is over. The Ducks are in the running as a finalist.
The No. 1 ranked defensive lineman in the nation has set a date for his commitment, and the Oregon Ducks are in the running to land him.
5-star DL David Hicks, who is ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the 2023 class per 247Sports, has announced that he will choose his next school on September 28. Hicks took an official visit to Oregon back in June and the Ducks reportedly did a great job of getting him to consider coming to Eugene.
“They knocked it out of the park with David Hicks,” said 247Sports’ Steve Wilfong. “I still had my pick on A&M, but Oregon was the first school that really made me pause on it.”
A lot has happened with Hicks since then, and a few months’ time in the recruiting world might as well be years. Currently, Hicks is predicted to go to the Oklahoma Sooners, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions. On3’s recruiting prediction machine also has Oklahoma in the lead, with more than a 77% chance to land the elite defensive lineman.
We’ve seen crazy things happen in the recruiting world, though, and the fact that the Ducks are still alive in his finalists make Hicks’ commitment worth watching.
4-star LB Blake Nichelson, the No. 11 linebacker in the 2023 class, announced his commitment on Tuesday night.
It was a tough break for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail on Tuesday, with 4-star linebacker Blake Nichelson announcing his verbal commitment to the Florida State Seminoles rather than staying on the west coast and coming to Eugene.
While the recruitment was believed to be close, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Nichelson didn’t choose the Ducks, since he did make a trip to Eugene for an unofficial visit over the weekend to see the BYU game.
Nevertheless, Nichelson, who is ranked as the No. 11 linebacker and No. 132 overall player in the 2023 class, will be heading to Tallahassee next year rather than coming to Eugene.
