Tag: Oregon recruiting

4-star LB names Oregon Ducks among final three college destinations

The Oregon Ducks are one of the three finalists for the commitment of 4-star linebacker Blake Nicholsen.

After four-star linebacker Blake Nichelson took an official visit to Eugene last month, the Oregon Ducks put themselves in a prime position to land the highly rated recruit out of California. A prediction from 247Sports recruiting director Steve Wiltfon has come in for the Ducks to get his commitment.

Nicholsen, who is ranked as the No. 13 LB and No. 176 overall player in the 2023 class, narrowed his recruitment to three schools on the Fourth of July, with the Ducks listed alongside the UCLA Bruins and Florida State Seminoles.

It will be interesting to see how, if at all, conference realignment plays a factor in Nicholsen’s decision. With the Bruins declaring for the Big Ten starting in 2024, it will change the competition and path forward should Nicholsen choose UCLA. Of course, the Ducks might be following UCLA to the Big Ten in the coming days or weeks, so it may not be a major factor in the end.

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Blake Nichelson’s Recruiting Profile

Oregon 5-star QB target Dante Moore wins MVP honors at Elite 11 camp

Oregon Ducks 5-star QB target Dante Moore put on a show at the Elite 11 QB camp, being given MVP honors after all was said and done.

In the world of Oregon recruiting, all eyes have been on 5-star QB Dante Moore if you’re a fan of the Oregon Ducks.

In the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that the Ducks are now the front-runners to land Moore, the No. 4 QB in the 2023 class and No. 8 player overall, and with him taking an unofficial visit to Eugene on his own dime to join Oregon in one of the biggest recruiting weekends we’ve seen at the program, Duck fans understandably feel confident about his potential commitment.

Oregon fans should also feel confident about the play they might be getting after watching him perform at the Elite 11 QB camp last week, where the top quarterback prospects in the nation go to showcase their skills. After the week-long camp, Moore was given MVP honors by 247Sports, being named their “Alpha Dog” for the week.

As we said all week, Moore was just about flawless in every setting. He tore up the 7v7, starting off 10-10 and looks like a college quarterback right now. We think he’ll take another big jump once he gets to college and has a chance to mold his body a bit in an elite strength and conditioning program. Next up for him will be picking a college and Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas A&M remain on his short list.

Moore is likely to make his commitment decision soon, but there is also a chance that he waits until after the summer passes by to announce where he will be going.

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Dante Moore’s Recruiting Profile

Top Oregon target, 5-star QB Dante Moore, puts on impressive showing at Elite 11 camp

5-star QB Dante Moore — arguably the top Oregon prospect — is turning some heads at the Elite 11 camp. Check out these highlights.

The best of the best quarterback recruits are currently slinging the ball around down in Redondo Beach, California, at the annual Elite 11 camp, a gathering of the top prospects at the position getting together to showcase their talent before heading into their senior seasons.

5-star QB Dante Moore — a top Oregon Ducks prospect — is turning some heads.

Moore has been in the news as of late after a slew of predictions came in last week that slot him with a commitment to Oregon. All of that preluded his unofficial visit to Eugene, where he looked to have a great time with the coaches and fellow prospects in town.

Now Moore is down in California, showing off his arm strength and making it known that while he may be the No. 4 ranked QB in the 2023 class, he has just as much talent as anyone else out there.

Here is a bit of the reaction to his performance on social media:

BREAKING: 5-star Mookie Cook, No. 5 player in 2023, decommits from Oregon

That one stings. It looks like 5-star SF Mookie Cook, the No. 5 player in the 2023 class, is de-committing from the Ducks.

With all of the positive momentum that Oregon Duck fans have experienced in the recruiting world as of late, it comes as a bit of a surprise to receive a blow like this.

On Wednesday night, it was reported by Joe Tipton with On3 that 5-star small forward Mookie Cook, the No. 5 player in the 2023 class, was de-committing from the Oregon Ducks and opening back up his recruitment.

Cook became the marquee player in Oregon’s 2023 class when he announced his commitment back in March of this year. As a Portland native, it didn’t come as a major shock that Cook decided to come back to his home state for college ball.

It does come as somewhat of a shock that he is going back on that decision now, though. Cook was one of two members of Oregon’s 2023 class, alongside fellow Oregon native Jackson Shelstad, a 4-star point guard.

“I would first like to say thank you to Coach Altman and the entire basketball coaching staff at the University of Oregon for believing in me,” Mookie Cook posted on his Instagram. “I am grateful for their support as well as the fan’s. However, after much consideration and talks with my family, I have decided to reopen my recruitment. During this time I will weigh other options in addition to the University of Oregon.

In the coming days he will hopefully learn a bit more information about why Cook decided to open back up his recruitment, but for now, this one stings a bit.

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5-star Oregon target Johntay Cook announces commitment

Not long after placing the Ducks in his top-3, 5-star WR Johntay Cook announced his commitment decision on Wednesday.

Word coming out of the visit for 5-star wide receiver Johntay Cook a couple of weeks ago was that the Oregon Ducks did a really good job and impressed the elite texas product. That was made evident by the fact that Cook eventually placed the Ducks in his final 3 schools, alongside Michigan and Texas.

However, it apparently wasn’t enough, with Cook announcing his commitment to Texas on Wednesday afternoon.

The Ducks were always fighting an uphill battle here. Cook grew up in Texas and has always been fond of them, and with the Longhorns picking up 5-star QB Arch Manning — the No. 1 ranked player in the 2023 class — last week, it made the Longhorns the more appealing option.

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Johntay Cook’s Recruiting Profile

4-star DL Johnny Bowens de-commits from Texas A&M after visit to Oregon

Following his weekend visit to Eugene, 4-star DL Johnny Bowens de-committed from the Texas A&M Aggies and is back on the market.

We said it was something to keep an eye on, and it looks like we weren’t wrong…

With 4-star defensive lineman Johnny Bowens, a verbal commit to the Texas A&M Aggies taking a visit to Eugene this past weekend to see the Oregon Ducks, our ears perked up. When he posted a photo of himself in Oregon gear on Monday with the caption “#notcommitted” it peaked our interest. Now, news has come out that Bowens officially de-committed from the Aggies on Tuesday, making us full on invested in this story.

Does this mean that Bowens is going to turn around and flip to the Ducks much like former Oklahoma WR commit Ashton Cozart did? Not necessarily. However, it does mean that he is back on the table, and we know that the Ducks are at least in a good position to potentially land him in the next couple of months.

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Johnny Bowens’ Recruiting Profile

4-star QB Avery Johnson makes Oregon Ducks a finalist for his commitment

4-star QB Avery Johnson is down to 3 schools, with Oregon being one of them. Where does that leave the Ducks with Dante Moore now heavily in the picture?

The Oregon Ducks are in a bit of an interesting spot when it comes to recruiting at the quarterback position. It’s safe to say that the past few months have been a rollercoaster.

Early on, it looked like they were a strong contender to land 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava Jr. He then committed to Tennessee. After that, the focus was put on 4-star QB Jaden Rashada, but he since has placed his focus elsewhere and will likely commit to a Florida school, be it the Gators or Hurricanes.

This left two high-profile prospects for Oregon to target — 5-star QB Dante Moore and 4-star QB Avery Johnson. Moore was considered a heavy lean to Notre Dame, so the Ducks went heavy after Johnson. However, recent developments have made it so that Moore is now projected to commit to Oregon, and he seems to be greatly enjoying his visit to Eugene this weekend.

Despite all of that, Johnson trimmed his recruitment down to a final 3 schools this weekend; Oregon, Washington, and Kansas State. As the No. 12 QB in the 2023 class and No. 179 player overall, Johnson will be a major domino to fall in this recruiting cycle. Whether or not the Ducks take him will be interesting to watch, and will likely rely heavily on what type of vibe they get from Moore, who isn’t expected to make his commitment until later in the year, potentially.

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Avery Johnson’s Recruiting Profile

Social media posts and reactions from Ducks’ star-studded recruiting weekend

It’s safe to say that by the looks of it, the prospects in Eugene seem to be having a good time on their recruiting visits this weekend.

Dan Lanning and his staff sure do know how to recruit.

That’s not to say anything about Mario Cristobal and his staff at Oregon, who were certainly no slouches when it came to convincing some of the top talent to come to Eugene, but rather an acknowledgment that the early returns from the new regime are as positive as we could have imagined.

What stands out about the new regime, though, is how much fun they appear to have with recruits while on visits, both official and unofficial. Whether it’s the tricked-out photoshoots or a simple ride around campus, recruits appear to be in good spirits as they dance around and take a look at what could be their new home in a matter of years.

That was the case this weekend for Oregon’s massive recruiting weekend — one where a total of four 5-star players were in attendance, with a long list of 4-star players in tow as well. Guys like QB Dante Moore, RB Richard Young, DE Matayo Uiagalelei, or DE Jayden Wayne all appeared to be enjoying themselves with the coaching staff. Here are some of the best tweets and reactions we saw from the weekend:

Breaking: Ducks land commitment from 3-star CB Collin Gill

Another player added to the 2023 class for the Ducks! 3-star cornerback Collin Gill announced his commitment to Oregon.

On back-to-back days, the Oregon Ducks landed significant commitments to bolster their secondary in the coming years.

On Thursday afternoon, 3-star cornerback Collin Gill, from St. John’s, Washington D.C., announced his commitment to the Ducks, joining the 2023 class.

The addition of Gill comes a day after 4-star safety Tyler Turner committed to the Ducks on Wednesday afternoon.

According to 247Sports, Gill is ranked as the No. 104 cornerback and No. 1194 overall player in the 2023 class. He will join a growing secondary at Oregon in the 2023 class that already includes Turner, 4-star CB Cole Martin, 4-star S Kodi DeCambra,

With back-to-back massive recruiting weekends in Eugene, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen commitments start to trickle in. As we continue forward, expect many more to come.

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Report: 5-star QB Dante Moore could be taking unofficial visit to Oregon this weekend

Things are picking up when it comes to the Oregon Ducks’ recruitment of 5-star quarterback Dante Moore. According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the elite QB is “considering” a weekend visit to Eugene, where he would join a guest list of recruits that is …

Things are picking up when it comes to the Oregon Ducks’ recruitment of 5-star quarterback Dante Moore.

According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the elite QB is “considering” a weekend visit to Eugene, where he would join a guest list of recruits that is among the most impressive we’ve ever seen at Oregon.

Dante Moore is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 QB and No. 8 overall player in the 2023 class. He most recently took a visit to Oregon at the end of April but was expected to make a return trip at some point this summer. It now seems like that visit could come sooner than we thought.

Moore represents a big domino that is yet to fall in the world of QB recruiting. Oregon was long considered to be in the running for 4-star QB Jaden Rashada, but the Pittsburgh, CA product recently dropped the Ducks out of his top schools. Oregon has also been recruiting 4-star QB Avery Johnson pretty hard as well this spring.

Dante’s decision looms large, and it may not come until later this fall. However, a surprise visit can only mean good things for the Ducks, so we will watch closely as he makes his decision on whether or not to come to Eugene this weekend.

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Dante Moore’s Recruiting Profile