Tag: Oregon recruiting

Report: Pair of 4 and 5-star Oregon commits confirm intention to sign with Ducks

5-star OL Kelvin Banks and 4-star CB Jahlil Florence are still locked on the Ducks, according to @andrewnemec. Always good to hear.

Just under a week ago, the college football recruiting world was turned a bit upside down after the hirings of a pair of the best coaches in the nation, with Lincoln Riley going to USC and Brian Kelly going to LSU.

The USC hire has a major impact on the Oregon Ducks, as it gives the Pac-12 an elite recruiter in one of the hot spots in the U.S. — Southern California. There is now a concern that a number of recruits who have already committed to the Ducks may take a look at the Trojans, while those who are still on the fence may be swayed in a certain direction.

According to The Oregonian‘s Andrew Nemec, that won’t be a problem for a couple of high-profile Oregon commits this year. Nemec reports that 5-star OL Kelvin Banks is still “solid” in his decision on the Ducks, while 4-star CB Jahlil Florence says the same.

As you see above, Nemec also was told by Florence that his high school teammate, fellow 4-star DB and Oregon commit Jalil Tucker, is also locked on the Ducks.

Banks’ commitment has been a topic of conversation for the Ducks over the past month, with Oregon’s highest-rated OL commit ever taking a couple of visits to Texas schools where he is from, namely the University of Texas and Texas A&M. Despite those visits, Banks was always very open about the fact that he was locked in on the Ducks, and just wanted to have the experience of some other schools.

The early signing period in college football starts on December 15th, and the Ducks will likely get a jump on the recruiting class by inking a number of players. While there may be some unease over the next couple of weeks, we can at least feel confident that some of the top guys in Oregon’s 2022 class will be staying strong in their decisions.

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Report: Pair of 4-star Oregon recruits willing to look at USC after Lincoln Riley hire

Lincoln Riley’s new home in Los Angeles is going to have a ripple effect in the recruiting world. We may be seeing that take place already.

The hiring of head coach Lincoln Riley at USC is sure to have a ripple effect in the Pac-12, especially when it comes to recruiting. We’ve already see some high-profile recruits de-commit from the Oklahoma Sooners after Riley left town, and now we might be seeing some others start to do the same.

According to The Oregonian’s Andrew Nemec, there are a couple of names to watch if you’re a fan of the Oregon Ducks. 4-star DB Jahlil Florence, who has already committed to the Ducks, says that he would visit USC if Riley reaches out to him. On top of that, 4-star WR Darrius Clemons, from Westview in Portland, also said that he would be willing to listen to USC if they came calling.

Nothing to panic about yet for Duck fans, but certainly something to watch. Oregon has enjoyed a recruiting dominance over the past few years, especially in the state of California, but that is going to change moving forward with Lincoln Riley coming to town.

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HIGHLIGHTS: Five-star Oregon commit records 18-block triple-double in game

See highlights of Oregon five-star commit Kel’el Ware’s jaw-dropping performance and stat line.

You’d think that at some point, Maumelle (Ark.) High School would stop shooting anywhere in the vicinity of 7-foot star Kel’el Ware.

But, 18 blocks and a triple-double later, the five-star Oregon commit was continuing to get a piece of seemingly everything around him that went toward the hoop. On Saturday, Ware posted the jaw-dropping stat line of 15 points, 21 rebounds and 18 blocks in a single game.

Universities don’t always post single-game highlights of their commits, but the Ducks’ Twitter account couldn’t help themselves when it came to this performance.

He soared way above the rim on both sides of the ball.

Seriously. KATV News photographer Max Bennett grabbed this moment during the game. Ware’s fingers are at the top of the white rectangle, almost 18 inches above the rim.

Ware is ranked the No. 20 prospect and No. 6 center in the class of 2022 by the 247Sports Composite. Oregon’s high school recruiting class currently has two members, both of whom are five-star players: Ware and point guard Dior Johnson out of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), who is considered the 13th-best prospect on the composite. They also have the commitment of JuCo transfer Tyrone Williams.

With an elite guard and an elite big coming in, the Ducks look primed to compete for the top of the Pac-12 next season.

At the very least, opponents will have to be extremely aware of the giant lurking in the paint, ready to swat 18 shots in a game.

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‘Locked in with Oregon;’ 5-star OT commit Kelvin Banks is sold on the Ducks

5-star OT Kelvin Banks says he is still ‘locked in’ on the Ducks despite taking official visits to Texas and Texas A&M.

Over the past few weeks, one of the Oregon Ducks’ biggest recruits in the 2022 class has been taking a few trips to other schools that are reasonably trying to flip his commitment.

Kelvin Banks, the No. 14 player in the nation who stands at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, recently visited the University of Texas for their game against Kansas, as well as Texas A&M for their game against Prairie View.

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While he says he enjoyed his time on both official visits, Banks recently told 247 Sports that nothing in his commitment has changed.

“Right now, I’m for sure locked in with Oregon,” Banks said. “My parents and myself just wanted to go check out games and still talk to college coaches and see where their head is.”

Banks said that the Texas schools were being respectful on the trip and not pushing too hard for him to flip his commitment, but they still have players who were trying to get him to join them down south.

“They just want to make sure I know they’re still there if I want to join up,” Banks said. “They said they will keep me recruiting me and talking to me until the end.”

With the early signing period coming up in December, Banks told 247 Sports that he likely won’t be able to get to Eugene again before he makes it official, but based on his comments, Duck fans shouldn’t be too worried about losing the 5-star OT who projects to be one of the best offensive linemen to come through the program.

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4-star PG Jackson Shelstad announces commitment to Oregon for 2023 class

The Ducks just picked up a 4-star recruit for the 2023 class with the commitment of Jackson Shelstad, the No. 1 PG in Oregon.

After signing a trio of highly-touted recruits earlier this week, it appears that Dana Altman added another blue-chip prospect to his bag, with 4-star point guard Jackson Shelstad announcing that he will be coming to Oregon for the 2023 season.

Shelstad, the No. 68 player in the nation and No. 1 player in Oregon for the 2023 class, is a 6-foot point guard from West Linn who chose the Ducks over Arizona State. He is now a staple in Oregon’s 2023 recruiting class, and will likely take over the PG role for Oregon a year after we expect Dior Johnson to make his jump to the NBA.

It’s hard to project what a team will look like a couple of years down the road, but grabbing a player like Shelstad and locking him down for the future is never a bad thing.

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‘Aspirations of moving on;’ Dana Altman plans to only have 5-star PG Dior Johnson for a year

Dior Johnson is one of the top PG prospects in the nation, which leads Dana Altman to believe his stay in Eugene will be short-lived before a leap to the NBA.

The Oregon Ducks have avoided the “one-and-done” trend in college basketball for much of the past decade, but that might not be the case for much longer.

Earlier this week, Dana Altman and his team signed another impressive recruiting class, inking 5-star PG Dior Johnson, 5-star C Ke’el Ware, and top JUCO prospect Tyrone Williams. All three project to be major pieces on the roster going forward, but we might have to question how long they will stick around.

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This is particularly the case with Johnson, who comes to Eugene as arguably the No. 1 PG prospect in the nation. He had big-money offers to play in the G-League or overseas rather than going to college, but he chose instead to come to Oregon.

“Dior Johnson is really quick, really can push the ball,” Altman said on Friday. “He’s probably only going to be with us for a year because he’s got aspirations of moving on pretty quickly, but that’s the game. That’s where we’re at, and if he has a great year, I hope he does.”

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With players across the country habitually only making a pit-stop at the college level now before taking their shot at the NBA, it comes as no surprise that a one-and-done player finally made his way to Eugene. After the massive boost that recruiting has seen under Altman and Coach Crutchfield, the Ducks’ lead recruiter, the talent level has risen to a point where NBA prospects are no longer few and far between.

That’s one of the downsides of recruiting at a high level. While it is great to have these players come to Eugene and pursue an NCAA Championship, we have to understand that the stay may be short-lived.

That trend may start with Johnson. You could argue it isn’t even close to a bad thing. What else are you going to do, recruit lesser players in the hopes that they stay more a year or two more?

No, instead you should embrace the trend and try to catch lightning in a bottle, getting the most from these incredibly talented players while you can before they move on. In a perfect world, hopefully championships will come with it.

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WATCH: Ducks’ 5-star commit Dior Johnson puts on a passing clinic in latest highlight reel

Our attention is currently on Ducks’ football and basketball teams, but take the time to check out highlights from Oregon 5-star commit Dior Johnson. You won’t be sorry.

While the attention of many Oregon Duck fans is already spread thin between the highly-exciting football season, and now the start of both the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, it may be tough to give too much attention to future prospects that are set to come into the program over the next year.

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You should probably take a second to check out what 5-star Ducks commit Dior Johnson is doing in his final year of high school basketball, though. It will surely get your anticipation for his Oregon career to levels we haven’t yet seen. He looks like something truly special.

Johnson is a 6-foot-3 floor general who is rated as the No. 1 point guard prospect in the nation, and the No. 13 player overall. He is in his final season with Prolific Prep in Napa, California.

While the current Oregon roster is filled with offensive scorers and players who can get their own shot, it’s encouraging to see a true PG on the horizon who is quick to distribute the ball and find his teammates in open spots on the floor. On top of that, Johnson has shown a prolific ability to pull up and find the bottom of the net with ease.

It will be a while until we get to really start thinking about Johnson on this roster, but while Oregon fans’ focus is on the current, you can rest assured that the future is in great hands. Dior has the mold of being a really special player, and he’s going to start what is likely to be an impressive career right here in Eugene.

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Report: Oregon’s 5-star OT Kelvin Banks skipped Texas A&M trip, could still visit Texas

Oregon’s 5-star OT commit Kelvin Banks canceled his visit to Texas A&M last week, which feels like a big win for the Ducks.

A week ago, there were a lot of concerns when it came to the Oregon Ducks recruiting trail, especially after a pair of blue-chip wide receivers announced that they were de-committing from the Ducks and choosing new schools to sign with.

On top of that, there was news that Oregon’s 5-star OT commit Kelvin Banks was taking an official visit to Texas A&M, despite remaining solid in his commitment to the Ducks.

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The Oregonian’s Andrew Nemec reports on Wednesday that Banks didn’t end up taking that trip to College Station, which is a nice little win for some understandably troubled Duck fans.

As it turns out, Oregon five-star offensive line pledge Kelvin Banks not only didn’t visit Texas A&M last weekend as planned, he also isn’t sure if he’ll ever take a trip there.

“I didn’t make it,” he told me Tuesday evening. “That’s probably done.”

The Ducks aren’t entirely out of the woods yet, though, as Banks still may visit Texas.

“I might go to Texas, but not for sure yet,” he said.
Oregon fans have the right to be a little bit gun-shy after the loss of both 4-star WR Isaiah Santegna and 4-star WR Nicholas Anderson, but it feels like Banks is pretty solid in the camp of the Ducks. The loss of those two receivers may not end up being a death sentence in the end, either, with Oregon looking more and more likely to sign a pair of blue-chip WRs in the coming months, with Portland 4-star Darrius Clemons leaning heavily towards the Ducks, and 5-star WR Kevin Coleman making a visit to Eugene this weekend and reportedly calling Oregon his “dream school.”
A lot can change on a daily basis in the recruiting world, so none of this is a sure thing, but the mood seems to be leveling out for the Ducks after a tough past week on the recruiting trail.
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Pair of 5-star recruits set to visit Eugene for Oregon’s game vs. Washington State

The Oregon Ducks will be hosting some massive recruits against Washington State this week, with a pair of 5-stars coming to Eugene.

It’s not often that the Oregon Ducks have a game inside Autzen Stadium, and Nike co-founder Phil Knight isn’t regarded as the most important person on the sidelines.

That may be a bit of an overstatement, but you could argue that a pair of recruits visiting Oregon’s game against the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night will carry some massive weight, and the program will likely be doing anything they can to make sure they have everything they need.

Both 5-star WR Kevin Coleman and 5-star DL Jayden Wayne announced that they are set to visit Eugene this weekend for the game against the Cougars.

Coleman is ranked as the No. 3 WR prospect in the nation, and he recently called Oregon his “dream school.” Adding Coleman to the 2022 recruiting class would be massive for the Ducks, especially after two blue-chip receivers in Isaiah Sategna and Nicholas Anderson recently flipped their commitments.

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Wayne is rated as the No. 29 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to 247 Sports. Standing at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Wayne would be a huge addition to Oregon’s defensive line in the future, and undoubtedly be one of their biggest “gets” on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class.

After a successful road trip to Seattle a week ago, the Ducks have a lot of momentum as they continue on their path towards the College Football Playoff. Earlier in the week, Mario Cristobal remarked that based on games over the past few years, it is Washington State that may stand as Oregon’s biggest rivals in the conference.

We’ll see if they can show up like they did against the Huskies for this one and put on a show for some of the top recruits in the nation.

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Report: 5-star OT Kelvin Banks remains committed to Oregon despite visit to Texas A&M

Should we be worried about 5-star OT Kelvin Banks flipping from the Ducks? After recent recruiting news in Oregon, this visit to Texas A&M is something to keep an eye on.

Sometimes, when you hear footsteps coming, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re imagining things.

However, if you’ve been bitten once or twice before, it’s hard not to at least check out the situation.

That could be how the Oregon Ducks are feeling on the recruiting front at the moment, potentially spooked by the recent de-commitments from both WR Nicholas Anderson and WR Isaiah Sategna, two blue-chip players in the 2021 class.

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While Oregon fans are trying to make sense of the loss of those two recruits, news is now coming out that another Oregon commit, 5-star OT Kelvin Banks, is taking a visit to the Texas A&M Aggies this weekend, according to The Oregonian‘s Andrew Nemec. 

Nemec says that despite Banks’ visit to College Station, he remains “firmly committed” to Oregon.

The potential loss of Banks, should he end up flipping down the road, would be a detrimental blow to the Ducks. Banks currently stands as the No. 14 overall prospect in the nation, and the highest offensive line recruit that has ever committed to Oregon. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle projects to be a player who dominates on Sundays down the road, and he remains one of the biggest recruiting wins in Mario Cristobal’s career.

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In any year, it would be tough to lose a player like Banks, but it would hurt a little bit extra this season, especially after the news that former 5-star OT Kingsley Suamataia entered the transfer portal a week ago. Suamataia was Oregon’s top recruit in the 2021 class.

Again, we may be reading a bit too far into all of this. Banks says that he is firm in his commitment to the Ducks, and we should be able to take him at his word. However, when you’ve seen a pair of blue-chip players flip in a matter of a week, nobody can blame you for spooking easily.

Until February 3rd when Banks signs his binding national letter of intent on signing day, his verbal commitment will be up in the air, no matter what he says publicly. Start the countdown. Nobody can blame you for being nervous until then.

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