The Oregon Ducks made a splash in the recruiting world over the weekend with the verbal commitment from 5-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair, the No. 6 WR in the 2024 class, and the No. 27 overall player in the nation, according to 247Sports.
That commitment was made official on Wednesday, with Bair putting pen to paper on National Signing Day.
While Bair is a massive addition to the Ducks, his situation is a bit unique in the sense that he will not be joining the team right away with the other members of the 2024 class. Instead, Bair is planning to go on a two-year LDS mission and enroll at the University of Oregon ahead of the 2026 football season.
From a scholarship perspective, that has created a bit of confusion for fans who are wondering if his letter of intent will hold up for two years while he is away, and how that counts towards Oregon’s 85-scholarship limit. I’ve tried to clear this up with a couple of people in the program.
From what I’ve been able to find out, Bair’s NLI will be valid over the next two years while he is away, so while he may not be physically with the team, he is still considered a signed member of the program. He will not have to re-sign when he comes back from his mission. However, Bair will not count against Oregon’s scholarship limit, per source. This is important to note, since the Ducks are currently over the 85-scholarship limit by over half-a-dozen members, and will need to trim down the roster following spring football.
Time will tell when we actually see Bair in Eugene and participating in football activities with the team, but for the time being, he is locked in as a member of the program, but not counting against the scholarship total.
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