With fewer than 24 hours until National Signing Day on Wednesday, Oregon is riding a tremendous upward trend in the national recruiting rankings.
Since Willie Taggart was hired as Oregon’s head coach in early December, he has been working like a madman to add to an Oregon recruiting class that was ranked in the mid-40’s nationally by most recruiting databases when he arrived.
As is, the Ducks’ 2017 class currently resides in the low 20’s according to most databases, thanks in large part to an influx of four signees in four days last week.
Oregon is in the mix for several more highly touted recruits, and if things swing the Ducks’ way on signing day, they could land their most heralded recruiting class in at least four years. As of Jan. 30, 17 players from the class of 2017 had committed to play at Oregon next year — the last time the Ducks landed a spot inside the top-20 of 247Sports Composite rankings was 2013.
Follow along with the Emerald sports team @ODESports on Wednesday for up-to-the-minute news on all things Oregon recruiting.
Oregon’s top targets
— Josh Falo: The top priority for the Ducks on signing day is Falo, a 4-star tight end from Sacramento, California, who is listed as the top tight end in the nation by ESPN. Fallo recently tweeted that he will not announce his commitment until signing day. He took his final visit to Oregon on Jan. 27. The Ducks will have to fight off Colorado and USC for his signature.
— DeMarco Artis: He tweeted on Monday that Oregon and Baylor are his two finalists. The 3-star edge-rusher from Sanford, Florida, recently pulled his commitment from Florida State, and at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he could add instant versatility to Oregon’s front seven.
— Juliano Falaniko: Listed as a 4-star safety according to Rivals, Falaniko is already committed to USC but took a late visit to Eugene on Jan. 20. Two Oregon signees recently drove seven hours in an attempt to flip Falaniko, and it’s possible that he could spurn the Trojans on signing day and join the Ducks.
— Dommodore Lenoir: Lenoir was the gem of the Ducks’ 2017 recruiting class before the 4-star cornerback decommitted midway through the 2016 season. He has cut his final three teams to Oregon, Nebraska and Mississippi and reportedly has built a strong relationship with the new Oregon coaching staff. Rivals’ No. 1 ranked athlete could be set to take his talents to Eugene and join a class that is already loaded with cornerback talent.
The longshots
— Joseph Lewis: The consensus 5-star wideout and ESPN’s No. 16 player took his visit to Eugene in October, but Nebraska is figured to be the favorite for the Los Angeles native at this point.
— George Moore: Moore, a 4-star junior college tackle, would make an immediate impact for the Ducks and is the top-rated JUCO recruit in the country. He took a late visit to Oregon, and would be a huge get for Oregon co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristoabal. But Auburn, Cal and Washington State are also vying for his services.
— Greg Johnson: The 4-star athlete is slated as a cornerback, but can basically play any skill position on the field, too. He took an official visit to Eugene two weeks ago, and recently announced that he is down to USC, Oregon and Nebraska. Johnson would be a big pickup for the Ducks. He would also become the fourth player to decommit from Arizona before joining the Ducks.
The current class of 2017 (all rankings via 247Sports Composite Rankings)
- Thomas Graham Jr. (CB) — 4-star
- Jaylon Redd (ATH) — 4-star
- Braxton Burmeister (QB) — 4-star
- Isaac Slade-Matautia (OLB) — 4-star
- Alex Forsyth (OG) — 3-star
- Rutger Reitmaier (DT) — 3-star
- C.J. Verdell (RB) — 3-star
- Bruce Judson (ATH) — 3-star
- Popo Aumavae (DT) — 3-star
- Sampson Niu (MLB) — 3-star
- Darrian McNeal (ATH) — 3-star
- Jordan Scott (DT) 3-star
- Austin Faoliu (DT) 3-star
- Darrian Felix (RB) 3-star
- John Johnson III (WR) 3-star
- Nick Pickett (ATH) 3-star
- Adam Stack (K) 3-star
- Daewood Davis (WR) 3-star
- Cyrus Habibi-Likio (RB) 3-star
- Demetri Burch (WR) 3-star
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney