Oregon football losing its grip on 4-star WR Tobias Merriweather

A few months ago, it looked like Oregon football was in good shape with four-star wide out Tobias Merriweather from Camas, Wash.

Fast forward to mid-June and the Ducks look to be losing some steam and Notre Dame is the new leader. After an official visit to South Bend last weekend, the Irish are picking up major steam and while this may seem like just a kid being interested in a blue blood, it’s a tough blow for Oregon who had felt like the leader early on.

Crystal balls have gone from strictly Oregon to predominantly Notre Dame over the past couple of weeks and Brian Kelly looks close to winning this battle for the elite receiver.

Oregon still has plenty of top targets on the board in the 2022 class, but losing a West Coast kid to the Midwest is a tough blow for the Ducks. He has other Pac-12 programs on his radar such as UCLA, USC, and Stanford. Unfortunately, it looks like Oregon is falling behind in the race for one of the best receivers in the class.

Merriweather is ranked the No. 78 overall prospect in 2022 as well as the 10th-best receiver, according to 247Sports.

Who could Oregon football target instead?

With Merriweather seemingly off the board right now after his Notre Dame visit and with other officials scheduled, who could the Ducks still target at receiver in the 2022 class?

First, there’s five-star Kevin Coleman from Saint Louis, Mo., who is a speedster and ranked the No. 19 overall prospect in the class. He would be a home run.

Then there’s four-star Dane Key from Lexington, Ky., who is also high on Kentucky and South Carolina.

Four-star Tetairoa McMillan is also up there. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound top-70 prospect from California could opt to stay out west in Pac-12 country.

Darrius Clemons from Portland, Ore., is also a name to watch as Oregon is high on his list. He’s ranked the No. 148 overall prospect in the country.

And lastly, there’s four-star Nicholas Anderson who happens to also be very high on Notre Dame but Oregon is hoping to make an impression. He’s ranked the No. 216 overall prospect in the class and No. 31 receiver.

As you can see, Oregon still has some elite options.