The Oregon Ducks have had an impressive Summer on the recruiting trail which was much needed after some of the misses and flips of the Spring. Each Weekend, Oregon has used their official visits to build up this recruiting class as the team continues to climb up the rankings. Dan Lanning is looking to keep his streak of signing a top 5 ranked class alive, and the Ducks needed to make splashes to start that surge.
Landing elite WR recruit Dakota Guerrant and elite LB Toa Satele was a great step as the Ducks added a pair of top 100 recruits to the class, but it still didn't mark that major win we're used to seeing. 5-star WR Xavier Sabb could mark that headline recruiting win, but it looks like it could be another top 50 recruit who joins the Ducks class next.
Oregon lands prediction for elite cornerback Hayden Stepp
On Monday Afternoon, Rivals' Steve Wiltfong gave Oregon fans a ton to be excited about as he logged a prediction for the Ducks to beat out Alabama in the recruitment of elite cornerback recruit Hayden Stepp.
Hayden Stepp is the elite level cornerback that the Ducks have landed year over year, and landing the commitment would be a major win for the Ducks. According to Rivals' Industry Recruiting Rankings, Hayden Stepp is a 4-star recruit ranked as the 40th ranked player in the country, the 5th ranked cornerback in the class, and the top player out of Nevada.
Coming into Official Visit season, Oregon was one of four finalists along with Alabama, Cal, and Georgia, but this always appeared to be a 2 team battle with Alabama. While Stepp hasn't announced a commitment, Oregon simply needed to win out in this recruitment, and they've made every step towards securing the commitment.
After Oregon saw Donte Wright pick Miami over the Ducks when he flipped from Georgia while the Canes also flipped the Ducks top cornerback commit Ai'King Hall, it put a ton of pressure on the Ducks to rebound. Hayden Stepp was the clear priority as a boarderline 5-star recruit, and it appears that the Ducks may have gotten it done.
The Bishop Gorman star was teammates with Oregon's prized pickup last offseason at defensive back in safety Jett Washington. Stepp is a cornerback prospect with great length at the position which helps him fit the mold of the cornerbacks we've seen Dan Lanning recruit.
If Dan Lanning beats out Kalen DeBoer for Hayden Stepp, it could be another big win for Oregon in the clash against Alabama. After reeling edge rusher Tank Jones out of Alabama's backyard, Lanning may beat DeBoer for a top target in Stepp along with an Alabama legacy in Xavier Sabb which would make for two massive blows to the Crimson Tide.
We'll all be waiting and watching closely to see if the Ducks can get this recruitment over the finish line as it's clearly a top priority to check off in this class.
Add us as a preferred source on Google