An explosive wide receiver from Panther Creek High School in Frisco, Texas, Jalen Lott officially signed with the Oregon Ducks Thursday afternoon, ending speculation he might flip as the Ducks continue to pursue Chris Henry Jr. of Santa Ana, California.
Lott won silver medals in the long jump at 23.75 and the high jump at 6-10 while catching 76 passes for 1,111 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, a similar athletic profile to current Duck receiver Evan Stewart, who attended Liberty High School across town. His father James was a cornerback at the University of Texas.
His signing places Oregon at 21 commitments and within points of USC for the number one class in the country. Lott is a four-star on some services and a five-star on others, a 6-0, 175-pound wide receiver with springs and open-field ability to rival Dakorien Moore.
Fans saw this year how crucial it is to have depth at WR when the Ducks lost six scholarship wide receivers to injury. Lott gives them another electric pass-catching option in the slot or out wide, while Henry would add size and leverage as a big receiver at 6-5, 205, should he decide to choose Oregon.
Adding Lott (and perhaps Henry) signifies the power, pull and relentlessness of the program's recruiting. It marks the fifth year in a row that Dan Lanning has pulled off a massive flip or a strong close in the Early Signing Period.
There was some concern that the pursuit of Henry Jr. might cost them Lott. It's remarkable too that the Ducks have recruited so well even as BOTH coordinators earned promotions to head coaching jobs.
Lott a pivotal signing with multiple benefits
It shows too how well they continue to recruit in Texas and Southern California, two recruiting strongholds that once were dominated by the Longhorns and the Trojans. Oregon has broken through completely, now a legitimate national power.
The Ducks continue to break the hold on wide receiver recruiting once held by USC and Ohio State. Now they have talent outside to match up with anyone, which in turn makes them an attractive school for quarterbacks while providing a top-notch training environment for elite secondary talent.
Remember the Rose Bowl last year when the Oregon secondary faltered as OSU blew them out in the first half? Increasingly, they have the have the talent to create and refine those matchups in practice.