How can you catch the Sparrow? Oregon misses on three but lands a premier TE

The weekend started sensationally, dribbled away some momentum with a flurry of expected bad news, then wrapped up with a bang in Oregon recruiting.

Sunday afternoon the Ducks got a commitment from Detroit, Michigan tight end Anthony Cartwright III, a 6-5, 235 four-star tight end ranked No. 408 in the 247Sports Composite. Cartwright's a pass catcher, fluid and naturally strong who looks confident going over the middle or in the Red Zone. He makes plays in bunches, the son of a former Michigan State basketball player who chose the Ducks over Michigan, LSU and Miami.

In terms of playing style, the advanced receiving talent puts the senior-to-be in a category with current Duck Jamari Johnson. He's a three-sport athlete who plays basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.

Ducks salvage a top tight end after a short series of misses in recruiting

Before Cartwright III's commitment it looked like a bleak weekend for the Ducks. Though the visit to Japan was a smash hit, and the Savannah Bananas trip to Autzen drew an enthusiastic crowd, the program missed out on three prime recruiting targets as Utah receiver/safety Bode Sparrow chose Oklahoma, massive interior lineman Caden Moss selected Oklahoma and receiver Blake Wong committed to BYU.

Those outcomes illustrate the relentlessness and mutability of recruiting. It's a battle, and in the rare air where Oregon recruits now, every fortnight or so dishes out some big wins and big misses. Cartwright is a great get for the Ducks. They've recruited well on the offensive line, but Moss is a big win for the Buckeyes. Sparrow and Wong were not surprises, but Dan Lanning and Ross Douglas have recruited superbly at receiver with Dakota Guerrant in the fold and Xavier Sabb expected to join him.

July offers a crowded marquee with Brayton Feister, Sabb, and Hayden Stepp nearing decisions. The outcome of the chase for five-star offensive lineman Ismael Camara continues, and that one is a major building block toward future playoff contention. Gifted and massive at 6-6, 340, Camara has only begun to achieve his potential as a football player in his second year of varsity football in Gilmer, Texas after emigrating from France.

Stepp and Feister are major prizes also, Feister a chiseled specimen at 6-2, 238, a state champion wrestler who benches 225 pounds 41 times and has posted a 41-inch vertical jump. Last year at Hoban High School he racked up 133 tackles and rushed for 1,098 yards with 17 touchdowns.

Stepp is a lithe cornerback from Bishop Gorman in Nevada, 6-3.5, 185, a Top-50 player and Under Armour All-American.

Even in the NIL era, every program has a budget and recruiting priorities. The track record over the last few years shows emphatically that Lanning, Marshall Malchow and the Oregon staff continue to a superb job of setting them and winning their share of the pivotal battles, finding fits for the culture and athletes who are committed to growth.

Of all the announcements to come, Feister and Stepp feel like two who will define the class. Add those to the 20 Oregon's already signed, and it's a successful 2027. Camara remains an enigma. A valuable target, headline news in the recruiting world, but he and his people have played it quiet, even cancelling the last round of his official visits. Reports say Oregon is in good shape but not a lock.

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