Like many high school football recruits, Sam Ngata had a dream school.
Saturday afternoon while on a visit to see Oregon manhandle USC 42-27, he picked up an offer from the Ducks.
The 6-3, 215 linebacker from Oympus High School in Salt Lake City is a three-star recruit in the class of 2027, rated No. 567 in the 247Sports Composite. He's the son of Oregon great and College Football Hall of Fame nose tackle Haloti Ngata, a five-time Pro Bowler.
The oldest of Haloti's four sons, Sam grew hiking, mountain climbing, snowboarding, skiing, biking and fishing in addition to playing sports, the family dividing time between Baltimore, where his father played for most of his 13-year pro career, and Salt Lake City.
After witnessing success at the highest level, earning his own way
Sam is the top junior linebacker in Utah with offers from the Utes, BYU, Colorado State and Oregon State among others. He scored two touchdowns in his first varsity game as a tight end.
Had an amazing time watching the Ducks catch the win! Very blessed to announce I have been offered by @oregonfootball after a great conversation with @CoachDanLanning!@CoachTuioti92 @CoachLup @KamranAraghi1 @OlyTitansFB @FrancisJBernard pic.twitter.com/8dI5E9Mj5N
— Sam Ngata (@Ngata_Sam) November 23, 2025
Utah has been good to the Ducks. In addition to Ngata, a consensus All-American in 2005, the Ducks have nabbed Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jeffrey Bassa from the state, who've both gone on to the NFL.
Sam grew up around the game. One of his earliest memories as a fan is watching the Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2013, running around and playing in the confetti.