Oregon's biggest recruiting concern just became impossible to ignore

This Summer has been a dream for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail as it's felt like any recruit the coaching staff has gone after has committed. Wide receiver filled out with top 50 recruits Dakota Guerrant and Xavier Sabb, Cornerback was filled by the elite duo of Hayden Stepp and Tae Walden Jr committing on the same day, and the offensive line group is deep.

While seemingly everything has gone right for the Ducks, one position was worth watching as Oregon entered the Summer without a defensive tackle on board. Thursday brought the commitment date for 4-star DT Brayden Parks in a pivotal battle for the Ducks on the recruiting trail.

Brayden Parks picking Notre Dame makes the DT outlook a crisis

On Thursday in a battle between Oregon and Notre Dame, Illinois native Brayden Parks committed to the Fighting Irish.

The Ducks made a strong push down the stretch for Brayden Parks, and looked to have the momentum at times, but in the end he's heading to South Bend. The Fighting Irish have the advantage of being closer to home, and a track record of development to go with it.

The biggest reason that Brayden Parks picking Notre Dame is alarming is the lack of defensive tackle targets for the Ducks. Marcus Fakatou cut Oregon out of his finalists group before picking Ohio State earlier this Summer. The Ducks were also in the running for his Sierra Canyon teammate Kasi Currie, but ended up losing out to Texas. Oregon even made a run at the Nation's top ranked player Jalen Brewster, but he's remained locked in with Texas Tech.

Zane Rowe is a 4-star DL committed to the Ducks, but his profile fits playing either edge rusher or outside linebacker at the next level. Fellow commit Cam Pritchett fits a similar mold as he'll likely play edge rusher for the Ducks given Kamran Araghi's involvement in his recruitment. Either player could end up being developed as interior players, but that's going to be up to the staff to decide.

The options in this recruiting cycle are slim as the Ducks will continue to recruit players like Parks, Fakatou, Currie, and Brewster to keep a flip in the cars, but they'll all seem unlikely. The Ducks could also circle back on other players they offered, but that likely won't be seen until recruits can visit campus again in the Fall.

The most likely outcome will be defensive tackle being a top priority when the Transfer Portal opens this Winter. The Ducks have recruited well in past cycles to overcome the slow stretch, but not landing a single true defensive tackle in this class will be alarming when it comes to keeping a pipeline for the future.

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