The last few weeks have been an exciting time for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail as Dan Lanning and the coaching staff look to continue building this recruiting class. Official Visit season kicked off, and the Ducks have gotten red hot landing commitments from linebacker Toa Satele, wide receiver Malachi Garlington, tight end George VanSandt, and edge rusher Achilles Reyna.
The knock many have had on Oregon's latest streak on the recruiting trail is the fact that the Ducks haven't landed the big star prospects, picking up a trio of 3-star recruits. If the Ducks are going to start adding the big-name recruits the fanbase can get excited about, they'll have a great chance this weekend.
Hayden Stepp is the top priority in a loaded official visit weekend for Oregon
If the Oregon Ducks had their choice of any recruit visiting this weekend, it'd likely be an easy choice of defensive back Hayden Stepp. After 24/7 Sports adjusted their recruiting rankings, Hayden Stepp ranks as a 4-star recruit as the 40th ranked player in the country, the 5th ranked cornerback in the class, and the top player out of Nevada.
At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Stepp already has the frame to be an elite defensive back at the college level, especially in a strength and conditioning program like Oregon's. Stepp plays an aggressive style of football that would make him a fit in Dan Lanning's defensive.
As things currently stand, Oregon's defensive back haul leaves a lot to be desired compared to what we typically see from a Dan Lanning class. Semaj Stanford is a top 100 recruit at safety and in-state cornerback Josiah Molden has a ton of promise, but the Ducks haven't landed one of the top cornerbacks.
The Ducks liked their chances with 5-star Donte Wright before he flipped from Georgia to Miami. That blow was amplified when Miami also flipped elite cornerback recruit Ai'King Hall away from the Ducks.
Hayden Stepp is the clear top target left on the board, and the best possible news that could come out of the weekend would be Oregon securing a commitment. The Ducks have to beat out a loaded field to land Stepp, but the biggest challenge will be beating out Alabama, who's come to the West Coast for defensive backs often.
Landing Stepp would continue the pipeline of elite defensive backs making their way to Eugene in a big way for the coaching staff. An issue will arise if the Ducks can't land Stepp, as most of the top cornerbacks are committed, making this a major battle for the staff to win out in to keep the momentum going.
Add us as a preferred source on Google