Elijah Brown, elite 2024 quarterback, visiting Oregon this weekend, expects Ducks to be strong contender in recruitment

The Mater Dei Monarchs are the top high school football program in the country, and they are bringing a key collection of visitors to Eugene this weekend for the top-10 clash between the Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins.

One of the marquee players planning to be in attendance is class of 2024 quarterback Elijah Brown, the nation's No. 5 signal-caller.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound quarterback said he planned the trip this week and has been building a relationship with the Oregon staff. 

"I really like the coaching staff a lot," Brown said. "Coach (Kenny) Dillingham is a really nice guy and Coach (Dan) Lanning is really nice as well. They are great people to be around."

Asked if Oregon is likely to be a strong contender in his recruitment throughout, Brown didn't hesitate. 

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "They definitely will be." 

Still, the elite quarterback is nowhere near ready to make a decision. 

"I really don't know where I'm at with the commitment process, because there are still a lot of schools that I want to visit that I haven't yet," he said. "I really want to get the full experience before I make a decision" 

Brown said he is talking to several schools regularly, including Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, USC and a few others, but does not have a definitive "top schools" list this early. 

And he's not feeling any pressure to make a decision.

Of course, not feeling pressure is part of who Brown is as a player.

The high school junior took over the quarterback position at Mater Dei after the graduations of J.T. Daniels and Bryce Young.

So far, he's 25-0 as the starting quarterback and led his team to a national championship as a sophomore. 

This year, his squad is 8-0 and No. 1 in the country. 

"Bryce and J.T. were great both quarterbacks coming out of Mater Dei," he said. "My mindset going in was just to play my style of football and be myself to be the best I can for the team. We have a great coaching staff and I play with great players, so I've been blessed. It's not just me, it's all those pieces that fit together." 

Brown is clearly the "next man up" in Mater Dei's storied quarterback lineage.

Where will he play his college football? That still remains very much up in the air.