A.J. Pugliano, North Medford 4-star tight end, commits to Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks have their first commitment in the class of 2024.

On Monday, North Medford four-star athlete A.J. Pugliano, the nation's No. 5 tight end, announced his commitment to the Ducks over early offers from Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon State, as well as heavy interest from Clemson, Ohio State and most of the Pac-12 Conference:

"Since the time I could walk, I dreamed about playing in Autzen Stadium," he wrote. "I had one wish and one visit - to line up wearing the 'O' on my chest, catching touchdowns for the Ducks. With that being said, I'm proud to announce my commitment to the University of Oregon to fulfill my dream and play for my hometown." 

The 6-foot-3 1/2, 220-pound jumbo pass-catcher is rated the top prospect in the state of Oregon. 

For Pugliano, Oregon simply checked all of the boxes for him. 

"As my recruitment has gotten more serious and more schools have reached out, every single one of those schools seems to have a missing aspect," he said. "Oregon doesn't have a missing aspect."

"It all fell in place. It feels right." 

Pugliano actually committed to Oregon last week in a phone call with his two primary recruiters. 

"I called up coach (Drew) Mehringer coach (Dan) Lanning and told them, 'I'm ready to be a Duck,'" he said. "Their reaction was everything I thought it would be. They were hootin' and hollerin'" 

Pugliano said there were multiple keys to his recruitment, including Oregon's early offer, the commitment of an elite quarterback in Dante Moore and this season's usage of the tight ends, namely Terrance Ferguson and Cam McCormick. 

The North Medford star is set to graduate earlier than most class of 2024 prospects and will arrive in Eugene next January in order to participate in spring practices. 

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