Oregon Ducks poised for monster Saturday on recruiting trail
The Oregon Ducks picked up a big commitment earlier this month with the addition of St. Frances Academy (Maryland) four-star cornerback Ify Obidegwu.
And it appears Dan Lannings program red-hot recruiting summer is set to begin in May this year.
Oregon is a finalist for two top prospects announcing their college decisions Saturday.
St. Frances Academy quarterback Michael Van Buren, an ESPN five-star prospect who is 247Sports' No. 2 uncommitted signal-caller nationally, and Durant (Oklahoma) four-star defensive lineman Xadavien Sims will both be making their college announcements.
For the Ducks, it could be a clean sweep.
Van Buren, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete, is down to Maryland, Oregon and Penn State and is planning to announce his decision at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Once though to be a heavy Penn State lean, the Maryland product visited Oregon three times this calendar year, including two trips to Eugene in April, and emerged as the overwhelming favorite to secure his commitment.
Sims, the nation's No. 16 defensive lineman and No. 121 overall prospect, is down to a final five of Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU and Vanderbilt.
He is schedule to announce his commitment here at 3:45 p.m CT/1:45 p.m. PT on Saturday.
For some time, Michigan State has been considered the favorite with in-state Oklahoma looming.
But the Ducks hosted the 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman twice late in the month of April and quietly emerged as a massive threat to secure his commitment.
In fact, there's significant buzz that Oregon is well-positioned to land both recruits Saturday.
That noise began weeks ago in regards to Van Buren and started to gain steam for Sims immediately following his second April trip.
The buzz is supported by recent trends on 247Sports and On3, where both players are now overwhelmingly projected to choose the Ducks.
In other words, it looks like Lanning's program is poised for a monster weekend.
Overall, Oregon's 2024 recruiting class is ranked No. 7 nationally, but would jump to No. 6 - ahead of Penn State - with its pair of projected Saturday additions.
