Matthew Johnson commits to Oregon; Bluechip defensive lineman chooses Ducks over Miami, USC

The Oregon Ducks finished with the nation's No. 3 recruiting class in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

And have carried that momentum over to 2025 early in the process.

On Friday, that effort continued with the addition of De La Salle (California) four-star defensive lineman Matthew Johnson.

“First off, the coaching staff is full of winners," he told On3. "They’re building a championship football team and I want to be a part of it. It’s probably one of the best facilities in all of sports. Most importantly though, they got the best players in the country over there making each other better every day. They are competing and they are all being challenged. That’s the environment I need to be in. That’s how you level up. Also my mom’s husband lives in Eugene 5 minutes from Autzen, so I have been going up there since I was like 12 aside from football. She is moving up there when I graduate anyway so it’s almost like I’m getting to leave home but I also get to take a piece of home with me.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound versatile defender committed to the Ducks over offers from Arizona, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, USC, Washington and others.

Johnson is rated the nation's No. 254 overall prospect and No. 23 defensive lineman in the class of 2025.

While the De La Salle star had been to Oregon several times, his recruitment really changed last weekend during the Ducks' elite "Junior Day" weekend.

Following that trip, Johnson seemed locked in.

And he may not be the only one.

Mater Dei (California) elite defender Nasir Wyatt, the nation's No. 2 edge-rusher, is also extremely high on the Ducks following his most recent trip to Eugene. 

Johnson is the fifth commitment for Dan Lanning's program in the 2025 cycle, joining Lincoln (California) four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr., Tampa Bay Tech (Florida) bluechip receiver Dallas Wilson, Weiss (Texas) four-star pass-catcher Adrian Wilson and Eau Galle (Florida) interior offensive lineman Chavez Thompson.

Junior season highlights