Oregon Ducks Are Recruiting the Big Boys

As the 2016-17 college football season kicked off last weekend, the start of official visits for the 2017 recruiting class also began. Last week against U.C. Davis, the Oregon Ducks hosted two prospects, Chad Terrell and Jacob Phillips, along with two Duck commits Moses Robinson-Carr and Langi Tuifua.

Heading into this weekend, the Oregon Ducks are hosting a number of big-bodied offensive tackle prospects, along with a top-notch wide receiver and a blue chip safety. So, let’s take a look at these six prospects as we head into this weekend.

1. Michael Richardson

The three-star offensive tackle, Richardson would certainly add to an already impressive haul of offensive tackle commitments, namely John Vaka and Alex Forsyth. Richardson, who is currently ranked 64 at his position and the 614 overall nationally, has been quiet about his recruiting interest, however this could change if his visit goes well on Saturday.

2. Chuck Filiaga

An offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class, Chuck Filiaga has been on the Duck’s radar for quite some time, and is a U.S. Army All American prospect. Filiaga is currently a four-star recruit who is ranked 16 among all offensive tackles and 112 overall nationally.

Although USC, TCU, and Oklahoma seem to be battling for the top spot in Filiaga’s recruitment, Oregon, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Arkansas are also on his top ten list.

3. Aaron Banks

While overshadowed by Filiaga, Aarron Banks is another top offensive tackle that has been on the Ducks’ radar recently. Banks is currently a four-star recruit who is ranked 19 among all offensive tackles in the state of California and 165 overall nationally.

The El Cerrito native is rumored to have placed USC as his current favorite, and has listed Arizona State, Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, and UCLA among his top ten favorites. However as previously stated, Oregon has already received commitments from two other prospects in the 2017 recruiting class, and with Filiaga and Richardson also visiting on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how the Ducks will pitch their offer to Banks.

4. Oliver Martin

Another U.S. Army All American prospect that has been on the Ducks’ radar has been top wide-receiver Oliver Martin. The four-star wide receiver is currently ranked number one in the state of Iowa and 261 overall nationally.

Although, it seems that Michigan and Michigan State are favored to land Martin, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, BYU, Oregon, and Iowa may still be in the hunt. If Oregon’s explosive offense impresses Martin, this weekend, his interest in the Michigan schools could begin to fade away, allowing Oregon to slide in and nab their first wide-receiver commitment in the 2017 recruiting class.

5. Jaylen Kelly-Powell

Under Armour All American prospect, and one of the top safeties in the 2017 recruiting class, Kelly-Powell, has piqued Oregon’s interest and could be the next big defensive player to commit. Kelly-Powell is currently a four-star prospect who is ranked fourth in the state of Michigan and 256 overall nationally. The Detroit native is rumored to have placed Michigan as his overall favorite, but can former Michigan Coach, now Oregon Defensive Coordinator Brady Hoke, convince him otherwise?

Besides Michigan, Kelly-Powell has listed Alabama, Duke, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, and Wisconsin among his list of top ten schools.

6. Brandon Pili

Recent Westview High School football transfer and offensive tackle, Brandon Pili, is one recruit that is dropping jaws, including the Oregon Ducks’. Pili who recently moved from Alaska to Portland, Oregon is becoming one of the nation’s fast rising offensive tackles. In his first game at Westview, Pili had 13 tackles (three were for losses), two sacks, and a fumble recovery.

So far, Pili has only attracted offers from Pac-12 schools such as Oregon State, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Washington State. However, expect Pili to start gaining more attention from schools nationally. If the Ducks can make a good impression with Pili this weekend, they could land one of the fastest rising offensive tackles in the country.

So there you have it, a quick rundown of the six prospects that Oregon is hosting this weekend. Let’s hope that the Ducks come away with an impressive win against Virginia on Saturday to aid in Oregon’s recruiting campaign.