Oregon's Late Official Visit Addition Fuels USC Recruiting Rivalry

EUGENE, Ore. – Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks’ latest recruiting developments signaled positive news for a couple of reasons. Not only did Oregon secure an official visit with a blue-chip recruit, but it also took away an official visit from its recruiting rivals, the USC Trojans.

Four-star wide receiver in the 2027 class, Damani Warren, announced major updates to his recruiting schedule, which involves an upcoming trip to Eugene.

Oregon Ducks Receive Official Visit With Four-Star Damani Warren

oregon ducks dan lanning lincoln riley recruiting usc trojans wide receiver damani warren drew fielder honor faalave johnson — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field before the game as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Warren is ranked as the No. 4 player in Nevada, the No. 382 recruit nationally and the No. 54 receiver by the Rivals Industry Rankings. He had official visits lined up with the Trojans, the UCLA Bruins and the Texas A&M Aggies.

But Warren changed his official schedule by switching the Bruins and the Trojans with the Michigan Wolverines and the Ducks. He’s set to still visit Texas A&M, and told Rivals’ Greg Biggins that he’s planning on visiting the Auburn Tigers and potentially the Georgia Bulldogs

“Oregon is a great program and a winning program,” Warren told Biggins. “They’re a playoff team and only getting better. I like coach (Ross) Douglas a lot, and I feel like I can really just lock in at Oregon with no distractions and just work on my game.”

The Ducks are suddenly favored by the Rivals prediction machine to land Warren. Lanning’s staff continues to make the rounds and meet with recruits across the country. Oregon is only building its 2027 recruiting class, which already ranks in the top-10, and the staff appears to be making headway with recruiting targets that they were previously trailing with in the recruiting battle.

Oregon vs. USC Recruiting Rivalry Intensifies

The Ducks and the Trojans have a longstanding rivalry on the football field, but their recruiting rivalry continues to get stronger under coach Lanning and USC coach Lincoln Riley.

Both programs are vying for the top recruiting class in the 2027 cycle, and it may come down to who’s able to land the recruiting targets they have in common. The Trojans already flipped four-star offensive lineman Drew Fielder to USC after previously being committed to Oregon.

Defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade, safety Honor Fa’alave Johnson and cornerback Danny Lang all committed to USC over Oregon. The Trojans have started the recruiting cycle with a clear edge over the Ducks, especially with recruits out of California, but Oregon is starting to gain on them.

Getting Warren to flip his official visit schedule from USC to Oregon is already a good sign for the Ducks. The Ducks are currently ranked No. 7 in the recruiting class standings compared to the Trojans at No. 4, according to 247Sports, and No. 9 compared to USC at No. 4 in the Rivals rankings.

Oregon’s current 2027 class includes 13 commitments ahead of recruits coming to campus for their official visits. If the program continues to impress players as they have on their unofficial visits, not only will that number likely grow, but their national recruiting standing will likely rise.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google