Impact: What’s Next at Cornerback

Demetrice Martin scored a big commitment on Sunday morning. The commitment of Ify Obidwegu was a welcome surprise for Duck fans and the coaching staff.

The Ducks are on the board at cornerback which is certainly a position of need this cycle. However I’m not sure just how many the Ducks can take. You can safely assume Oregon will take a minimum of two. And I feel like you can relatively safely assume Oregon signs three in 2024. Numbers-wise, I’m not sure three is going to be easy but Dan Lanning is going to have a tough time turning pretty much any of the following names away.

It’s a blessing and a curse with Oregon successfully recruiting at the level they are.

So what’s next at the position? Here is my best guess.

Right now, I have a prediction in for Oregon to land Juniperro Serra (Calif.) cornerback Dakoda Fields. He is the No. 89 ranked player in the country and one spot ahead of Obidwegu in the cornerback rankings. He’s got a host of national offers but I like where the Ducks sit today. Not only is he talented, it’s another dig into So Cal recruiting for the Ducks over USC and others should they land him.

I just don’t see any way Oregon turns away Fields even if he committed after others. I also don’t think they’ll run into that issue.

Next up is Basha (Ariz.) cornerback Miles Lockhart. I posted an update with him this week following his Spring game visit. And while Ohio State has held a commanding lead, I think this Oregon visit narrowed that gap. His close relationship with Demetrice and Cole Martin is a huge positive for Oregon. Lockhart is not the national name of others but I think it’s clear if Ohio State and Oregon are battling for him, he’s pretty good or at least better than his ranking suggests.

The highest ranked of the group on this list is Mater Dei (Calif.) corner Zabien Brown. And for many of the same reasons I listed under Fields, Brown would be very tough for Oregon to turn away at any point. He’s the No. 60 ranked player nationally and this one appears to be shaping up to be an Oregon-USC battle at the moment with Ohio State firmly in the mix as well.

Last on this list, for now, is probably a bit of a surprise. Oregon is actively recruiting Aledo (Texas) cornerback Chris Johnson. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is very much a target of Oregon and one I would continue monitoring. How does he fit into the ‘must take’ category? Probably not quite to the degree of the three listed above but of course with recruiting being so fluid you never know.

For now these are the names to monitor moving forward with the expectation Oregon adds at least one more and likely two following the commitment of Obidwegu.

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