Talanoa Ili Enjoys Recaps ‘Amazing’ First Visit to Oregon

Orange (Calif.) Lutheran linebacker Talanoa Ili is one of the top defensive prospects out West in the 2026 cycle. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound backer was able to take his first visit to Oregon this weekend and the Ducks made a great impression.

ScoopDuck caught up with the On300 four-star backer to break down the trip and get the latest.

Why did he want to get out to Eugene for his first Oregon trip?

“The reason I wanted to get out there is because they made it a priority to come see the campus and see it for myself,” Ili said. “So I had to take that into consideration. They emphasized me getting up there.”

His visit was filled with numerous highlights, including a scavenger hunt with other recruits.

“It was amazing. The scenery was really pretty and everything was green. Campus was beautiful and the people were nice. We got to do a lot of fun activities, we got to do a scavenger hunt and play some games. I got to build a lot of relationships with the coaches and talk with a lot of players and coaches. Everything was really good.”

The coveted linebacker went more in-depth on some of the coaches he got to spend time with.

“Coach Kam (Araghi), the outside linebackers coach,” he said. “I really go to talk to him a lot. He was really the one showing me around everywhere. And then Coach (Tony) Tuioti and Coach (Tosh) Lupoi the defensive line and DC. I really got to talk to them a lot more and we went over film and how they would use me and just building that relationship outside of football as well.”

One thing in particular was consistent with each member of the staff in his eyes.

“They’re all for the players. They want to see the players win and they want to help the players accomplish what they want. They start from the players. It’s really special. That’s really special to me.”

It was difficult for Ili to focus on just one thing that was his favorite about Oregon.

“My favorite thing would probably be everything,” Ili said. “‘Cause everything was nice. Everything was down to the smallest detail even with the team. That’s what I would say.”

The talented West Coast defender believes he’s just scratching the surface in his recruitment and has one school he’d like to see in the near future.

“Hopefully I can get to Ohio State but I don’t know if anything is set in stone right now.”

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