Oregon’s 2027 class keeps piling up talent, but one name is starting to separate himself from the crowd: Tae Walden Jr.
The four-star athlete from Collierville in Tennessee is already giving Ducks fans plenty to like. Walden, a 6-2 two-way player who works at wide receiver and defensive back, committed to Oregon on July 1 and sits as a consensus top-five athlete in the 2027 class. He may not carry the five-star label, but his recent high school production is making the case that he could be an immediate factor once he gets to Eugene.
In the last week of September, Walden put together a line that jumps off the page: eight catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns, plus a pass breakup and two tackles. He kept rolling into October, too, when he posted three receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns in a single quarter against Craigmont. He also had a punt return touchdown wiped out.
The numbers from his junior season back up the buzz. According to 247Sports, Walden finished 2025 with 28 tackles, 17 pass breakups and five interceptions on defense. On the other side of the ball, he added 42 receptions for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns.
That kind of production is exactly why Oregon won’t be able to relax here. Walden drew plenty of SEC interest before he committed, and Ole Miss is still pushing hard to try to flip him.
Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong reported that Walden visited Oxford on Sept. 19 for the Rebels’ top-10 win over LSU and former coach Lane Kiffin, and the trip was strong enough that he plans to go back for another game later this fall. Before that, though, he is set to head to Eugene to watch Oregon take on Michigan.
For Dan Lanning, the broader 2027 class is shaping up as a major statement. Oregon is the consensus top-ranked Big Ten recruiting class in that cycle with 25 commits, and the Ducks have loaded up at the receiver spot in particular. Lanning and receivers coach Ross Douglas landed five-stars Dakota Guerrant and Xavier Sabb, along with three-star in-state standout Malachi Garlington.
Walden adds something a little different to that group because he can help on either side of the ball. Oregon’s defensive back haul is just as deep, with five-star Hayden Stepp joined by four-star safety Semaj Stanford, four-star Westin Linn, Oregon cornerback Josiah Molden and three-star safety Malakai Taufoou.
There’s plenty of depth coming back at receiver and defensive back next season, and the incoming freshmen class will only make the competition tougher. Even so, Walden’s recent stretch has made one thing clear: he’s the kind of player who can force his way into the conversation fast.
And Oregon got a pretty good clue during his live commitment on the Rivals YouTube channel about why the Ducks won out in the first place.
“From coach Lanning to coach (Drew) Mehringer, just all the staff out there, I had a great relationship with them and plan to develop me and potentially play both sides,” Walden said during his live commitment. “It stood up and prevailed them over everyone else … Being a guy who can do everything from offense, defense, special teams, just impacting the game any way I can.”
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Ole Miss Just Got A New SEC Reality Check
Ole Miss is heading into a tricky stretch, and a few recent results around the SEC have only sharpened that feeling. Vanderbilt, Auburn and Mississippi State all took losses over the weekend, while Missouri picked up a notable win over Florida, a result that immediately changes how the leagues next round of matchups can be viewed.
For the Rebels, the timing matters because Vanderbilt is next on the schedule, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Beyond that, the latest slate also has a way of making the back end of the schedule feel less forgiving, especially with familiar SEC opponents showing they can still shift the mood around a matchup in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]