Oregon is in the mix for one of the top defensive backs in the 2028 class, and the Ducks have already done enough to stay in the hunt.
On Friday afternoon, Jordan Hicks narrowed his recruitment to eight schools: Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, USC, UCLA and Alabama. For Oregon, making that cut matters - but it also fits the way this recruitment has been trending for a while.
Earlier this summer, Hicks told Rivals’ Adam Gorney that Oregon was already setting the pace for him. He didn’t hide how he feels about Eugene, either.
“I love it there, no doubt. Every time I go there it’s just great and I’d say they’re for sure setting the bar right now."
That kind of early praise is a strong sign for the Ducks, especially this far out in the process. Hicks is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals’ Industry Recruiting Rankings, where he sits as the 192nd-ranked player in the country, the 18th-ranked safety in the class and the 13th-ranked player out of California.
Still, Oregon has work to do. USC and UCLA both have the in-state edge, and that matters in a recruitment like this. The Bruins, in particular, could become a bigger threat if Bob Chesney gets off to a fast start in his tenure and starts stacking blue-chip wins on the trail.
For Oregon, the next step is simple: keep Hicks coming back to campus. The Ducks are expected to have plenty of buzz this season as National Championship front-runners, and those games could end up being a major recruiting weapon. Getting into the top eight is a good start, but the staff will need to keep making Hicks feel like a priority if it wants to stay near the front of this race.
The bigger picture is encouraging for Oregon, too. The Ducks have already landed most of their top 2027 targets, and attention is starting to shift toward 2028. Early on, that has brought positive momentum, with elite quarterback Josiah Boyd projected to end up in Eugene and Trison Satele, the brother of Oregon commit Toa Satele, also trending that way.
Oregon still hasn’t picked up a commitment in the 2028 class, but the early signs are there. Hicks’ top-eight list only adds to that feeling.
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One of the bigger names in that search is four-star defensive tackle Brayden Parks, who has become a real battle with Notre Dame. Oregon also remains in strong position for four-star linebacker Brayton Feister, even with some family lean toward the Irish because of geography, but the bigger issue for the Ducks is whether they can hold their ground on the defensive interior and land the kind of size and power they still want in this class. [Read more 🡒]