Oregon Just Made Its USC Recruiting Battle Even More Interesting

As the competition heats up between Oregon and USC for elite cornerback prospect Ca'ron Williams, the Ducks are making strategic moves to secure his commitment for the 2028 recruiting class.

Oregon’s 2028 recruiting board just got a little more interesting, and the Ducks are in the thick of it for one of the class’ better defensive backs.

On Thursday, Ca’ron Williams trimmed his list to 12 schools, and Oregon made the cut. That alone keeps the Ducks in the hunt, but the bigger development is where they stand in the race: Rivals’ Greg Biggins said Oregon is going head-to-head with USC near the top of the recruitment.

“Ca'ron Williams, Santa Margarita High School, plays for Carson Palmer. USC was always thought to be you don't want to use the word locked, but pretty close to that.

But recently he said you know, Oregon's actually the school pushing the hardest for me. I still like USC, but I think Oregon is starting to make a push there.”

According to the Rivals Industry Recruiting Rankings, Williams is the No. 170 player in the country, the No. 17 cornerback in the class and the No. 10 player in California. Rivals also listed him as the No. 1 cornerback in California in the 2028 cycle.

The Ducks still haven’t landed a commitment in the 2028 class, but they’ve clearly put themselves in position to start changing that. With Dan Lanning and his staff already known for recruiting at a high level, and with Oregon carrying the kind of national title buzz that tends to draw attention, this fall should bring plenty of traffic through Eugene.

Williams could be a useful piece in Oregon’s defense because of the way he’s been used in high school. He’s been a strong nickel cornerback, which could point him toward the STAR spot or even a traditional corner role if he develops well enough to work outside.

For now, the next move for Oregon is straightforward: get him on campus for a gameday visit and keep building the pressure on USC.

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