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Most important players for Duck fans to watch at Under Armour All-American Game

Zachary Neel
·9 min read
2

We spent a good portion of December in the college football world focusing on where these players would sign their national letters of intent. Now we get a chance to watch what they can do on the field.

It’s time to see what all of the hype is about.

The Under Armour NEXT All-American Game takes place on Tuesday afternoon in Orlando, Florida, offering an opportunity for some of the best players in the 2023 recruiting class to participate in a showcase that will highlight their talents and further elevate their brands. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 2 p.m. PT.

A handful of players who did not officially sign their NLI during the early signing period plan to announce their commitments during the game as well. Four-star defensive lineman Ashton Porter is one of them, and he is heavily favored to commit to the Oregon Ducks. 

While there will be a handful of Oregon signees players on the field — Daylen Austin, Kodi DeCambra and Ashton Cozart headline the list — this will also give Duck fans a chance to see some of the top prospects in the nation. Many of them took a serious look at coming to Eugene before committing elsewhere. Whether you want to see the players Oregon missed on or do some preview work in case any of these players should end up in the transfer portal in the coming years, now is your chance.

Here is a list of the most important players for Duck fans to watch on Tuesday:

 

5-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor

Jack Gruber-USA TODAY

Commitment: None

National Ranking: 16

Position Ranking: 1

Connection to Oregon: Harbor, who is one of the best uncommitted players left in the 2023 class, recently locked in an official visit to see Oregon at the end of the month, not long before national signing day. He has said the Ducks could be a perfect fit for him, with a great football program and one of the best track programs in the nation. Harbor, who desires to run track in college, has been clocked at a 10.28 in the 100-meter-dash, which is remarkable, considering he stands at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds.

4-star CB Daylen Austin

Commitment: Oregon Ducks

National Ranking: 109

Position Ranking: 12

Connection to Oregon: Austin is one of the top signees of Oregon’s 2023 class, and the Ducks got him to flip from the LSU Tigers during the early signing period. He comes to Eugene as one of the top cornerbacks in the nation and has a chance to compete for a starting spot as a true freshman in 2023.

4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant

Commitment: None

National Ranking: 86

Position Ranking: 9

Connection to Oregon: Pleasant is one of the top-uncommitted players left on the board, and he is strongly considering the Oregon Ducks. The USC Trojans are also recruiting him hard down the stretch.

4-star WR Ashton Cozart

Commitment: Oregon Ducks

National Ranking: 184

Position Ranking: 26

Connection to Oregon: Cozart is one of the most intriguing signees for Oregon in the 2023 class, where he comes to the Ducks with a unique skill-set that includes some of the best footwork you will see from a high school prospect. It will be a lot of fun to see what he can do alongside five-star WR Jurrion Dickey under the tutelage of position coach Junior Adams.

4-star S Kodi DeCambra

Photo Courtesy of Kodi DeCambra

Commitment: Oregon Ducks

National Ranking: 317

Position Ranking: 28

Connection to Oregon: DeCambra has been a frequent visitor to Eugene and a long-time commit to the Ducks. He comes to Oregon as one of the top defenders in the Ducks’ 2023 class and will likely be a really solid piece in the class.

4-star DL Ashton Porter

Commitment: None

National Ranking: 329

Position Ranking: 45

Connection to Oregon: Porter plans to announce his commitment at halftime of the All-American game on Tuesday, and he is heavily favored to commit to the Ducks.

4-star IOL Iapani Laloulu

Commitment: Oregon Ducks

National Ranking: 333

Position Ranking: 15

Connection to Oregon: Laloulu committed to Oregon earlier this year, and will come to Eugene as the younger brother of current Ducks’ lineman, Faaope Laloulu.

5-star TE Duce Robinson

Commitment: None

National Ranking: 17

Position Ranking: 1

Connection to Oregon: As arguably the top-remaining prospect left in the 2023 class, Robinson has several schools under consideration. He has talked about taking a visit to Eugene this month before he signs. We will see if that happens, but the Ducks aren’t out of his recruitment just yet.

5-star DL David Hicks Jr.

Commitment: Texas A&M Aggies

National Ranking: 9

Position Ranking: 1

Connection to Oregon: David Hicks Jr. strongly considered committing to Oregon down the stretch, but it seemed family pressure might have led him to Texas A&M in the end. Hicks may be at the top of the list of players who, if they end up in the transfer portal, could be coming to Oregon down the road.

5-star S Peyton Bowen

Commitment: Oklahoma Sooners

National Ranking: 14

Position Ranking: 2

Connection to Oregon: I don’t need to remind anyone about how Peyton Bowen is connected to the Ducks. After flipping from Notre Dame to Oregon in a dramatic signing day announcement, Bowen only made more headlines throughout the week as he failed to send his national letter of intent to the Ducks, and instead flipped to the Oklahoma Sooners a day later. Duck fans may not agree at the moment, but I could see him once again considering Eugene down the road if he were to ever decide he didn’t want to play for Oklahoma.

5-star QB Malachi Nelson

Commitment: USC Trojans

National Ranking: 3

Position Ranking: 2

Connection to Oregon: Nelson doesn’t have a direct connection to the Ducks, but he has signed with the USC Trojans, so there’s a chance Oregon could see him up close in 2023 should he need to step in for Heisman winner Caleb Williams.

5-star WR Zachariah Branch

Commitment: USC Trojans

National Ranking: 5

Position Ranking: 1

Connection to Oregon: Much like Malachai Nelson, there’s no guarantee Duck fans see Branch play in person before the Trojans head to the Big Ten in 2024, but if he’s as good as his rankings say, this five-star might be on the field against Oregon in 2023.

5-star WR Makai Lemon

Commitment: USC Trojans

National Ranking: 34

Position Ranking: 5

Connection to Oregon: Copy and paste from Zachariah Branch. Lemon is a highly-rated WR in the 2023 class and could get on the field against Oregon this season.

5-star WR Johntay Cook II

Commitment: Texas Longhorns

National Ranking: 35

Position Ranking: 6

Connection to Oregon: Cook signed with Texas, but he had the Ducks among the top schools in his recruitment. He even considered flipping to Oregon down the stretch, taking an under-cover visit to Eugene during the season. He’s someone to keep an eye on in the coming years for Oregon fans.

4-star RB Richard Young

Commitment: Alabama Crimson Tide

National Ranking: 48

Position Ranking: 4

Connection to Oregon: Young strongly considered committing to the Ducks before signing with Alabama.

4-star QB Jaden Rashada

Commitment: Florida Gators

National Ranking: 56

Position Ranking: 7

Connection to Oregon: Rashada was recruited hard by the Ducks before he committed to the Miami Hurricanes. Of course, the QB then flipped his commitment to the Florida Gators.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire