Oregon may have verbal commitments from two of the West Coast’s best defensive tackles already, but for the moment, that evidently hasn’t diminished their chances of landing one of the nation’s top prospects at the position.

Despite pledges from four-star Keyon Ware-Hudson and three-star Suaava Poti, the Ducks were included as one of the final eight schools for Antioch (Calif.) Pittsburg four-star prospect Jacob Bandes, who announced the cut Thursday.

Please respect decision pic.twitter.com/jBWRs4plyo

— _Mr.CincoCinco_ (@Jacob_Bandes) July 12, 2018

Since the offseason began, Bandes has enjoyed red hot showings on the camp circuit, which was capped off by a top five performance among all defensive linemen at The Opening in Dallas earlier this month. He is currently ranked as the nation’s sixth-best defensive tackle per 247Sports’ Composite Player Rankings.

The Ducks have experienced their fair share of success recruiting Pittsburg High School in recent years, as it is the same school that notably produced former Ducks Avery Patterson and Erick Dargan. The battle to land Bandes’ signature, however, figures to be a bit more heated, as Oregon will be going head-to-head with national name-brand programs such as Washington, Florida, and Ole Miss.

The prevailing question following Bandes’ announcement Thursday is how much, if any, impact will Ware-Hudson and Poti have on his decision as he begins to whittle down his options.

There’s currently a definite need at defensive tackle, as Jordon Scott, Austin Faoliu, and Popo Aumavae are the lone long-term options for Oregon at the position. And considering Faoliu’s versatility, that group could shrink even more if Faoliu finds himself pressed into regular duty at defensive end. Ware-Hudson and Poti will certainly provide depth behind those players if they sign and arrive on campus next fall, but they also have some positional versatility of their own along the defensive line. Regardless, the opportunity is there for Bandes to make an early impact if he winds up finding his way to Eugene.

It’ll also be curious to see how vigorously the Oregon coaching staff continues to pursue Bandes as it relates to some of the other defensive tackle prospects they’re currently in on. Salt Lake City (Utah) East four-star Siaki Ika, Wichita Falls (Texas) Hirschi three-star Lloyd Murray, and perhaps even Amite (La.) five-star Ishmael Sopsher are other high priority targets the Ducks are believed to be pursuing in addition to Bandes.