With spring football now squarely in the rear-view mirror and the dog days of late spring and summer lying just beyond the horizon, now feels like as good a time as any to re-evaluate where things stand with some of the biggest targets for the Ducks in the 2020 recruiting cycle.
Back in February, WFOD set the table for Duck fans by offering an early look at the names on both offense and defense that recruitniks should familiarize themselves with as Oregon looks to repeat their otherworldly performance on the recruiting trail last season.
Today we continue the exercise of revisiting the Ducks’ top 2020 targets by taking a position-by-position look at the recruits currently believed to be in play. At the end of the series, we’ll submit our educated long-range guess as to what Oregon’s class could look like with more than six months remaining between now and the early signing period in December.
Wide Receiver
Current Commit(s): (4*) Kris Hutson – 5’11”, 175 lbs. – Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
The Top Target: (5*) Johnny Wilson – 6’6″, 220 lbs. – Calabasas (Calif.)
Other prospects of note:
(4*) Jalen McMillan – 6’2″, 181 lbs. – Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial
(4*) Brenden Rice – 6’3″, 208 lbs. – Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton
(4*) Traeshon Holden – 6’3″, 195 lbs. – Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne – **ALABAMA VERBAL COMMIT**
(4*) Collin Sullivan – 6’2″, 190 lbs. – Round Rock (Texas)
(3*) Casey Filkins – 5’11”, 190 lbs. – Lake Oswego (Ore.)
(4*) LV Bunkley-Shelton – 5’11”, 174 lbs. – Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra
With a commitment in hand from one of the more dynamic receivers on the West Coast in four-star prospect Kris Hutson, the Ducks look to continue bolstering their depth and overall collection of talent at the wide receiver position. Perhaps the biggest fish on the open market for Oregon in the 2020 class is five-star target Johnny Wilson; a 6-foot-6, 220-pound specimen who hails from the same high school that produced highly-touted 2019 signee Mycah Pittman.
Wilson’s size and athletic traits evoke comparisons to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans, though it’s possible that Wilson is even further along in his physical development than Evans was at his age. Oregon, Washington, Texas, UCLA, and Ohio State comprise Wilson’s official list of finalists, but the Ducks may have the momentary edge on the competition following an eye-opening unofficial visit to Eugene last Saturday for the spring game. Ranked as the nation’s fourth-best wideout per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Wilson would be the second highest rated receiver to ever commit to the Ducks behind former five-prospect Cameron Colvin (2004).
Beyond Wilson, the Ducks also have their sights set on a handful of other intriguing options at the position headlined by Rice, Holden, and Sullivan. All three were on hand for unofficial visits last Saturday and each came away with emboldened feelings for the Oregon program. Rice, who’s the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, may be the most likely bet of the three to commit to the Ducks in the near future. This has much to do with Oregon’s recruiting efforts in the Valley not only paying notable dividends in recent years, but the fact the Ducks have Rice’s close friend and former high school quarterback, Tyler Shough, already on the roster. Holden is currently verbally commit to Alabama, but recently announced that he will be transferring to Narbonne High School in Southern California for his senior year. In case you’re wondering, Narbonne is the same school that produced 2018 signee JJ Tucker, 2019 signee Jonah Tauanu’u, and 2021 verbal commits Seven McGee and Anthony Beavers. Sullivan may be the toughest pull from this group, but after a memorable unofficial visit, the Ducks could be in line for an official visit from the Round Rock (Texas) native later this fall.
Re-examining Oregon’s targets entering the May eval period: Quarterback
Re-examining Oregon’s targets entering the May eval period: Running back