Just as Duck fans were beginning to catch their breath after seeing a flurry of commitments pour in over that past two and a half months, they were swept off their feet again, this time by a 2022 prospect with direct ties to the program.

Long believed to a strong Oregon lean, Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic four-star linebacker Emar’rion Winston made good on that expectation by becoming the lone verbal commitment to the Ducks’ 2022 recruiting class on Thursday.

@AADucksDC @CoachDonJ @CoachJsalavea @BrandonHuffman @AndrewNemec @ccramfootball @CoachKWils @coach_cristobal pic.twitter.com/u2aveGks60

— Emarrion winston🎒‼️ (@EmarrionW) July 16, 2020

Though Winston wasn’t the first 2022 prospect to commit to the Ducks (Jaydn Ott held that distinction before announcing his de-commitment from the program in June), he’s certainly a player who sets an early tone for what Oregon’s 2022 class could be. The younger brother of former Duck linebacker La’Mar Winston and current USC linebacker Eli’jah Winston, Emar’rion Winston currently resides as the nation’s 20th-best linebacker and no. 3-ranked overall prospect in the state of Oregon for the 2022 cycle, per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.

Thus far, Winston has garnered offers from Arizona State, UCLA, and USC, though figures to be a player who attracts plenty more attention before his high school career comes to a close.

Below we take a closer look at Winston’s game, examining his weaknesses and strengths, as well as projecting how he may make an impact for the Ducks when he ultimately arrives on campus.

Notable weaknesses:

• Not supremely twitchy: As good of an athlete as Winston is, he’s not as explosive or “twitchy” as his older brother La’Mar. In our estimation, this lack of explosiveness has him better suited for inside linebacker than the outside linebacker position his brother played for the Ducks.
• Questionable in coverage: On film, many of the plays Winston makes comes at or near the line of scrimmage, with few examples that demonstrate his prowess in coverage. Winston has some traits that make you believe he could be a solid pass defender in time, but it’s an area he needs to display more proficiency in.

Notable strengths:

• Shows good pursuit: One of the very first things that you notice about Emar’rion Winston on tape is the way he pursues ball carriers. There’s a certain magnetic quality in the way he tracks down ball carriers and brings them to the ground. As Winston continues to mature and develop, this is a strength that should only improve.
• Great length, toughness to get off blocks: Like his two older brothers, Winston is a player who plays with great length and toughness. His ability to fight through traffic and use his length to shed blockers and bat down passes at the line of scrimmage is more advanced at this age than when his brothers graduated high school.
• Very good all-around athlete: Though he may not quite be the dynamic caliber of athlete that La’Mar was coming out of Central Catholic, Winston is still a player who brings great all-around athleticism to the Ducks’ linebacking corp. He’s got good speed and quickness, has fluid change of direction ability, and is strong at the point of attack.

Overall outlook:

In what should prove to be a strong in-state recruiting crop in 2022, Emar’rion Winston ranks right near the top of the list in terms of the best prospects hailing from the Oregon high school ranks next cycle. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Winston already possesses impressive physical measurables for a kid entering his junior year of high school. With two full years of physical maturation and skill development to go before he arrives on campus in Eugene, it’s fair to anticipate that Winston will be physically ready to at least compete for a contributing role his freshman year. Anything more than that, at least early on, feels like a stretch.

That’s because, by the time Winston arrives at Oregon, the Ducks should be stacked at linebacker, particularly inside. Justin Flowe, Noah Sewell, and Jackson LaDuke will be entering their third years with the program, while highly-touted 2021 four-star recruit and fellow Oregonian Keith Brown will be entering his second season with the Ducks. Add in other players like MJ Cunningham and Andrew Johnson who could factor into the rotation at that time, and the path to the field isn’t exactly unobstructed.

This expected glut of talent at linebacker may wind up being better for Winston in the long run, as he’ll get a chance to learn from players who, by that time, have likely acquitted themselves on the collegiate stage, while personally getting an opportunity to develop and acclimate to the rigors of the college game. Plenty of time stands between now and when Winston could ultimately make an impact for the Ducks, but he’s a player with gobs of potential and a great lead-off man to kick off a 2022 recruiting class that hopes to be every bit as loaded as the 2021 class is trending to be.