Oregon
5-Star Linebacker Tyler Atkinson Reveals Commitment Timeline, Oregon Ducks Recruiting Target
The Oregon Ducks are picking up steam on the recruiting trail, working to add one of the top prospects from the class of 2026. The Ducks are targeting five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, who was in Fort Lauderdale for the Overtime OT7 Finals.
Atkinson is the No. 8 recruit in the nation, the No. 1 linebacker, and the No. 1 player from Georgia, per the On3 Industry Rankings. The five-star recruit is down to four schools, the Oregon Ducks, Clemson Tigers, and Texas Longhorns. At the OT7 Finals, Atkinson revealed that while he does not have a specific date in mind, he is planning to make his decision in the next month.
Atkinson has had an official visit with each of his top four schools, visiting Oregon during the first week of June. During the OT7 Finals, Atkinson updated On3 about where he stands with each school, and why the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning are still contenders.
“All four schools, all of my OVs I’ve been to, the relationships I built with them, it gave me a lot to think about when picking a school,” Atkinson told On3. “I’m trying to figure out which one is the best move and which one I’ll be there for the next three to four years.”
“Coach Lanning he’s a defensive head coach,” Atkinson said about the Ducks. “He coached the position for a long time. He just knows what he wants. It just makes it great coming on campus for practice. He’s so into it coaching the defensive players. That’s so great to have your head coach involved.”
Since Lanning began coaching the Oregon Ducks in 2021, the defense is a consistently strong unit, continuing to improve. The defense played a major factor in the Ducks having an undefeated regular season. In 2024, Oregon’s defense allowed just 19.43 points per game due to it being difficult to score against the Ducks. The defense allowed just 16 rushing and 15 receiving touchdowns last season.
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The 2025 NFL Draft demonstrated a pipeline into the league that the Ducks could offer Atkinson if he were to commit to the program. Of the Ducks’ 10 draft picks in 2025, four were defensive players.
Even while losing top players to the draft, Oregon is once again expected to have a strong defense in 2025. With the defense being a highlight of the team, it is appealing to young defensive prospects such as Atkinson.
Atkinson is predicted to stay in-state and commit to the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Oregon Ducks are putting up a strong fight for the No. 1 linebacker. Despite a rough stretch, the Ducks picked up major recruiting momentum in recent weeks.
The Oregon Ducks recruiting class ranks No. 10 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten. The team has received 10 commitments featuring one five-star, six four-star, and three three-star recruits. Atkinson could be the next five-star recruit to commit to Oregon, which would greatly boost their rankings and the team in 2026.
The one five-star commit is safety Jett Washington, the No. 1 player from Nevada. Defensively the team also received commitments from four-star recruits defensive lineman Tony Cumberland, linebacker Tristan Phillips, safety Xavier Lherisse, and three-star recruits defensive lineman Viliami Moala, and edge rusher Dutch Horisk.
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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