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.
BBC Travel has published its list of the 20 best places to travel in 2026.
The list of global destinations only includes two U.S. travel spots, and one is the Oregon coast.
The BBC write-up is glowing, calling Oregon’s coastline “one of the country’s bucket-list road trips” – and noting that Oregon is the only U.S. state where all beaches are free and public.
- 6 Oregon towns make list of ‘most adorable’ in PNW
Kaitlyn Brajcich of Sustainable Travel International contributed to the BBC’s article, praising the coast’s accessibility and sustainability:
“Mobi-Mats laid over the sand and free beach wheelchairs enable more visitors to enjoy the shore, as does a new partnership with Wheel the World that maps inclusive lodging and experiences.”
Brajcich also cited the easy availability of bikes, sustainable seafood and transit options as reasons to visit the Oregon coast.
The Oregon coast has racked up plenty of superlatives over the years” “most adorable” small towns, most beautiful landmarks, best campground and more.
If you’re planning to visit the coast this winter, Winter Whale Watch Week begins Saturday, Dec. 27 and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31.
“Trained Oregon State Park volunteers will be stationed at 14 sites along the Oregon Coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said in a news release, “to help visitors spot gray whales on their southward migration to the calving lagoons in Mexico.”
A map of the volunteer sites is available on the Oregon State Parks website.
Winter is also the best season to watch storms and view king tides at the coast, but remember to follow safety guidelines if you go.
- The 6 best places to witness king tides on the Oregon and Washington coasts this winter
The other U.S. location to make the BBC’s travel list? Philadelphia, where 2026 will see a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday, including art and museum exhibits, concerts and a variety of sporting events like the FIFA World Cup.
Mater Dei junior defensive back Danny Lang has set a tentative commitment date and USC is firmly in the thick of his recruitment. The four-star junior, one of the top prospects in a loaded West Coast 2027 defensive back class, said he plans to make his college decision on in the summer after completing a final round of official visits.
“I’m most likely going to commit on July 2,” Lang told Rivals. “That’s my birthday so I think that would be a good time to lock it in.”
Lang, rated the No. 193 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, has emerged as a key target for several national powers. He spent his first two high school seasons at safety before transitioning to corner as a junior, a move that showcased his range, instincts, and positional flexibility.
USC’s Position with Lang
Lang confirmed the USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Ole Miss Rebels, and Oregon Ducks will receive official visits. The Trojans, however, already hold one of the strongest relationships in the race.
“USC of course is in there,” Lang said to Rivals. “I’ve been there a lot already and have a really strong comfort level and I like what USC is building. My relationship with T-Reed (Trovon Reed, DB) is very strong.”
That track record matters. Lang has visited USC multiple times across the last two years, including two unofficial visits in 2025. The Trojans also offered early and are the only program to host him more than once. Because of this according to Rivals, the Trojans are an overwhelming favorite to land the hometown star with a 95.5 percent chance.
Lang’s game fits the modern college secondary. At 6-foot-1, he can play corner or safety, allowing staffs to match him to multiple roles. As a sophomore he totaled 33 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Those numbers reflect both physicality and a knack for creating turnovers, traits that translate well across alignments.
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A Deep 2027 DB Class USC Wants to Control
The broader context heightens USC’s urgency. The 2027 recruiting cycle on the West Coast is unusually strong at defensive back, and the Trojans are in the mix for several national names.
Aaryn Washington, ranked No. 50 overall, recently named a top two of Georgia and USC, with the Trojans positioned as a legitimate contender. Should he commit, he would become USC’s first defensive back pledge in the 2027 cycle. Duvay Williams, ranked No. 40 nationally, is another priority target. The Gardena native is already polished in press coverage and consistently erases opposing receivers. He is widely viewed as a lean toward USC.
Lang fits cleanly into this picture. He is ranked No. 56 overall and No. 9 at corner, giving USC a chance to land three top-60 national defensive backs from Southern California alone. Honor Fa’alave-Johnson and Gavin Williams also remain high on the Trojans’ board, forming what could become the strongest defensive back haul of the Lincoln Riley era.
Why It Matters for USC
Landing even two of these prospects would reshape USC’s secondary pipeline. Adding three or more would qualify as a foundational class for the program’s long-term defensive rebuild. The Trojans’ staff has put themselves in a competitive position early in the cycle, particularly with local players who have repeatedly visited campus and built trust with the current defensive staff.
Lang’s July decision timeline gives USC a clear target window. His official visits will shape the final stretch, but the Trojans’ familiarity, development pitch, and strong connection with Trovon Reed ensure they will remain a major player until the end.
Gov. Tina Kotek’s commitment to boosting prosperity through economic development is encouraging, and I hope her efforts are successful, (“Oregon’s governor unveiled a ‘roadmap’ to business prosperity. Here’s what’s at stake,” Dec. 2). Too often, Oregon’s leading industries and businesses hear platitudes on the importance of economic development only to witness actions that dilute economic development funds, which provide high returns on investment.
Oregon hospitality and leisure is the third-largest private employer sector, creating more than 200,000 jobs and generating $14 billion in annual economic activity – driven in part by state and local lodging taxes.
The state’s 1.5% lodging tax raises approximately $40 million a year and is reinvested in economic development, including tourism promotion and related infrastructure. But some state lawmakers are trying to increase the tax and divert the additional revenue for things without economic benefits – things which should be paid for with general funds. Worse yet, there are efforts to change how county and city lodging taxes are distributed.
State and local lodging taxes are designed to be an economic development tool, and the current system has proven itself – a $40 million investment at the state level and hundreds of millions at local levels for a $14 billion return.
The economic headwinds facing Oregon’s economy are fierce. We should be laser focused on creating the strongest multiplier effect we can with these finite economic development resources. If lawmakers care about Oregon’s economic prosperity, they will abandon these harmful proposals in the upcoming session, and the governor should rebuke any efforts contrary to the goals of her economic development roadmap.
Jason Brandt
Brandt is president and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association
To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
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