The Oregon Ducks are looking to obtain strong commitments for the recruiting Class of 2026, and it seems they are getting close to a high-level cornerback.

Samari Matthews, a cornerback from Hough High School, named the Ducks in his final four of teams in consideration of his services. The other programs involved are Clemson, Florida State and South Carolina, per On3's Hayes Fawcett.

Matthews was visited by Oregon head coach Danning and secondary coach Chris Hampton on Jan. 27, revealing to ScoopDuck he was a fanatic of the Ducks growing up.

“The crazy thing about me growing up I was a big Oregon fanatic. I used to love Oregon. So just being able to meet the head coach of Oregon, it was definitely unexpected. It was definitely unreal to me. It was just pretty much like a heart-warming moment for me, for my younger self. He would definitely be going crazy,” Matthews said.

Matthews is viewed as a four-star prospect with a 90 rating, being the ninth-best player in the state of North Carolina, the 12th-best cornerback, and the 136th-best player in the 2026 class.

Ducks look to build off of strong 2024 season

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The 2024 season was a success for the Oregon Ducks, despite suffering heartbreak in the College Football Playoff.

Oregon dominated opponents throughout the regular season, going 12-0 as they went on to win the Big Ten Championship Game by beating the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions 45-37. The offense was potent, averaging 34.6 points while holding opponents to 20.2 points on defense.

However, their lone loss came at the worst time possible. They crashed out of the quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl against the eight-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes despite being the one-seed. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship against Notre Dame, leaving what-if scenarios for the Ducks if they took care of business in the CFP.

While they prepare for the 2025 season, they will continue building for the future with the 2026 recruiting class.