The Oregon Ducks have the nation's No. 3 recruiting class, according to Rivals, bolstered by an elite collection of defensive back talent.
Oregon has earned commitments from top-10 positional talents in cornerback MyKael Wright and safety Jeremiah Criddell, heavily recruited safety Trikweze Bridges and junior college defensive back Elijah Blades, the No. 1 cornerback in the country.
This week, however, the Ducks received some hope that the group might get even better.
On Monday, consensus four-star cornerback Chris Steele, the nation's No. 6 player at his position, announced his decommitment from the USC Trojans.
The 6-foot-1, 187-pound defensive back, out of St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California), made the move public on Twitter.
"After a lot of prayer, I have decided that it would be best for me to decommit from USC and open up my recruitment so that I can find a place that will help me reach all the goals that I wish to accomplish," Steele wrote, in part. "There is no love lost for USC, it's my hometown school and they will always hold a special place in my heart. This is a decision that I have lost a lot of sleep over and put myself through a lot for, but I'm now ready to use this little time that I have to find the school that will fit me best as a player, student, and most importantly, as (a) young man."
Prior to his July commitment to USC, Steele was strongly considering the Ducks, and has several ties to their current recruiting class.
"I have a lot of love for Oregon and whole staff - even the players on the team, like Cyrus (Habibi-Likio), Thomas Graham Jr., Deommodore (Lenoir), Nick Pickett," Steele told The Oregonian in the spring. "They've all been treating me like family, like a little brother. I've been getting love from not only the whole staff, but the players as well. When I went down there I loved it. It's safe to say they are one of my top schools. I don't have a leader right now, but they are definitely in my top schools and are competing for my commitment with a few other schools."
Upon seeing the news, Oregon four-star wide receiver commit Mycah Pittman not-so-cryptically responded to the news:
Consider Oregon a contender to land Steele going forward.
-- Andrew Nemec
anemec@oregonian.com
@AndrewNemec