Oregon is working to flip a few tight end prospects, one confirms plans to visit

Oregon’s tight end recruiting has been straight up rough so far. The Ducks have already missed out on several key targets, including 5-star Linkon Cure, who committed to Kansas State, and 4-star Kaleb Edwards, who pledged to Alabama. Additionally, Oregon suffered a blow when 4-star DaSaahn Brame flipped his commitment to Tennessee. With Oregon hoping to secure at least one, possibly two, tight ends in this recruiting class, there’s no clear frontrunner for who those players might be at the moment.

Oregon hosted 3-star in-state tight end Austin Simmons during their game against Boise State. While Simmons isn’t the highest-profile recruit on their radar, he remains an option. At this point, it’s unclear how hard Oregon is pushing for him, but he’s certainly on the table. If other targets don’t pan out, Simmons could be someone the Ducks circle back to in their search to bolster the tight end room.

Kaleb Edwards chose Alabama over Oregon and Texas, and while Oregon has maintained some level of communication with him, it seems he's the recruit they are least focused on at the moment. If Oregon decides to ramp up their efforts, they may still have a chance to make a move for him, but for now, Edwards is locked in with the Crimson Tide.

Good news on the recruiting front comes in the form of 4-star tight end Vander Ploog, currently committed to Washington. Ploog recently confirmed that he plans to take a gameday visit to Oregon this season, though I wasn't able to confirm a date. Having already visited Oregon once, it’s a good sign that Oregon will get another opportunity to host him. At 6’6 and 223 pounds, Ploog is a consensus 4-star recruit, ranked #236 nationally by 247Sports composite rankings. Flipping him from Washington would be a huge win for Oregon.

Despite committing to Kansas State over Oregon and Texas A&M, 5-star tight end Linkon Cure is still on Oregon’s radar. Cure tell me he has not ruled out the possibility of taking another visit to Eugene. If Oregon is able to sway the highly coveted prospect, there would be fireworks in Eugene. As of now he is still locked in with Kansas State but if he makes that trip to Eugene, watch out.

The Linkon Cure recruitment could play out similarly to Oregon’s pursuit of 5-star EDGE Elijah Rushing last year. Oregon initially lost out to Rushing’s hometown team but eventually managed to flip him later in the cycle. Cure’s commitment to Kansas State is still strong at the moment, but with Oregon still in the mix, there’s a chance the Ducks could pull off a similar rebound. Time will tell, but the fact that Cure hasn’t ruled out a return visit is a positive sign.

Oregon’s tight end recruiting is shaping up to be very interesting. The Ducks have a few options on the table, but they’ll need to put in some work to land them. Whether it’s flipping a current commit or making a last-minute push for an uncommitted player, time will tell who Oregon is able to land.