Oregon leads for Rivals250 OL Jayden Dean following first visit

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Courtesy of Jayden Dean
Jayden Dean has been a known commodity for years in South Florida. He has anchored the offensive line at two of the area's most storied prep programs, Miami (Fla.) Norland before Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas.
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It has helped the 2027 four-star to nearly 40 scholarship offers to date. They continue to roll in, like Oregon did in late May, with the rising-junior looking to make visits to learn more about new options.
The Ducks hosted him over the weekend and each side was impressed with the other.
"We went up there for camp, met the coaching staff in Coach (Dan) Lanning, Coach (A'lique) Terry, the GA's and all," Dean told Rivals. "It was great up there. I got to see how they coach the offensive line and go through drills, how they want certain kick steps -- if they want a 45 (degree) or a vert.
"I loved it."
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The process of actually working with the potential player-coach battery while in Eugene is part of the reason the Ducks are surging up the list for the top-five interior offensive line projection.
"They're recruiting me hard," Dean said. "It looks like they're winning right now.They've had the best center in the country two years in a row. They win the Joe Moore award and every position got picked in the draft this year.
"They're up there for me. I plan on taking a few more visits, but this may be the school where I call home."
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The rising-junior met with coaches after the workout.
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"Coach Terry made it feel like I was back home in Miami Gardens, except for the cold weather," Dean said, laughing. "They coach their guys to prepare for the NFL...they prepare them to be versatile, too, and that's a great thing for me."
It looks like the Duck target will work logistics to see if a return trip during the 2025 season is possible. Ohio State, Michigan and Florida State are other programs likely to soon host the South Florida native.
Next on the visit list, though, is Florida as Dean will make an unofficial visit to Gainesville before the end of the week.
As the trips compile, the concept of a potential early commitment is on the table.
"I plan on breaking my list down to top schools after these next few visits I have," Dean said. "After that it's about finding the place I'll call home."