Although the Ducks would have preferred a class with Dante Moore included, the UCLA rumblings have been ongoing ever since his visit to Los Angeles the weekend of December 9th. In anticipation of potentially losing its top commitment, Oregon began planning for the worst-case scenario by hosting a possible replacement for Moore.
Could the Ducks Grab Jaden Rashada?
Though there’s been no confirmation on who the secret visitor was, fans on social media couldn’t wait to speculate. 5-star Florida commit Jaden Rashada has been among the names being thrown out there, but it was very unlikely that Rashada made his way to Eugene because he was in attendance for Florida’s Vegas Bowl. Though the Ducks weren’t in Rashada’s final five before his commitment to Miami, the #6 QB in the class has visited Oregon twice this year, once in January and once in May.
So is Oregon attempting to get back in the good graces of the West Coast recruit? Or is Rashada just serving as positive optimism or a smokescreen for the actual visitor?
Austin Novosad
Although yet to be confirmed, the more popular rumored visitor is 4-star Baylor commit Austin Novosad. Novosad has been committed to the Bears since last year but has been in communication with other schools throughout his commitment, most notably Ohio State, Notre Dame, and TCU.
https://twitter.com/Austin2novosad/status/1471465416929206280
The Ongoing Dominoes
There are constant dominoes in college football, as the domino of former Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham accepting the Arizona State head coaching gig may serve as the indirect reason for Novosad being a Duck if that does indeed materialize. Dillingham leaving Oregon ultimately led to Moore leaving Oregon since the former OC was his tightest relationship on staff. Furthermore, the Ducks filled Dillingham’s spot with UTSA co-OC and QB coach Will Stein, someone who Novosad has had a relationship with since the summer of 2021.
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Why it makes sense
Novosad has already flirted with the idea of committing elsewhere through entertaining discussions from powerhouse schools this past summer. Stein is rumored to have as tight of a relationship with the 4-star as Baylor’s primary recruiter and QB coach Shawn Bell. Stein solidified this relationship even further with a recent in-home visit.
Current Oregon starting QB Bo Nix announced his decision to return to the Ducks another season, meaning the Texas slinger would be slated to start following one year of learning behind an experienced shot caller. This offers the opportunity to learn and develop while being the frontrunner to be the 2024 QB of a major program.
What is the chance of Novosad being a Duck?
With all of that being said, there is still the potential of Novosad sticking with his year-long pledge and signing with the Bears in two days. Baylor Head Coach Dave Aranda has already displayed the ability to hold off bigger programs (with more to offer NIL-wise) from his prized quarterback, meaning his ability to do so again should not be out-ruled. Furthermore, even though Novosad has had an ongoing relationship with the new Oregon OC, he has been in communication with all of Baylor’s staff and recruits for over a year now.
So does that mean Novosad ends up a Bear? It’s tough to say but I’m confident in saying Oregon is doing all it can in attempting to flip the quarterback, but it may be too little too late in the process.
