Elite 2024 EDGE Elijah Rushing commits to Oregon

Elite 2024 EDGE Elijah Rushing of Tuscon (AZ) Salpointe Catholic High announced his commitment to Oregon.

The 6-foot-6, 225 pounder was previously committed to Arizona.

The Copper State EDGE joins coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks’ top 8 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by four-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland, four-star safety Aaron Flowers, and others.

Elijah Rushing Recruiting Profile

Rushing ranks as the No. 35 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 5 EDGE and the No. 1 player in Arizona.

Scouting Summary

On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings writes about him as a college recruit:

“Tall, angular pass rusher with the ability to get after the passer due to his quickness and length. Measured between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6 and around 230 pounds as a junior. Has solid length for the position. Productive pass rusher who feasts on mismatched offensive linemen. Primarily lines up wide both in a three-point stance and as a stand up rusher. Plays with good quickness. Shows an effective long arm getting his hands inside the body of opposing offensive linemen. Plays with a good effort level and chases the ball as a pursuit defender. Productive as a junior, notching 11.5 sacks. A solid, not spectacular athlete at the position. Can play high and stand to add functional strength. Was neutralized when facing Power 5 offensive line prospects as a junior.”

Personal Life (via On3)

“Elijah Rushing knew early on that he had a chance to be one of the top high school football players in Arizona. He said it was when he was around 12 years old that realized he had the God-given tools to be a difference-maker. “Through hard work and having fun with it, I started to make a name for myself,” Rushing told Tucson.com. “I ended up making a name for myself and becoming who I am today. Then I understood the game more and it slowed down for me, and I saw that I was ahead of a few of my peers. Once I saw that I just had confidence in myself and my abilities to play this sport.”

“As a sophomore he played in every contest for Salpointe Catholic High School, racking up 75 tackles, nine stops for loss and 7.5 sacks. He then had 73 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks and 59 hurries in 2022. “He’s strong,” Salpointe coach Eric Rogers told Tucson.com. “It comes down to Elijah embracing the process. We hear it all the time and it’s kind of a cliché, but he loves the process. He loves the daily habits to become great. A lot of the time, it’s not about the final outcome; it’s the daily grind and daily process of waking up every day with a purpose. For Elijah, that’s just part of his nature.” His older brother, Cruz, was a walk-on for the Florida Gators in 2022.”

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $180K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.