Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi explains mentality of winning Na'eem Offord's recruitment over Alabama, Auburn

There may have not been a bigger recruiting win during the 2025 cycle than Na’eem Offord. The Five-Star+ cornerback was a long-time Ohio State commit but wound up signing with the Oregon Ducks. Auburn was hot on the trail too, thinking they had momentum in the recruitment for some time.

Instead, Offord will now be coached by Tosh Lupoi. The Oregon defensive coordinator explained the mindset of winning Offord’s signature, having to beat out not just Ohio State but two massive in-state programs in Alabama and Auburn.

“This is a guy that you roll up your sleeves and you fly into Birmingham, Alabama and sometimes you might be thinking ‘we’re really gonna go beat out the University of Alabama and Auburn’ and we did,” Lupoi said. “So he’s a guy that was willing to travel to go get what he wants and just pumped about the future with him.”

Offord played high school football at Birmingham (AL) Parker, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Additionally, Offord was the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama. It’s an area Auburn dominated throughout the cycle, signing nine of the top 15 in-state players. Hugh Freeze wanted to make sure the backyard was taken care of and Offord was certainly the biggest fish.

Instead, Lupoi was able to go into Birmingham and win the recruitment. It’s an area he is familiar with as a former Alabama assistant, still having ties. Previous connections certainly paid off for Oregon as one of the country’s best is now a Duck.

Tosh Lupoi speaks to skillset of Na’eem Offord

The On3 comparison for Offord is Stephon Gilmore, a former first-round pick and two-time first-team All-Pro. Expectations for Offord are going to be big and right from the jump.

Lupoi provided a mini scouting report on Offord as well, highlighting some of the areas the cornerback excels. Parker deployed him in multiple positions, specifically on offense, to provide a special set of skills. Now, Oregon is ready to see Offord blossom when playing defense full-time.

“First off size, speed combination,” Lupoi said. “We want to see a guy that performs well in man-to-man coverage. Someone just like you see there is a willing open-field tackler and someone that can play the ball out there in the field. And any time a guy’s lining up at—whether wildcat quarterback, tailback, receiver, typically they have a high what we call ‘ball excellence.’ So that jumps off on his film everywhere.