Oregon Ducks surging for 4-star RB Jason Brown

Seattle O’Dea four-star running back Jason Brown is the highest-ranked running back left on the board in the 2024 cycle, per the On3 Industry Ranking. The No. 151 overall prospect and No. 10 tailback is down to three schools: Michigan State, Oregon and Washington.

The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder had been considered a heavy lean in favor of Michigan State for some time, but that is changing following the firing of head coach Mel Tucker. With uncertainty casting a cloud over East Lansing, Oregon is stepping up as the new potential frontrunner.

Following multiple predictions placed by recruiting insiders and analysts, the Ducks now have a 72.7% chance to land Brown, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

ScoopDuck recruiting insider Justin Hopkins included Brown as one of the final prospects he expects Oregon to add to its 2024 class last week. Hopkins had previously logged an RPM pick in favor of the Spartans, but the tides are now turning toward Eugene, as he’s placed a new pick in favor of the Ducks with a 70% confidence level.

“This recruitment has taken a turn for sure. I think Oregon was in a good spot, Michigan State did a good job pushing ahead, but obviously that changed,” Hopkins wrote. “Between his stellar senior season and the recent visit to Oregon, I like where the Ducks are at once again.”

Brown sees how he would fit at Oregon

Brown had previously set game visit dates with all three of his finalists in September, according to Spartan Mag. Upon announcing his top three back in August, the burner didn’t hint at which way he was leaning, saying he was “still thinking about it and weighing the pros and cons.”

“I have always been someone that goes off feel,” Brown told On3. “I have just gone through the recruiting process and never had a clear date or time that I wanted to commit. It looks like my decision will come before the season now though. I am getting a little closer and I am starting to get better thought about it.”

Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn and offensive coordinator Will Stein are heading Oregon’s recruitment of Brown. He would become the fourth highest-ranked commit in the Ducks’ 2024 class, which ranks No. 13 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

“I was back at Oregon in July to workout at the camp and really see how I would be used in their offense and coached by the coaches. It went really well,” Brown said. “I like how they use their backs, get their backs in space and move them around. Oregon is building something there too and that stands out.”

Brown has an On3 NIL Valuation of $88K. 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.