Oregon 'the clear team to beat' for elite 4-star LB Nasir Wyatt

Oregon has carried the recruiting momentum it built at the end of the 2024 cycle into the 2025 class. The Ducks already have another top-10 pledge list going and are trending for multiple high-end prospects.

One of those top recruits is Santa Ana Mater Dei four-star linebacker Nasir Wyatt. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder returned to Eugene for a Junior Day visit earlier this month and left with the Ducks trending for his commitment, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

On Feb. 9, On3’s Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons logged a pick in favor of Oregon landing the latest elite prospect to come out of Mater Dei High. The push for Wyatt has been a long one for Dan Lanning, Tosh Lupoi and his staff — which has had the four-star on campus multiple times throughout his recruitment thus far.

“Oregon did a great job coming on to him over a year ago — and really ‘chopping wood’ at that time, that’s kind of gotten us to where we are now,” Oregon insider Justin Hopkins said on ‘The Inside Scoop’. “I do think this is one for Oregon fans to watch. He hasn’t set a date, he hasn’t specified that he’s committing soon, but there’s certainly a lot of buzz with that happening.”

“Wyatt is coming off another successful visit to Oregon. He has tripped to Eugene three times and each has been a good visit. Dan Lanning and the staff have done a good job with Wyatt and his family. The Ducks are the early favorite,” Simmons wrote upon logging his prediction.

Abundance of connections for the Ducks and Wyatt

Oregon is obviously no stranger to recruiting out of Mater Dei and the California are in general. One of the top signees in Lanning’s 2024 class is Wyatt’s former teammate, four-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland.

Last week, the Ducks added a 2025 commitment from Concord (Calif.) De La Salle four-star defensive lineman Matthew Johnson. To say the least, the Oregon staff will have plenty of help from other voices as they attempt to add Wyatt to the fold.

“I think Matt Johnson, as his commitment happened the other day, I think that was a tipping point. Johnson noted that Wyatt was one of the guys he was recruiting the hardest and will continue to recruit to Oregon now,” Hopkins said. “I think that one has real legs to it, Oregon, at the moment, looks like the clear team to beat. If a decision does come soon, which most of us are expecting, you got to think that it’s going to be good news for the Ducks.”

Wyatt is the No. 43 overall prospect and No. 4 LB in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 3 player in California.

Oregon’s 2025 class currently ranks No. 6 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. It features five commits — three of whom are top-100 overall recruits.