2026 5-star TE Kendre Harrison commits to Oregon: 'Oregon is the total package'

Reidsville (N.C.) tight end Kendre Harrison is a national target in the 2026 class with big offers to play basketball on the next level too. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound five-star plans to make plays on the gridiron and the hardwood in Eugene as an Oregon Duck.

The No. 15 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking committed to Dan Lanning and the Big Ten program in Eugene over Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

At different times, the Tar Heels and the Vols had the lead for Harrison. When he took the visit to Oregon for the Ohio State game, his recruitment took a shift.

“After I was out there for that game, I would say I was about 80% sure I was going to Oregon,” Harrison told On3. “That visit made a big impact on me. I thought about it for a couple of more weeks and I knew it was Oregon. About two weeks after I got back from that game, my mind was made up.”

After that visit, Harrison made some strong statements about Oregon.

He said right after leaving, “The atmosphere was insane at the Ohio State game. The fans, the play of the tight ends and the coaching of the team were some of the highlights.

“Oregon is an amazing place.”

Those feelings never went away or changed.

“Oregon is the total package. I chose Oregon because of their player development, the coaching I will get there, the culture and the place. I like Eugene a lot.”

The staff was a factor. Harrison believes in Lanning. He has a connection with Drew Mehringer, the tight ends coach. After working with Mehringer at Saturday Night Live in July, the two have bonded he is excited about the future.

“Coach Mehringer is a great coach and he and coach Lanning care about their players,” Harrison added. “They coach hard, they use their tight ends in their offense and there is a lot I like about coach Mehringer and the staff at Oregon.”