Ducks add Rivals250 CB

The Ducks scored a major commitment on Thursday when Rivals250 cornerback Jared Mayden out of Sachse, Texas made his college destination known as he selected the Oregon Ducks over myriad offers. The other finalists included Ohio State, Michigan, and UCLA to name a few. Mayden becomes the fourth defensive back brought in this season and adds to what is already a strong class.

Mayden is ranked 147 on the Rivals250 list, and 9th overall for cornerbacks. He was one of 166 athletes invited to The Opening, an invite-only camp hosted on the Nike headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon. During the SPARQ testing, Mayden put up a very respectable 120.78, coming in at 6'0" and 198lbs with 4.47 40 speed.

Mayden was joined on The Opening team AlphaPro by future Duck teammates Theo Howard, Vavae Malepeai, and Dillon Mitchell. Although they fell in their first 7-on-7 competition, AlphaPro was able to defeat FlyRush 12-6 prior to Mayden making his announcement.

"I have liked the school since I visited there," said Mayden of his college choice. "But it was a gut feeling. My parents said go with my gut. The first thing you think of is the school you talk about the most. So I just went with that feeling when I made my decision."

Despite being located near Dallas, Texas, Mayden had little concern about playing far away from home. He joins a number of others who have made the journey from Texas to Oregon to play their college ball, including LaMichael James, Josh Huff, Darron Thomas, and Bralon Addison. Mayden also becomes the second commitment out of Texas this year, adding to future teammate Seth Green, out of Allen, Texas.