Oregon has always been on the mind of four-star defensive tackle Jericho Johnson. He was able to work with Tony Tuioti at the Saturday Night Live camp in Eugene two summers ago, and that time spent with the Ducks' defensive line coach made a big impact on his future.
Thursday night, the Fairfield (Calif.) Armijo star announced his commitment to play for Tuioti and the Ducks giving Oregon its 26th commitment in the class.
Johnson picked Oregon over a long list of offers, but ultimately current Pac-12 and future Big Ten foe Washington proved to be the biggest competition in the race for his commitment. USC and Utah were the other finalists.
The newest Ducks offensive line commit made several trips to Eugene over the course of his recruitment including three visits during the fall. Oregon was able to host him for his final official visit just this month.
The 6-foot-3, 320-pound recruit is now part of a monumental defensive line class for the Ducks that also features four-star prospects Aydin Breland, Tionne Gray and Xadavien Sims who all signed Wednesday.
Dan Lanning's background coaching one of the top defensive line units in recent college football history at Georgia in addition to Tuioti's success helped make Oregon an attractive option for Johnson.
He prioritized development throughout the process, and he feels Oregon's staff can help him reach his goals as a college player.
"I think that's important," he said. "I think that's a huge thing to know that they're gonna develop me. I think going there, coach Lanning has the right support system especially with his background being the DC at Georgia and winning the national title with the people he's coached. I definitely think that he has what it takes to coach me up and take me to the next level for sure."
Johnson is the 20th four-star commit for Lanning's program in the cycle, and his addition moves the Ducks up from No. 7 and to No. 6 in the Rivals team recruiting rankings for 2024.
Oregon closing out the recruiting cycle with several big commitments has started to become a yearly tradition. Wednesday, the first day of the three-day early signing period, the Ducks were able to flip Rivals100 receivers Jeremiah McClellan and Ryan Pellum from Ohio State and USC, respectively.
