QUAAACK: 2023 DB Collin Gill commits to Oregon

Oregon is at it again. A day after adding a four-star prospect to the secondary, the Ducks have landed another defensive back for the 2023 class on Thursday after Washington, D.C.-based cornerback recruit Collin Gill announced his decision.

The 6-foot prospect from St. John’s College High School picked Oregon over a final group that included Michigan, Washington, Maryland and Kansas State.

The Ducks only offered Gill this month, but he quickly moved to take an unofficial visit with the program last weekend eventually sealing his decision. Gill’s recruitment has started to pick up again in recent weeks.

He battled an ankle injury throughout his junior season that held him back from reaching a new level in his recruitment after an initial wave of early offers. Schools began to have second thoughts about offering him, but eventually he started to see more success on the recruiting trail.

Gill admits that Oregon was his childhood dream school and he remembers watching the Ducks on TV growing up, so when an offer from the program became a reality it changed a lot about his recruitment.

“It was really hard the last few months for me and my family trying to figure out where to commit and if I was able to commit anywhere,” he said. “So, definitely put me at east these past couple weeks.”

While on campus, Gill was able to spend a good amount of time around the Oregon coaching staff. He was particularly impressed by his time with head coach Dan Lanning, and being able to now play for a head coach with a defensive background has the new Ducks commit excited about the future.

“I love it,” Gill said. “Having a defensive coach as a head coach, that’s good for me. Especially winning a national championship last year. I love it.”

Gill plans to major in finance, and the business school at Oregon was another big selling point. When speaking with Lanning about his potential future in Eugene, Gill was able to come to a better understanding of how all his interests could work together with the Ducks.

“It was a really great time talking to him, because me and my dad sat down with him and he talked about Oregon and the stuff they can do,” Gill said of the Ducks’ head coach. “Especially with my business with NIL and stuff. So, that really connected with me.”

Gill’s length means he could have a future at a number of positions in Oregon’s defense, but for now the plan is to bring him in to play the nickel position for Tosh Lupoi and Demetrice Martin.

“One thing they say is that I’m versatile,” he said. “They love how I can play the corner, safety and nickel spot. Basically, they say that I’m probably going to play the nickel there, but they’re going to put me at different places just to see how I move. They love how versatile I am.”

Gill did has not used any of his official visits yet, so his plan is to take an official visit to Oregon at a later date allowing him to bring his mom with him on the trip to Eugene.