The Oregon Ducks watched their recruiting heater simmer in recent weeks during July. Oregon fired off pre-Fourth of July fireworks by landing five-star wide receiver Xavier Sabb, plus four-star athlete Tae Walden. But the Ducks took a big recruiting loss too during the month. Longtime four-star defensive lineman target Brayden Parks chose Notre Dame on July 23. Now, the Ducks received welcoming news before the month comes to an end, which signals Oregon is closing in on delivering one more big recruiting coup. Four-Star Edge Darieon Prescott Includes Oregon in Final Cut Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5), wide receiver Malik Benson (4), defensive back Brandon Finney (4) and defensive lineman Bear Alexander (1) celebrate following the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesClass of 2028 edge rusher Darieon Prescott of Bolingbrook High in Illinois has locked in July 27 as his commitment date, he announced on social media with help from On3's Hayes Fawcett. Prescott will pique the interest of Ducks fans here: Oregon landed in his final three list, making the Ducks the only Big Ten school he's considering. Oregon continues to win over and intrigue towering edge rushers like Prescott, who stands at 6-5, 250-pounds before playing his junior season of prep football. The Ducks recently landed 6-8 edge rusher Achilles Reyna during their summer recruiting blitz. Five-star edge rusher Rashad Streets is another tall defender with a 6-4, 230-pound frame. Now Prescott rises as a major priority recruit for coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks coaching staff for the next recruiting cycle. Landing him will have its perks. Significance of Landing Darieon Prescott for Oregon Oregon defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn ImagesThe Ducks eventually will need to get used to life without Matayo Uiagalelei on the edge. Fellow edge defender Teitum Tuioti is another nearing the end of the line in Eugene. Both become graduating seniors after this season and Oregon will need to reload on the edge. Which explains the Streets and Reyna addition for the 2027 cycle. But depth will be needed in a huge way. Once again Prescott brings the impact label already. He's already the state of Illinois' top overall prospect per Rivals Industry rankings. Prescott brings the long arms defenses look for when they need someone to bat throws down. But Prescott presents advanced twitchy speed that causes stress for offensive tackles. His foot explosion allows him to be heel depth into the backfield in less than two steps. He immediately wins the line of scrimmage battle off of his speed and long arm extension. He'd rise as the first massive recruiting move for an Oregon 2028 class that doesn't hold any recruiting commits so far. Is Oregon the Trending Favorite? Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Teitum Tuioti (44) reacts with linebacker Devon Jackson (26) after a sack against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Ducks hold the edge out west with trying to land Prescott. But they're not the trending favorite here. Notre Dame holds that title per the Rivals' prediction machine, handing the Fighting Irish a 94.3 percent chance of landing the blue chip defender. Prescott choosing Notre Dame keeps ND's Illinois pipeline alive in a big way. Plus it would become the second July recruiting win the Fighting Irish would pull off over the Ducks following the Parks decision. But Oregon can attempt to deliver one last major sales pitch during the weekend of July 24 before Prescott makes his choice. Duck fans will no doubt tune in and hope he's the first chess piece for the 2028 class. Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow