Oregon football recruiting: Five-star DL Aydin Breland commits as Ducks jump

Oregon made a seismic addition to its 2024 recruiting class Saturday when five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland announced his commitment to the Ducks on CBS Sports HQ. Breland chose Oregon over fellow finalists Georgia and Miami to cap a recruitment that included offers from many of college football’s top programs.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound interior stuffer is ranked the No. 11 overall prospect in the class by 247Sports and is considered the No. 4 defensive lineman in the nation. He is playing his senior season for powerhouse high school program Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. As a junior, Breland racked up 10.5 tackles for loss and four sacks during just 10 games while establishing himself as the state’s top-ranked player in the Class of 2024.

With Breland’s commitment, Oregon’s class jumped from No. 13 in the 247Sports Team Rankings to No. 9. He is the Ducks’ fourth top-100 commitment but the first with a five-star prospect rating.

According to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks, Breland has “the physical tools, athletic profile, and in-game playmaking flashes that suggest a high-ceiling future that could produce an impact college player with high-round NFL Draft upside.”

Potential for early impact

Breland is the type of player who could make an early impact for Oregon as the Ducks transition to the Big Ten for the 2024 season. With games against the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin on the 2024 schedule, Oregon coach Dan Lanning will need heft and depth on the lines of scrimmage as he guides the program into its new conference.

As the highest-ranked defensive line commitment of Lanning’s tenure, Breland could have a shot to log early reps. In his 247Sports scouting report, Brooks noted that Breland’s game is refined enough today that he could “get on the field right now for a whole lot of FBS programs.” Here is more from the scouting report on Breland:

“Heavy-handed force reflects that close-quarters explosiveness. Stacks and sheds overmatched offensive linemen to create negative plays. Flashes knock-back power and throw-around strength at the point of attack. Absolute terror if mistakenly left unblocked. Broad pursuit range with the chase-down juice of a much smaller defender. Instinctively anticipates blockers’ angles to create pursuit leverage and redirect. Speaking of, changes direction startlingly well for a 6-5, 290-pounder. Gets on top of O-linemen quickly and periodically displays secondary rush nuance when the first move doesn’t free him up. Plays bully ball and brings an edge.”

Oregon’s class

After leaving his post as Georgia’s defensive coordinator, Lanning cobbled together the nation’s No. 16 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle and built on that momentum by landing the No. 9 class in the 2023 cycle. Now, as the Ducks compete for a Pac-12 title and jockey for College Football Playoff positioning,…