4-star OT Drew Fielder flips commitment from Oregon to USC

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It’s been tough sledding for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail lately, especially against their longtime rivals, the USC Trojans.

After missing out on a key recruit on Thursday night, which led the Trojans to publicly taunt the Ducks and Dan Lanning, USC was able to sway an Oregon commit away on Saturday. Four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder flipped his commitment from the Ducks to the Trojans.

Fielder, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound lineman, had been committed to Oregon since February 1, but he recently visited USC on consecutive weekends, and the momentum seemed to shift. He is ranked No. 246 nationally and is the No. 19 offensive tackle, according to Rivals.

The decision allows Fielder, who plays in Anaheim, to stay closer to home and play in Southern California. The Ducks are left with just one offensive tackle left in their class in three-star Avery Michael, who is also visiting Nebraska this weekend.

Fielder was set to visit Oregon during spring practice again in April and make a final call between the two programs afterward, but his recent trips to USC and now a change in commitment seem to have tossed those plans in the air.

There was reason for the Ducks to feel good about their standing with Fielder. Earlier in the week, Fielder shared to his Instagram a photo of himself and former Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. after the pair had a workout together. Conerly is now the starting right tackle for the Washington Commanders.

The Ducks are still recruiting several other high-profile offensive linemen who have yet to commit, so there will be more chances. Oregon has also recruited well at tackle lately, most recently signing five-star Immanuel Iheanacho, who the Ducks hope will become a staple along the line of scrimmage as soon as this season.

Oregon has five verbal commits in the class now and ranks 13th nationally, according to Rivals. It’s another loss to the Trojans on the recruiting trail, however, as USC continues to make an effort to retake ownership of the Southern California hotbed of talent that the Ducks have routinely taken from in recent classes.

While Lanning and the Ducks’ coaching staff will have to find a way around USC’s new success on the recruiting trail, Ducks fans can take solace in the fact that it hasn’t impacted the results on the field between the two programs. Oregon defeated USC 42-27 last season at Autzen Stadium, and the two teams have another matchup scheduled for Sept. 27 in Los Angeles. If the Ducks were to win that game, it could be another big recruiting tool for the Ducks to point at in hopes of securing more talent from the area.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: USC flips Oregon’s 4-star offensive tackle in latest recruiting battle

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