logo
Oregon football extends offer to 2029 OT prospect Xavier Berry

Oregon football extends offer to 2029 OT prospect Xavier Berry

USA Today18-06-2025

Oregon football extends offer to 2029 OT prospect Xavier Berry
There's planning ahead, and then there is this.
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have extended a scholarship offer to Xavier Berry, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound offensive lineman from Puyallup, Wash. Berry's weight might be considered light for a college offensive lineman, but it's understanding for his age, as he will be entering the eighth grade in the fall.
Yes, the eighth grade.
Berry is in the Class of 2029, and a lot could change between now and then. But for now, colleges have at least one eye on Berry. As of now, he does not yet have a recruiting rating, but 247Sports shows that Berry has scholarship offers from Washington, Sacramento State, San Jose State, and the Ducks.
Berry is at least practicing with some upperclassmen instead of manhandling some poor 13-year-old. According to Reggie Jones, head football coach at Heir Academy, Berry could easily be the top lineman in his class when the time comes.
Oregon has become a popular destination for offensive linemen, however, so it shouldn't be a big surprise that the Ducks are eyeing talent such as Berry. They just had Josh Conerly go to the NFL, and have linemen such as Isaiah World wanting to make a name for themselves in Eugene.
Berry might not be the next in line, but he's definitely in line.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

OU football adds 4-star OL Deacon Schmitt to Sooners' 2026 recruiting class
OU football adds 4-star OL Deacon Schmitt to Sooners' 2026 recruiting class

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

OU football adds 4-star OL Deacon Schmitt to Sooners' 2026 recruiting class

NORMAN — Bill Bedenbaugh earned a major recruiting victory on Saturday afternoon. OU landed its 10th commitment in June when four-star offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt chose the Sooners over Alabama and Colorado in a ceremony at Windsor High School in Colorado. Advertisement "Thank you to everyone who believed in me," Schmitt told the crowd. "I was a kid with a dream walking in and I feel like I've done my part. ... It's been a great journey and I'm super blessed but with all of that being said, I'm here to announce my commitment to the University of Oklahoma." Schmitt is ranked as the 371st player in the 2026 class and the No. 1 prospect in Colorado, according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings. Schmitt visited Norman earlier this month as part of one of OU's major recruiting weekends. Before committing to the Sooners, Schmitt canceled official visits to Nebraska, Tennessee and USC, according to On3. Schmitt is Bedenbaugh's highest-rated offensive line commit of the 2026 class. Schmitt is the second offensive lineman to commit in the 2026 class, joining four-star Noah Best. Best committed on June 9. Advertisement Following a slow start to the year, OU has had a hot June on the trail. Schmitt's commitment comes days after four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley picked the Sooners over LSU. Before Schmitt's commitment, the Sooners ranked No. 43 in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports' team ranking. More: How will OU football's John Mateer adjust to SEC? One burning question for each position Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@ or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football adds OL Deacon Schmitt to Sooners' 2026 recruiting class

Oklahoma football picks up commitment from four-star lineman Deacon Schmitt
Oklahoma football picks up commitment from four-star lineman Deacon Schmitt

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Oklahoma football picks up commitment from four-star lineman Deacon Schmitt

The Oklahoma football team picked up a major piece of the Class of 2026 on Saturday as offensive tackle Deacon Schmitt announced his commitment to the Sooners on social media. Schmitt, the top-ranked player in the state of Colorado in both On3 and 247Sports' rankings. He is a composite four-star recruit who held offers 21 power-conference schools, though he had finalized to OU, Colorado and Alabama entering Saturday. Schmitt is the second offensive lineman in coach Brent Venables' 2026 class, joining composite four-star recruit Noah Best from Texas. He's also the 10th pick-up for the Sooners since the beginning of June with his commitment coming a day after the Sooners lost out on the nation's No. 4 junior-college player, Josiah Jefferson, brother of ex-OU safety Tony Jefferson. OU now has 14 players in the class, which entered Saturday ranked 22nd in On3's rankings and 43rd in 247Sports' rankings. Schmitt's commitment will almost certainly boost both. During his announcement, Schmitt said Oklahoma "definitely feels like home." The mark was pointed because the University of Colorado is less than 45 minutes' drive from Schmitt's home town of Windsor, Colorado. Schmitt also remarked about the differences between Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders and Venables, plus offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. "He's my kind of coach," Schmitt said. "The kind of coach I need." .

Where Oregon Ducks' College Football 26 ratings slipped most from a season ago
Where Oregon Ducks' College Football 26 ratings slipped most from a season ago

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

Where Oregon Ducks' College Football 26 ratings slipped most from a season ago

The EA Sports College Football 26 video game is set to drop in a matter of weeks, so new details and trailers have been pouring out over the last months as fans prepare to dive back into the beloved gaming franchise and get onto the digital gridiron. Earlier this week, the team rankings were released for the top 25 squads in the game, giving us a preview of who the best units will be in the game based on the overall rankings. Unsurprisingly, some of the teams at the top of the rankings are who you would expect — Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, etc. It was, however, a bit of a surprise to see how low the Oregon Ducks were rated in the game, coming in at No. 9 among the top teams with an overall rating of 86. On its face, seeing the Ducks behind the likes of Texas A&M and Clemson might be a bit jarring, but when you dig deeper into the ratings, some other things stand out. Primarily, it's interesting to compare how the Ducks are rated in the CFB26 version of the game compared to CFB25 a year ago. Let's look at the differences. Oregon Ducks Overall Rating Overall Rating in CFB 26: 86 (ranked No. 9) Overall Rating in CFB 25: 93 (ranked No. 3) Analysis: Going into the 2024 season, Oregon was viewed as one of the favorites to win the national championship. They had one of the leaders in the Heisman Trophy race at quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, and a long list of veteran playmakers across the board, like Tez Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa, and Jordan Burch. While the Ducks still hold high expectations for 2025, there are a few more questions about how high their ceiling is. With a new quarterback, be it Dante Moore or Austin Novosad, and an admittedly young but talented roster, Oregon's ceiling feels high. Still, there is a lower floor than a year ago, especially with Evan Stewart's injury. For those reasons, it's understandable that CFB26 has the Ducks lower. It should also be noted that no single team in CFB26 is rated at a 90 or above, whereas a total of eight teams held that distinction a year ago. Oregon Ducks Offensive Rating Offensive Rating in CFB 26: 85 (ranked No. 19) Offensive Rating in CFB 25: 94 (tied No. 1) Analysis: The most jarring difference in Oregon's ratings from CFB25 to CFB26 comes on the offense. The Ducks went from having what was tied for the No. 1-ranked offense (alongside Georgia) to having the No. 19 offense in the nation, according to EA Sports. Regardless of what you think about players like Dante Moore and Kenyon Sadiq, two of Oregon's projected stars in 2025, it's hard to see them falling off to the point where they are behind the likes of Baylor, SMU, Oklahoma, and BYU, with all due respect. The Ducks might have lost players like Jordan James and Tez Johnson, but they added the likes of Makhi Hughes, Dakorien Moore, and Isaiah World into the mix. This feels like a drop that is far too drastic. Oregon Ducks Defensive Rating Defensive Rating in CFB 26: 92 (ranked No. 7) Defensive Rating in CFB 25: 90 (ranked No. 3) Analysis: Oregon's defensive unit is getting more respect than the offense going into the new season, but it still dropped below what it was a year ago, which, again, is to be expected after losing players like Bassa, Burch, Derrick Harmon, and Jabbar Muhammad to the NFL. Still, there are a lot of pieces to be excited about going into the new year on Oregon's defense, with Bear Alexander coming in from USC, and Dillon Thieneman, one of the best safeties in the nation, transferring from Purdue. On top of that, both Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti are poised for huge seasons, and there are a ton of freshmen, both redshirt and true, who are in line for significant roles as well. Overall Ratings Takeaways From an outside perspective, it doesn't come as a surprise that the Ducks dropped in the rankings from where they were a year ago. While fans in Eugene may be incredibly excited about where the program is headed and what might be possible this season, a "wait-and-see" mentality should be adopted with this team going into 2025. It's fair for EA Sports to have the same thought when making their rankings. College Football 26 Details The standard edition of College Football 26 is scheduled for release on July 10 for $69.99. Both the Deluxe Edition and MVP Bundle are available for download on July 7. The Deluxe costs $99.99, and the MVP costs $149.99 Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store