Ducks land 4-star DB Thomas Graham

New Oregon coach Willie Taggart just made a big statement in Southern California.

The Ducks received a commitment from four-star cornerback Thomas Graham on Friday during a ceremony at his school. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., standout picked Oregon over Arizona, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Nebraska and UCLA.

Taggart’s recruiting style down the stretch, the fresh beginnings with the Ducks and the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt all played roles in Graham’s thinking.

“Taggart, everybody is new, and everybody gets a fresh start,” Graham said. “The (defensive coordinator) that he just picked up has been by my high school and he was there when I started to get recruited. Then it’s just Oregon and it was one of the places I felt comfortable with.”

Rated as the No. 11 cornerback and No. 110 nationally, Graham is an athletic, smooth defensive back who played a lot of safety in his senior season because he’s so skilled and the Rancho Cucamonga secondary was so loaded, but it’s expected he would move down and play corner in Eugene.

A former USC commit, Graham backed off that pledge months ago and really reopened the recruiting process to every school. He took visits all over the country and after his Notre Dame trip early in the fall, Graham’s father said it was the best one the family had taken so far.

Nebraska had also become a major player especially after position coach Donte Williams went to the Huskers from Arizona, which had remained a serious consideration through the final days.

But Taggart did a tremendous job closing on Graham, meeting with people close to him and making it clear that he has lofty expectations for the four-star and the program.

One source close to Graham’s recruitment said a meeting with Taggart went “great.” There’s no doubt Taggart’s aggressive recruiting style down the stretch made a big difference with the Rancho Cucamonga star.

Oregon has now landed two of that school’s top players with Graham and four-star athlete Jaylon Redd in the fold. Graham is now done with his recruitment – and he’s at peace.

“I’m happy,” Graham said. “It’s a stress reliever. Everything is fun, until the end.”