Howard locked in with Oregon

Theo Howard committed to Oregon early in the spring and despite the advances of Pac-12 rivals UCLA and USC, the four-star wide receiver is staying loyal to the Ducks.

In fact, the Rivals100 prospect intends to enroll at Oregon early, shortly after his official visit to Eugene where he'd like to see the Ducks take on rival Oregon State in the Civil War rivalry game.

"Right now, I'm 100 percent locked in with Oregon," Howard said. "Schools that are recruiting me and came to see me during the spring are basically UCLA and USC, just the two California schools.

"But I'm pretty sure in my decision. If anything were to change I'm always going to keep in contact with (the local schools) because they're right down the street and I could always stop by and talk to their coaches. Right now, though, I'm pretty locked in."

The Trojans generated a lot of offseason buzz with their No. 1-rated recruiting class and the Bruins were the first major offer, but the 5-foot-11, 168-pound prospect from Westlake Village (Calif.) Westlake doesn't anticipate his feelings changing at any time. The locals want Howard to attend games and practices this fall, but Oregon made such an impression on him during his visit to campus in March that UCLA and USC face a very steep climb.

"It was great when I went up there," Howard said. "I met up with coach (Jim) Fisher and coach (Matt) Lubick, and they took me around the campus and showed me the facilities. They showed me how I would fit into their program and how they would use me. They're really clever how they adjust their offense to their players' talents and skills. They know how to use their players.

"They see me at the slot or outside. It doesn't matter; I could switch off just because I have the speed to run outside but I can also run routes to get around linebackers."

Making this recruitment even more interesting is the fact that neither UCLA or USC finished second for Howard.

"I've always had my eye on TCU," Howard said. "I had a great relationship with Doug Meacham, the receiver coach. I just really liked it down there."

Howard caught 52 passes for 869 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a junior last fall.