Making the Case: Four-star WR Isaiah Sategna
When Isaiah Sategna committed to Texas A&M in March, it was seen as a massive recruiting win for coach Jimbo Fisher.
The Aggies were adding one of the fastest players in the country and the four-star receiver can get open against anybody and run by any defender. Going into Fayetteville, Ark., for Sategna was definitely a massive win.
But Sategna surprisingly backed off that pledge in mid-June and after being courted by numerous programs around the country, he has narrowed his choices to Oregon and USC. He has now set July 11 as his new commitment date.
Both Pac-12 programs have intriguing aspects to offer Sategna, who is a football and track star. HIs opportunities in both sports will be a major consideration in his final choice.
In only days, the decision will be made as to which one won out.
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OREGON
“The Oregon Ducks have a serious chance to gain the signature of 2022 speedster Isaiah Sategna, and one of the primary reasons has nothing to do with football. Sategna considers track and field his main sport, with football being his ticket to a full scholarship. Oregon has one of the premier track programs in the nation and its venue, Hayward Field, following its $200 million dollar renovation last year, is the top track and field facility in the world. Sategna and his parents loved the track portion of his official visit to Eugene earlier this month as much as the football aspects.
“The football side of their visit went as well as possible too, and head coach Mario Cristobal and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon have both developed excellent relationships with the Sategna family. Sategna said the favorite part of his visit was getting to know the players and coaches and that he definitely could see himself living in Eugene. Oregon checks both his football and track boxes very well, and the Ducks have a great chance of landing him.” - AJ Jacobson, DuckSportsAuthority.com
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USC
“While Isaiah Sategna's top two list may have seemed like a raw reaction to his USC official visit, he actually had already decided going into the trip that it was going to be down to Oregon/USC unless his Trojans visit underwhelmed him. It didn't. The Trojans are a real contender here, as is Oregon, and after decommitting once already from Texas A&M, Sategna is not going to rush into a final decision.
"Competing in track is a major factor for the speedster, and while Oregon is certainly a mecca of sorts for that sport, Sategna's mother – former Olympian Dahlia Duhaney (now Sategna) – has a familiarity and comfort level with new USC track coach Quincy Watts (a fellow 1992 Olympian) and also connected strongly with the football staff on the visit, as a friend of hers works in the USC football office.
"Sategna also came away impressed with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert's own history of success at the program, the Trojans' high-volume passing attack and reputation for producing stars at the position.
"Ultimately, Sategna is waiting to see who will be USC's new jumps coach, as long jump is one of his big events, but the Trojans have a strong chance to reel in the impressive two-sport talent.” - Ryan Young, TrojanSports.com
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THE VERDICT
“This one could go either way and after talking to some people, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Sategna pulled a surprise, but my bet is that USC is the winner in his recruitment. The visit to USC went very well, there has always been a strong consideration to playing in the state of California, and that means Los Angeles would be a huge draw, and Sategna can see a future in football and track there.
"With all that being said, it’s really hard to pick against Oregon because the Ducks have proven once again by landing five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks over the weekend that they can go anywhere and beat any team in the country for top talent. Still, my guess is that he picks the Trojans.” - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director