Mathis has a clear cut No. 1 after visit

Four-star defensive back Dior Mathis of Detroit Cass Tech was in Oregon this past weekend for an unofficial visit. The 5-9, 175-pound Mathis had a solid top three heading into his trip to Eugene, but following the visit he announced changes to that top three and a clear cut favorite.

"Tennessee is no longer in my top three. It's Oregon, Michigan State and Illinois now," Mathis reported. "Oregon's No. 1. They were No. 1 before I went out there."

Although the Duck's position on Mathis' list did not change following the trip, his experience in Eugene certainly will aid Oregon's chances going forward in his recruitment.

"It was actually more than what I expected. I knew it was going to be nice, but I didn't expect it to be that nice. It was a wonderful experience," Mathis said. "The specific thing that got me was the school. It is big, but it is all together and you don't have to walk a mile to get to a class. They also give you 20 minute to get to each class, so that was the highlight.

Ducks defensive backs coach John Neal has been Mathis' primary recruiting contact at Oregon, but this past weekend's visit gave Mathis the opportunity to become familiar with head coach Chip Kelly's entire staff.

"They actually made me feel like they have been knowing me forever," Mathis remarked. "They were so down to earth and so excited to have me. When I got there, it was like I was a new player on their team."

Mathis holds offers from schools all across the country, and he has made visits to several different regions of the country throughout the course of his recruitment. Having a chance to spend time on the West Coast, though, gave him a much better feel for how he would be affected by the distance from home.

"At first I was kind of worried when I was going out there, but when I got there it felt like home," Mathis said. "Eugene and Portland are so comfortable and it's a place where, if I did decide to go to school there, I would probably stay there the rest of my life and raise a family. That's how it is there."

Both of Mathis' parents accompanied him on the visit to Oregon, and they were also impressed with what the Ducks had to offer.

"My dad loved it. He knew it was going to be good and going down there was just icing on the cake for him," Mathis said. "My mom was like me, she loved how the school was. She didn't expect the school to be like that. Everybody gave five stars to Oregon."

Practices started at Cass Technical School on Monday and Mathis' primary focus now turns to his high school team's success, but he does plan to take several visits this fall to see his favorite schools in action.

"I haven't set up none, but I know my [top three] are the next trips I am taking. I am probably going to take two more, but I don't know where. Probably to Michigan and somewhere else," Mathis said. "I'm going to [announce] at the [U.S. Army] All-American Game, but if I know which school I'm going to I'll probably tell the coaches I am going to make a soft verbal commitment, but nobody will know."