Danny Mattingly Commits to Ducks

Oregon fans will be pleased to hear that the Ducks landed another recruit today, receiving a verbal commit from 4-star athlete Danny Mattingly. Mattingly previously committed to Notre Dame, but rumors had been swirling that he was thinking about retracting his commitment to the Fighting Irish after making visits to several Pac-12 schools, including Washington, UCLA and Oregon.

Chip Kelly has been extremely successful in the past with getting highly ranked players to commit elsewhere after already verbally committing to another school (Arik Armstead, Bralon Addison, DeAnthony Thomas). When asked why he was looking at other schools instead of holding steady with Notre Dame, Mattingly said, “I’m trying to do what’s best.”

Mattingly is being recruited as an athlete, having played linebacker and tight end in high school. While it is likely that the Ducks will utilize him mostly at linebacker, the 6’5″ 218 pound senior has also expressed a lot of interest in playing tight end at the collegiate level. It will be really interesting to see how the Oregon coaching staff incorporates him into the game plan, as Mattingly could play a very versatile role.

Oregon has now received commitments from 13 players, including seven 4-stars, and the 2013 Ducks recruiting class is really starting to come together. Kelly is notorious for snagging big time players right at the deadline, so the next month and a half leading up to signing day is going to be very interesting.