Oregon Ducks Elite Recruiting Target Elbert Hill Predicted To Commit To USC Trojans

Oregon has made waves in the recruiting world ever since Oregon coach Dan Lanning arrived in Eugene. Usually Lanning and company are used to getting their way, such as winning the sweepstakes for five-star receiver Dakorien Moore and winning key battles in the transfer portal.

USC had been relatively quiet in the last five years in terms of battling with Oregon for recruits, but Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and his staff in Southern California are now becoming a thorn in the Ducks' side.

Elbert Hill IV, the No. 4 cornerback in the 2026 class per On3's rankings, has been projected to now sign with USC by On3's Steve Wiltfong. According to ESPN's rankings, Hill holds a five-star status.

Hill had been on Lanning's shortlist of players he wanted to bring to Eugene for awhile now, and even had a visit to Eugene to see the Ducks practice over the weekend.

It was assumed the race for Hill's signature was between Oregon and Ohio State, with Ohio State holding a slight edge due to the fact Hill is from Ohio. Ohio State Buckeyes insider Bill Kurelic, who has a 87.52 percent prediction rate, projected Hill to commit to Ohio State back in March of 2024.

The exact numbers of the proposed NIL deal with USC and Hill are not public information quite yet. Lanning has shown in the past and in fact spoke with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton about the fact that he wants players who want to be in Eugene not just for money, but to help build and sustain the culture that Lanning has built in his time with the Ducks.

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Despite the latest news that Hill will commit to USC, the Hill sweepstakes might not be closed off to Oregon. Hill still technically has official visits scheduled with the Ducks on June 13 and the Alabama Crimson Tide on June 20. The elite recruit also has an official visit scheduled with USC on June 6, before either Oregon and Alabama welcome Hill back to their campus.

The fear for Ducks fans is before Hill steps back on campus, his decision will be made to attend USC and he will cancel his remaining visits. Hill's decision may be made before he takes his next trip to the Trojans in fact, with the five-star cornerback in the 2026 class reposting the prediction that has him linked to USC.

While Hil's social media activity doesn't necessarily bode well for Duck fans, Hill also posted about his trip to Eugene, posting a photo of him with other Ohio native and Oregon commit Trey McNutt, who chose the Ducks over in state school Ohio State.

College football fans have seen commits post about their official visits plenty of times, with the commit then choosing to further their education at a different school. If Lanning and the Ducks can host Hill one more time, the tides of this recruiting battle could very well change.