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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
On the same day Dan Lanning and Oregon were looking to make a statement against Washington, he and his staff scored a big win on the recruiting trail.
Mater Dei High School (California) defensive tackle Aydin Breland (No. 45 overall in 2024 ESPN 300) committed to the Ducks, adding to a top-five class.
Breland, the fifth-best defensive tackle in the cycle, becomes the highest-ranked defensive prospect in ESPN’s fourth-ranked class and the 15th ESPN 300 player to pledge to Oregon — breaking a tie with LSU and Ohio State for second most in the country, behind only Georgia.
“I kind of wanted to get away from California, I discovered, so the West Coast feel [stood out],” Breland told ESPN. “The thing about Oregon I really love is the genuine coaching staff that Dan Lanning has over there. It goes from everybody. I just love everybody over there — [defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi], [defensive line coach Tony Tuioti].”
Breland was in attendance for the UCLA game last fall (Oregon won 45-30). He took his official visit to Eugene back in June and will enroll in January 2024.
He also considered Georgia and Miami.
Lanning and Lupoi will ask the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Breland to rotate as a 3-technique and a 5-technique on a defensive line that helps boost a unit currently sitting second overall in the Pac-12 (255.6 YPG) and tied with Arizona State and UCLA for the second-most sacks (18).
As a junior in 2022, Breland recorded 24 tackles (18 solo) with 10 ½ sacks and four sacks in 10 games for the Monarchs. He has missed some time this year because of an ankle injury.
A Southern California kid, Breland believed for a long time that staying home and playing for USC was an option.
But with time, he came to realize he wanted something that would offer new experiences and new memories — including playing in the Big Ten.
“I got some players that I grew up with playing around that are [there], some of them are committed, some of them are already up there,” he said. “… I just know a lot of players and I feel really comfortable at Oregon. Oregon feels like [home]. It’s always that [fit with a] school [that matters]. It’s just right there.
“I’ve learned that the best things come when you wait, as far as just being patient and just trusting the process. I feel like staying true to yourself is a big one with this one.”