Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks on as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks Commit Named No. 1 Overall Recruit At His Position

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Kyle Clements | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Oregon Ducks are now up to No. 6 in the On3 recruiting rankings for the class of 2026, and tight end recruit Kendre Harrison is a big reason why.

Harrison is listed as the No. 1 tight end in the class of 2026 according to On3. Rivals recently released their “Rivals 300” list of the best college football recruits in the country, and Harrison was listed at No. 1 for tight ends and No. 16 overall.

14 tight ends were picked to be included in the Rivals 300, and three of the top-five tight ends on the list are committed to Big Ten schools. Five-star tight end recruit Mark Bowman files in behind Harrison at No. 2 on the tight end list and No. 21 overall. Bowman is committed to USC and plays high school football at Mater Dei High School in Southern California. Behind Bowman at No. 5 is tight end recruit Matt Ludwig, who is committed to Michigan.

The tight end position is one the Ducks needed to recruit in this cycle. The Ducks recently lost Los Angeles Rams tight end and former Duck Terrance Ferguson to the 2025 NFL Draft, and will most likely lose tight end Kenyon Sadiq to the 2026 NFL Draft after this upcoming season.

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Harrison, who attends Reidsville High School in North Carolina, had a stellar junior season. The 6-7 five-star recruit has 30 touchdowns in 39 varsity games played. Harrison has 112 catches for 1758 yards in his three seasons with Reidsville. Harrison’s junior year saw him play just 8 games, compared to 15 his sophomore season, and 16 his freshman season.

Harrison is the only tight end commit for the Ducks in the class of 2026. He joins a loaded Oregon class that included five-star offensive tackle immanuel iheanacho, and five-star safety Jett Washington.

Harrison also excels on the hardwood, the dual sport athlete averages 18.8 points per game, 14.4 rebound per game, and 3.8 blocks per game. Harrison has played on the varsity squad for both football and basketball since his freshman season.

It was the Ducks 32-31 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium last fall that sealed the deal for Harrison to join the Ducks. Harrison talked about the game and his feelings about Oregon afterwards with On3.

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“After I was out there for that game, I would say I was about 80% sure I was going to Oregon, that visit made a big impact on me. I thought about it for a couple of more weeks and I knew it was Oregon. About two weeks after I got back from that game, my mind was made up.”

Oregon coach Dan Lanning hasn't added another tight end recruit to his 2026 recruiting class, but with Harrison committed, Lanning may not need to keep shopping.