Oregon Ducks Favorites To Land 5-Star Recruit Jett Washington, Kobe Bryant's Nephew

The five-year anniversary of Bryant's tragic death came on Jan. 26. He played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships during that span. Bryant is fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 33,643 points and was a global icon for the sport before and after his untimely death.

If Washington commits to Oregon, he'll undoubtedly bring an extra bit of hype to the Ducks' 2026 recruiting class due to both his impressive talent and family ties.

Washington has upcoming official visits set with Alabama (May 30) and Oregon (June 13). He's also taken an unofficial visit to USC this past March. He's received offers from the best programs in college football, highlighted by Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas A&M and many more.

The Texas Longhorns visited Washington in Las Vegas this past February at one of his basketball games. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning visited Washington as well.

Here's some of what Ivins said about Washington on 247Sports' scouting report:

"A physical specimen with rare size and rare range that could be positioned over the top, in the box or in the slot," Ivins wrote. "Constantly found ways to impact games as he chewed up turf and got to the catch point. ... Might not always be the most fluid with his transitions, but can recover from false steps with excellent deep speed and use his length to blanket target windows like few others."

During the 2024 season, Washington was named the MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Junior All-American. He ended the year with 38 tackles, one forced fumble, two pass breakups and five interceptions.

Oregon's 2026 class currently consists of commitments from four-stars like tight end Kendre Harrison, linebacker Tristan Phillips, running back Tradarian Ball, defensive lineman Tony Cumberland and three-stars like edge Dutch Horisk, safety Xavier Lherisse and defensive lineman Villiami Moala.

Oregon begins its 2025 season at Autzen Stadium on Aug. 30 against the Montana State Bobcats. The Ducks will then host the Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12 on Sept. 6 before the Big Ten regular-season opener on the road against Northwestern on Sept. 13. Oregon will close out non-conference play against the rival Oregon State Beavers before continuing the rest of their Big Ten schedule.