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No. 1 athlete in the nation narrows down choices to two powerhouses

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 9:17 AM ET

Brandon Arrington is a blue-chip 2026 recruit, without a doubt. He's a five-star from Spring Valley, California, (Mount Miguel High School) and is the consensus No. 1 athlete in the nation and a top-10 recruit overall.

He's a two-sport athlete — he's also an elite sprinter on the track and field side of things. On the gridiron, he's a two-way player for Mount Miguel. He caught 57 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, averaging 17 yards per catch. On defense, at corner, he notched 26 tackles, three passes broken up and an interception.

As the rankings and stats suggest, he's an elite athlete. It's worth noting that On3 ranks him as the No. 1 corner in the 2026 class, so he very well could end up on the defensive side of the ball in college.

Speaking of where he'll end up, just about every big-time program in the country has offered Arrington, but his recruitment is coming down to two schools.

It's going to be a battle between Oregon and Texas A&M. This is a decision that's going to be coming sooner rather than later for the elite recruit as well. According to what he put on social media, he's going to make an announcement on Thursday, June 19.

Gods plan‼️ pic.twitter.com/OKIoV0oEGX
— Brandon “Dash”Arrington jr 5 (@brandonjubie2) June 17, 2025

Which way is the five-star leaning? It's tough to say. He has an official visit scheduled to Texas A&M this weekend, which could be telling. The Aggies have also done a great job of steadily recruiting him ever since offering back in January 2024.

“It is the people at A&M,” Arrington had previously told On3’s Chad Simmons. “They all want me and they recruit me hard. From the start, it never changed with A&M. They recruited me the same, they built relationships and how consistent they have been stands out.”

Don't count the Ducks out, though. Arrington took an official visit to Oregon early in June, and he has good relationships with co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Chris Hampton as well as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi. That's not to mention head coach Dan Lanning.

“With Oregon, it is about the relationships I have with coach Hampton and coach Tosh,” Arrington told Simmons of On3 in early May. “We are close and I am so cool with coach Hampton. Coach Lanning always checks up on me and that bond I have with the staff is so good.”

This really feels like a recruiting battle that could go either way, which means neither program likely feels certain heading into the 19th.

There is one thing that is certain, though, whether it's Texas A&M or Oregon, one of these programs will be getting a big-time commitment.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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