4-star LB Brandon Lockley Jr. commits to Oregon Ducks

Linebacker has typically been a spot Dan Lanning reserves for high school recruits. Not often do the Oregon Ducks dive into the transfer portal to fill their needs in the middle of the defense. Rather, the coaching staff is willing to travel across the country to get a young guy who can develop, learn the system, and lead the defense.

That's exactly what the Ducks did on Sunday, landing a commitment from four-star linebacker Brandon Lockley Jr. out of Philadelphia. Lockley chose the Ducks over Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Duke, Nebraska and others.

Lockley is the No. 234 recruit and the No. 21 linebacker in the country, per Rivals, and didn't need long to choose the Ducks as his new home. Although it's a long way from home, Lockley felt it was the right place to be when he first visited at the beginning of the month.

"The message has been just knowing it’s a long way from home, but they want me bad,” Lockley told Rivals after his visit. “They love my ceiling. They love my versatility. They can see me playing either linebacker spot that they have, and they said I’m a great player and I’m a player that they can see fit in their school and their system.”

Lockley already had a string of official visits lined up for this summer, including one to Oregon on June 19, but the timing was right for the St. Joseph's Prep star to lock in with the Ducks.

The Ducks have been scorching hot on the recruiting trail lately, most recently securing commitments from five-star quarterback Will Mencl and four-star safety Semaj Stanford. Lockley joins Oregon's 2027 class as their 11th commitment and second linebacker, alongside three-star . The Ducks currently have the No. 6 class in the nation, per Rivals, but after a successful spring game, they could be in line for even more additions soon.