4-star WR Julian Caldwell turns down Oregon, commits to Texas Tech

A heated race for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail in the Lone Star State didn’t swing the way Dan Lanning and his staff had hoped.

Four-star wide receiver Julian Caldwell announced his commitment to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Argyle, Texas, product chose the Red Raiders over Oregon and Texas. Caldwell is the No. 67 player in the 2027 class, per Rivals, and the No. 12 wide receiver.

Caldwell has official visits scheduled to all three of his finalists, including a trip to Eugene on June 12, but it remains unclear if he will still take those visits after committing. Oregon pushed hard for the pass catcher, but it became clear in recent weeks that he would opt to stay closer to home.

The 6-foot-1 wideout had a massive junior season, posting 94 catches for 1,737 yards and 20 touchdowns. As one of the top receivers in Texas, the Ducks were naturally interested in making him the next piece to come through the pipeline that wide receivers coach Ross Douglas created, which includes a recruiting win for Dakorien Moore.

Oregon’s 2027 recruiting class is comprised mostly of defensive players and no wide receivers yet. The Ducks are hoping to add some weapons to the class to surround five-star quarterback Will Mencl. Despite missing on Caldwell, the Ducks have some big targets out wide coming to campus soon.

Four-star wideout Dakota Guerrant will take his official visit to Oregon on June 5. The Ducks have been leading his recruitment for a while now, but is making a strong push to keep him in his home state.