Important weekend ahead for Ducks, set to host 4-star TE Malik Howard

First impressions mean a lot in life, but especially on the recruiting trail in college football. For 2027 blue-chip tight end Malik Howard, it means granting the Oregon Ducks, who just recently entered his recruitment, an in-person unofficial visit this weekend to see what the program is all about before making a bigger decision of taking an official visit to Eugene this summer.

"I see this visit as huge for me," Howard told Rivals' Chad Simmons. "It’s their one big shot and more of a make-or-break visit. After this, it’s either I schedule an official visit, or we part ways."

Howard is rated as a four-star tight end and is the No. 8 tight end and No. 183 player nationally in the 2027 class, per 247 Sports. He competes for Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee, where he's the eighth-ranked player in the state.

The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder revealed that while the Ducks jumped on late, Oregon tight ends coach Jack Smith and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer have been contacting him everyday, leading to him scheduling an unofficial visit this weekend. Howard lauded their recent successes at the tight end position and their explosive nature on offense as enticing reasons to take a closer look at the Oregon program.

The competition for both Howard's time and a potential commitment is stiff, as he's set to take official visits to Alabama (May 29), Tennessee (June 5) and Notre Dame (June 12) with a final official visit spot still open, though a commitment "could happen at any time."

While the Ducks have a strong 2027 class early on, ranking top 10 in the country, they have yet to receive a commitment from a tight end. A good first impression with Howard could go a long way towards adding his name to the list of Oregon commits.

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