Top Oregon recruit spotted with Ducks legend Marcus Mariota in visit to Eugene

A week after shutting down his recruitment and locking in with the Oregon Ducks, running back Tradarian Ball was on campus for another visit. Even though Ball has said he's shutting down his recruitment, the Ducks will stay in contact and continue to invest in the relationship with one of their best commits.When on campus, […]

Add as preferred source on Google
Marcus Mariota
© Andy Nelson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A week after shutting down his recruitment and locking in with the Oregon Ducks, running back Tradarian Ball was on campus for another visit. Even though Ball has said he's shutting down his recruitment, the Ducks will stay in contact and continue to invest in the relationship with one of their best commits.

When on campus, Ball ran into arguably the greatest Oregon Duck of all time — Heisman trophy winner quarterback Marcus Mariota.  

Spring practices are a great opportunity to strengthen the Oregon Ducks family. From past legends to those aiming to be greats of the future, it continues to build the fraternity. 

Especially in recent years, during the Dan Lanning era, Oregon is beginning to turn the corner into a true powerhouse, both in the college football ranks and when it comes to developing and sending talent through to the NFL. That ability is creating momentum in recruiting, which is starting to turn Oregon into a very complete program. 

Oregon's 2026 recruiting class is yet again shaping up to be one of the best in the country. They're chasing down the two best offensive lineman in Jackson Cantwell and Immanuel Iheanacho, and they're one of the two final teams in the running for the top quarterback Jared Curtis

This year's team is going to be young, but talented. Dante Moore is expected to take over at quarterback after three straight seasons with the two most experienced quarterbacks in college football history, Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. Now, Moore will take the helm after only five career starts, which were two years ago. This year's team will be a foundation for a new generation of Ducks football.

Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.