O Oregon The Ducks traveled south and excelled in the Class of 2026.
Texarkana (Texas) four-star running back Tradária Ball announced his commitment to Oregon.
The 2026 prospect is the No. 30 overall prospect on Rivals250. He is also ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Texas and the No. 2 running back in the cycle.
Ball is in the middle of a multi-day visit to Eugene from Friday through Sunday.
Ball denounced his decision to commit early to the Ducks.
“It was a long process for me. I talked to my family about it, it was a pretty long conversation and they agreed with how I felt. We talked to coach (Rashaad) Samples about everything and I told my head coach and my position coach and they felt it was a good move.”
“It was really about coach (Dan) Lanning and coach Samples and putting my trust in them.”
One of the main factors in his commitment is Eugene’s offensive scheme. He is ready to make a big impact on offense.
“They told me I’m going to have the same role I played at my high school, get about 20 carries a game, as well as play catcher and get about five receptions and really just be a weapon for everyone.”
Ball also weighed in on the state of Oregon’s program and its growth under Dan Lanning.
“I feel like they’re going in the right direction. They’re getting a lot of recruits and winning a lot of games. I feel like you give them another year to get it together and they’ll definitely be in the national championship game.”
The next step, after announcing his promise to the Ducks, is working to help add to the class.
“I’ll definitely recruit. Oregon is a good place. I feel like if you come here and see for yourself, you’ll see what it’s all about. They’re a national championship program that just doesn’t have one yet, but we’re going to bring one for there.”
The football aspect of Oregon was the only attraction for Ball, who took the academic and off-field aspects into consideration.
“I want to major in sports broadcasting and they have a lot of resources for that off the field. With everything they have, they can help me with life after football.”
In his sophomore season, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Ball rushed for 1,225 yards with 12 touchdowns, plus another 400 receiving yards and six other scores. He also shined in his freshman season with nearly 1,000 yards of total offense with 13 total touchdowns.
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
