4-Star Jared Mayden Commits to Oregon, Says Ducks Will Be 'DBU'

BEAVERTON, Ore. — To sum things up, Jared Mayden did everything his way.

There was a step-by-step process as to how Mayden, a 4-star cornerback from Texas, wanted to announce his verbal commitment. And on Thursday, the Sachse High School standout achieved all of his recruiting goals by ultimately giving Oregon his verbal pledge during seven-on-seven competition at The Opening.

Mayden's itinerary the past few months: Earn The Opening invitation at the Dallas regional in March? Check. Trim his list of 45 offers? Done. Announce a top seven on June 24, his birthday? Complete.

Commit at The Opening? Mission accomplished.

"My sophomore year, I saw [The Opening] on TV, and I saw guys committing," said Mayden, who measured in Wednesday at 6'0" and 198 pounds. "I said if I make it there, I had to commit there.

"I just worked for it and didn't allow any catches at the regional. I got my invite, and ever since then, I've been working to where if I commit on TV, nobody will have anything to say. I want them to all say, 'He's a dog. He's going to go out and get after it.'"

Mayden chose Oregon over offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State and a host of other programs. He announced his top seven schools on June 24, the day he turned 17. 

Ranked the nation's No. 11 cornerback, Mayden became Oregon's 13th pledge of the 2016 class. He also became the Ducks' highest-ranked defensive commit.

A member of the Alpha Pro seven-on-seven team at The Opening, Mayden let his play do the talking before making his announcement, breaking up a few plays and adding an interception to aid his team.

Mayden made sure he took all the necessary steps in his process. Katrina Salles, Mayden's mother, said finding that "peace-of-mind element" boiled down to the relationships established with the coaches and personnel of each school.

"For Jared and for us," Salles said, "it was all about finding someone who you were equally yoked to, somebody you can be a confidant to and someone who's going to help you grow mentally, physically and spiritually into the next sector of your life.

"We did a lot of traveling and had a lot of conversations with a lot of good coaching staffs to find that right fit for Jared. It was important to him and to us."

Mayden added: "What really helped me choose that program was the constant conversation with the coaches—that, and how prestigious the program was, tradition wise. They're pretty much that stacked of a school."

Credit: 247Sports

In turn, Oregon will get a player looking to make an impact early in the Pac-12. Mayden is a big cover corner who can be physical against receivers in the Pac-12. In addition to reading offenses well, he also is a solid tackler when the pads are on. 

He's got solid speed, as he was clocked in the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at The Opening and 4.36 seconds at an Oklahoma summer camp. Mayden further showed his athleticism during Nike combine testing Wednesday morning, completing the 20-yard agility shuttle in 4.11 seconds, throwing the power ball 38.5 feet and recording a vertical leap of 35.6 inches.

Mayden's characteristics will help improve a rising Oregon secondary. In fact, Mayden has immediate expectations for the program upon his arrival.

"Our secondary will be nice," he said. "We're going to be DBU."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles