5-Star EDGE Elijah Rushing Commits to Oregon After Decommitting from Arizona

5-star EDGE Elijah Rushing has officially committed to Oregon after decommitting from his hometown Arizona Wildcats, according to Ari Wasserman of The Athletic.

The 6'6", 250-pound pass rusher is ranked as the No. 2 EDGE in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. He's also considered the 14th-best player in the entire class.

After visiting Oregon's campus in June, Rushing initially committed to Arizona in early July. However, he decommitted on Oct. 8.

Head coach Dan Lanning's program now has the sixth-best 2024 recruiting class in the nation. Rushing is the second 5-star player to commit to the Ducks this cycle, alongside defensive lineman Aydin Breland.

When asked about his reasoning behind the decision, the Tucson native brought up Oregon's defensive coaching staff.

"The system, the defensive expertise of coach Dan Lanning and coach Tosh Lupoi, they're good coaches and they bring that fire to the team," Rushing said, according to Blair Angulo of 247Sports. "You could see it on TV, coach Lanning getting in there to fire up the defense on fourth downs. That's what defensive players look for."

The pass-rusher had received offers from notable schools such as Notre Dame, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, and Tennessee.

Rushing finished his junior season in 2022 with 73 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 12 appearances.

"You get the right pieces and you can do anything, especially if you have the good coaches behind it," he said, per Angulo. "You're getting the right people — they're doing that and we're doing that—it's going to end up going to the right place."

While Oregon's elite offense has been the main reason behind the program's 7-1 record in 2023, the addition of Rising in 2024 will help the Ducks bolster their defensive line as they move to the Big Ten.