4-Star Jared Mayden Solid in Oregon Pledge, Wants to Recruit Others to Ducks

As a player committed to a college, it's never easy to hear about a future college teammate decommitting.

In a little over a week, 4-star cornerback Jared Mayden has seen two potential teammates part ways with the Ducks. On Aug. 16, 4-star wide receiver Theo Howard reopened his recruiting process. On Monday, 4-star cornerback Troy Warner—who many thought would play opposite Mayden—decided to weigh all of his options once again.

Oregon now sits at a dozen commitments, and with Howard's decommitment, Mayden currently is the team's top-ranked recruit. As the nation's No. 11 cornerback, Mayden takes two things specifically from the recent transactions.

No. 1, the Sachse, Texas, standout wants every uncommitted player to make sure a verbal commitment to Oregon is solid.

No. 2, and perhaps more importantly, he wants the Oregon fanbase to know he's not going anywhere.

"I'm pretty solid in my commitment," Mayden said Monday night. "They have nothing to worry about with me."

Mayden's words are huge for a program that lost a top-20 receiver and a top-25 cornerback nationally in Howard and Warner, respectively. Mayden hates for the Ducks to lose commits, but he said he's using the situations as an opportunity to be a lead player recruiter and an ambassador for the 2016 class.

It all starts with what he does on the field and in the classroom. Mayden is preparing for a senior year where he will be a leader on Sachse's defense as a physical shutdown cornerback. Mayden's overall skill set earned him more than 40 offers before ultimately choosing the Ducks while at The Opening last month in Beaverton, Oregon.

Mayden said he isn't targeting anyone in particular at the present time, but he is keeping his eyes open for athletes nationwide who can be major contributors for Oregon in the near future.

"I'm trying to see what recruits are interested and let the coaches know," he said. "If you take your visit, you'll fall in love."

Mayden's mother, Katrina Salles, in July said the family made multiple visits around the country to be sure a final decision remained final. She said Oregon offered a "peace-of-mind element" that involved great relationships with head coach Mark Helfrich, secondary coach John Neal and defensive coordinator Don Pellum.

"For Jared and for us," Salles said in July, "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."

Credit: 247Sports

Mayden said he was "surprised" but not upset with Howard and Warner's decisions. He understands that with the recruiting process it's all about finding the right fit.

He did, however, have a message for the athletes considering playing for the Ducks—that short list including 5-star safety Brandon Jones and the 4-star trio of cornerback Nigel Knott, tight end/defensive end Devin Asiasi and defensive end Connor Murphy.

That message: Oregon is more than what is portrayed, way more than state-of-the-art uniforms and a trendy, high-octane offense.

"Honestly, I feel that more kids don't commit to Oregon because they fear people will say the only reason that they committed was for the uniforms and gear," Mayden said. "In actuality, we win out the Pac-12 almost every year. We make it [to] and win bowl games. So if they're not scared to make a great leap in a great program, they should not listen to people who only see Oregon for the gear."

Mayden said he is a lock for the Ducks. And along with being a leader for Sachse this season, he also will take it upon himself to be a leader in improving the Oregon 2016 class.

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