Schools to Watch After 4-Star CB Troy Warner Decommitted from Oregon

Oregon’s 2016 recruiting class suffered a major blow when 4-star corner Troy Warner announced on Monday that he will re-open his recruitment.

The 6’0”, 185-pound California native committed to Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich back in April over schools such as BYU, Notre Dame and UCLA.

As Justin Hopkins of 247Sports noted, Warner will still consider the Ducks when it comes time to make a final decision.

However, a handful of schools figure to jump back into the race for the nation’s No. 22 corner and the No. 245 player overall in the 2016 class.

Which programs are the main ones to watch in Warner’s recruitment moving forward?

Let’s take a look at a few of his primary suitors.

BYU

As Hopkins pointed out, BYU was the original favorite for Warner because of the fact that he has a brother currently playing for the Cougars football team.

That connection may be enough for head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his staff to pull one of the top prospects from the Golden State.

Another factor working in the Cougars' favor is the fact that they were the first program to offer Warner a scholarship back in April of 2014, as noted by Barton Simmons of 247Sports.

While it will be tough to get him away from the clutch of a few Power Five giants, the Cougars figure to play a prominent role in Warner’s recruitment in the coming months.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a school that has continued to recruit Warner even after his initial pledge to the Ducks.

He took an unofficial visit to South Bend back in May, and as Tom Loy of 247Sports detailed, he was wowed by the atmosphere on campus.

“It was new, different and full of tradition,” Warner told Loy about his experience in South Bend. “It was a real humbling experience knowing that it’s a team that really wants me to be a part of their team. Knowing that is pretty cool. It means a lot.”

As Loy noted, the Irish staff will speak with Warner soon in an effort to get him to consider returning to campus for an official visit.

If the Irish are successful in that push, they could jump atop his list of favorites.

Stanford

TONY AVELAR/Associated Press

Stanford jumped in the mix for Warner when it offered him back in March.

As he told Hopkins, the offer excited him because of the school’s academic reputation.

Despite his pledge to the Ducks, Cardinal head coach David Shaw and his staff have maintained contact with Warner since the spring, as Hopkins detailed. 

While Stanford already has four commitments from defensive backs in its 2016 class, it appears that Shaw and his staff would make room for Warner if he decides in favor of the Cardinal.

USC

One school that has yet to offer Warner that could factor into his recruitment is USC.

The Trojans only have one defensive back committed thus far in their 2016 class.

But, as Loy detailed, Warner has been intrigued by USC since the beginning of his recruitment.

Until they offer, the Trojans are more of a wild card for him at this point.

The next big key to watch for in his recruitment will be monitoring which schools are able to get an official visit from him.

Regardless, it appears that Warner will be a top target for a handful of elite programs in the months leading up to signing day.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.