4-star DL Ashton Porter announces commitment to Oregon
Oregon checked both ends of the spectrum for Cypress (Texas) Cy Park four-star defensive lineman Ashton Porter. Porter announced his pledge to the Ducks on Tuesday night at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Porter was a former Northwestern commit. The Ducks made a run after Porter decommitted in October. He took an official visit to Oregon on Dec. 16, just before the first day of the early signing period.
He had an idea of what he wanted to do. Prior to that visit, Porter took two weeks with his hands off the wheel at his recruitment. Oregon kept coming up.
“After my visits sat down with my parents,” Porter said. “After all the visits you’re all hyped up and you want to commit then. You’ve got to stay down and talk to the family. I took two weeks. I just stopped, didn’t think about football or my recruitment.”
Oregon is one of the most successful programs in college football. Porter believes that the Ducks, who won the Holiday Bowl this season, are poised for greater heights.
“We(‘re) gonna win a natty,” said Porter, the No. 303 overall prospect and No. 42 defensive lineman in the 2023 On3 Consensus.
Oregon a dual opportunity program for Ashton Porter
Right around signing day is when Porter knew. For Porter, the Ducks nailed the official visit, the home visit and the off-the-field opportunities.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning showed up at Porter’s house with a box full of donuts. That moment was a big seller for Porter on Lanning. He saw a man full of humility.
“All of the coaches came to my house and my mom cooked for them and all that and coach Lanning told her ‘momma don’t cook,’ I’ll bring something,” Porter said. “Dan Lanning is a great, a GOAT and a great guy. I’m really appreciative of that.”
On the field, the Ducks had Tosh Lupoi. Lupoi’s developmental track record stood out to Porter.
“Coach Tosh, he developed a tight end into a defensive end and now he’s going to the NFL, that’s great coaching,” Porter said.
Porter also noticed Lanning’s success when he was defensive coordinator at Georgia. The Lone Star State native called playing for Lanning “a dream come true” and believes he can “make a name for myself” in Eugene.
Off the field, Porter has his eyes on the world of shoe design. Porter hopes to design cleats after he graduates. Nike is headquartered in Eugene and the founder of the company, Phil Knight, is an Oregon alum.
“I’ve always wanted to design cleats and Nike is right there,” Porter said. “That played a big role for me also.”