Oregon lands a commitment from On3 top-100 safety Aaron Flowers

Oregon picked up a win on the recruiting trail Friday afternoon.

That win came in the form of a commitment from On300 DB Aaron Flowers, who pledged to the Ducks over USC and Oklahoma on Friday. Flowers, a top-100 recruit out of Forney (Texas) High School in North Texas, was getting recruited primarily by head coach Dan Lanning, who made the elite safety a top priority for the Ducks in this cycle.

“If the head coach is really involved in the recruiting process and is really on you, then the school really wants you a lot and you’re a big priority for them,” Flowers told On3.

“They’ve been hard on me, especially Dan Lanning,” Flowers noted. “The head coach is really on me, the whole staff really likes me and they’re texting me every day, calling me and FaceTiming me, and showing true love.”

Lanning’s background on defense is a selling point

The Oregon coaches meshed with Flowers when he was on campus last month. The push from the staff has only heightened since that trip out to Eugene.

Secondary coach Demetrice Martin and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton have been leading the charge for Flowers along with new staff addition Antonio Parks.

“They’re really personal,” he said. “We talk about everything. It’s like family. We talk about everything, we talk in group chats and it’s fun to talk with them.”

Lanning has also made his presence felt.

The defensive-oriented head coach connected with Flowers, which was a big part of Oregon’s victory on the recruiting trail.

“It’s awesome because he’s a defensive coach, so that’s what stands out the most,” he added, on Lanning. “He’s big on recruiting me and the defensive coaches are great. They’re trying to coach me, especially, and that really stands out.”

Flowers’ decision came down to the end

Not only were the Ducks heavily involved in Flowers, but USC and also Oklahoma made compelling cases for the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 10 safety down the stretch.

Ultimately, Flower put weight on several factors in his recruitment that paved the way to the Ducks.

“I had to wrestle with it (the decision) for a little bit. It wasn’t super easy, but it wasn’t as tough as I expected,” Flowers said. “This was a better fit for me. I felt more comfortable there, and I had to put football in it and not just my feelings … I put an emphasis on the coaching staff, how I would fit on campus and how hard they recruited me, and if I could see myself playing there early. Those were big indicators for me.”