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ESPN tabs Oregon's Kendre Harrison as top upcoming tight end
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- ESPN tabs Oregon's Kendre Harrison as top upcoming tight end
Oregon Ducks true freshman TE Kendre Harrison at Saturday Night Live Camp
Coming across the country to Eugene for his first season with the Oregon Ducks , the question for Kendre Harrison was how he would manage being a star in two sports at the same time.
Harrison, a 6-foot-7, 243-pound specimen, committed to Oregon to play tight end on the football team and forward for the men's basketball program. Throughout his first spring on campus, football has taken priority , and it could be the best path for him in the long run.
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ESPN's Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill certainly think so. The North Carolina native was deemed the best tight end coming into college football in the next three years. That includes the 2026, 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes. The Ducks landed the best, according to ESPN , and now the freshman will have a chance to prove he can be the next great Oregon tight end, following in the footsteps of Terrance Ferguson, Kenyon Sadiq , and current starter Jamari Johnson .
Harrison was compared to the top tight end recruits in both the 2027 and 2028 classes. Harrison was ranked as the No. 15 overall player in the 2026 SC Next 300. His combination of size and speed could make him a contributor with the Ducks right away.
"Another standout two-sport athlete, Harrison was not only the top-rated tight end in his class but also ranked among the SC Next 100 basketball prospects as the No. 82 player and a power forward," ESPN wrote. "Possessing elite height and length and a massive frame, Harrison brings an enormous catch radius and consistently wins in contested situations. He can high-point the football, box out defenders and create matchup problems simply because of his physical profile."
In the 2027 class, ESPN has LSU commit Ahmad Hudson ranked as the top recruit and No. 22 overall. Hudson, like Harrison, is also a basketball star, standing at 6-foot-6. Down the line in the 2028 class, Xevien Brinson is the top tight end in the early rankings, coming in at No. 43 in the SC Next Junior 300 rankings. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end uses his big frame to run through defenders and has big hands to make difficult catches.
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Still, Harrison has the best traits of both players. A combination of size and physicality, while having enough quick burst acceleration in short receiving areas, makes him a mismatch as soon as the fall arrives. ESPN believes Harrison has the edge over both of the upcoming top prospects as the position.
"There are plenty of similarities between all three prospects, particularly their blend of size, length, ball skills and ability to create matchup issues," ESPN wrote. "Harrison, however, pushes those traits to an even higher level. He projects as a true matchup nightmare."
Johnson is still likely to be the top tight end in the Oregon offense this season, but the depth and roles behind him remain up for grabs. The Ducks brought in a top-three tight end recruit in the 2025 class, Andrew Olesh , out of the transfer portal from Penn State . They also added Clemson transfer Markus Dixon to the room.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon TE Kendre Harrison the best upcoming tight end recruit, per ESPN
