Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
DRAPER — The top defensive prospect on the top team in 6A has made his decision.
Harrison Taggart, the No. 5-rated recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports from Corner Canyon, announced his commitment to Oregon in an Instagram Live video Sunday night.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker adds to the Ducks' 21-member recruiting class currently ranked first in the Pac-12 and No. 6 nationally by 247Sports, a list of prospects headlined by Texas five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks that also includes East defensive lineman Ben Roberts since Sept. 5.
"I'm choosing Oregon because of the environment and coaches," Taggart said, per the Oregonian. "I like the college-town feel and the family feel on the football team."
The four-star linebacker by 247Sports on the No. 1 team in 6A in the UHSAA's RPI rating has 70 tackles for the 9-1 Chargers, including 51 solo stops, nine tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
The recruit with a verified 10.69-second 100-yard dash on last year's state record-setting Chargers 400-meter relay squad impressed Oregon coach Mario Cristobal during a recent visit Sept. 18, and remained high on the Ducks even while deciding on an all-Pac-12 top five that included USC, UCLA, Utah and Arizona.
Taggart is the latest in a long line of Oregon players from the Beehive State, a list that continues to grow with him and Roberts, in addition to Orem's Noah Sewell, Orem's Kingsley Suamataia, Corner Canyon's Jackson Light, Skyridge's Logan Sagapolu and Kearns' Jeffrey Bassa.
The connection with fellow Utah-born players — most notably Light, who changed his surname to Powers-Johnson in a freshman season with the Ducks that has already seen him play in six games — played a key role for Taggart.
"It was really fun," Taggart told KSL.com after his visit during Oregon's rain-soaked 48-7 win over Stony Brook. "It was an insane environment, and I wasn't even able to catch too big of a game. But I did get to see my guy Jackson Powers (Light) get in, and still saw an insane environment. I loved it, I had a great time with the coaches, and I am going from there."
Corner Canyon, which is tied atop the Region 4 standings with a 4-1 record, has a bye through the first round of the 6A playoffs and will face the winner of Kearns and Fremont on Friday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. MT.
