Five-star Elbert Hill heading to the Ducks?

One of the country’s top recruits makes his way to Eugene on Saturday as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium. Five-star running back Elbert Hill is the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2026 class and the top prospect out of Ohio State according to the 247Sports Composite.

Hill has already visited Oregon once over the summer to attend Oregon’s Saturday Night Live show, where several up-and-coming high school athletes compete at Autzen Stadium. Hill was one of the highlights of the show, serving as one of the better pass breakers of the evening.

With the Ducks at the top of the college football pile in the AP Poll’s Week 1 and College Football Playoff rankings, and three winnable games before the postseason, Duck fans are expected to bring some high-profile momentum to this upcoming showdown. With so much energy on campus and in Autzen, it’s no wonder Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff are bringing in some of their top recruits to enjoy the Oregon atmosphere.

Hill spoke with On3 Sports about his previous visit in July with the Ducks.

“They made a great first impression on me,” Hill told On3. “I was able to see the campus and connect with the coaches on this visit. I would say the campus and the workout were the biggest highlights. After this visit, Oregon State is definitely at the top of my list.”

Hill’s last visit to Tennessee was last week. Besides Oregon State, Hill made multiple camp visits and unofficial visits with the Volunteers, Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State. He has made the most visits to Ohio State.

The 5-10, 175-pound junior was named 247Sports’ top performer during his time with the Archbishop Hoban Knights. Most recently, Hill helped the Knights to a 24-21 win over St. Edward. During the game, Hill played both sides of the ball at running back and cornerback. Offensively, Hill took six carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Hill made the interception. The last time Hoban won during Week 10, they ended up taking the state title.

This will be Hill’s first game at Oregon. Hill told On3 that Oregon State is “pushing hard” to direct Ohio’s standout team to go with the green and yellow.

“Their message is to get on the team and I love them so much. I love the coaching staff at Oregon,” Hill told On3. “It will be my first game at Oregon and I want to see what the atmosphere is like.”

Hill has over 25 offers from:

Hill will likely see the field for pre-game practices and watch Oregon’s game against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, November 9 at 4 p.m. PT.