Recent success at the safety position cannot be understated for the Oregon Ducks, as Dillon Thieneman is slated to be drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and transfer Koi Perich is expected to have a big campaign this fall. Aaron Flowers flourished in his first season as the starter in 2025 as well, and could breakout even more with another offseason under his belt.For those reasons, it's not hard to see why safety recruits would want to be a Duck. Class of 2027 four-star safety Malakai Taufoou may be the next, as Oregon is squarely included on the list of his final five schools released on Sunday.

The Washington Huskies, California Golden Bears, Penn State Nittany Lions and BYU Cougars were the other four programs on his list.Ranked as the No. 35 safety and No. 393 player overall, Taufoou competes for Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, CA, where he's the No. 35 player in the state. Standing 6-foot-2 and just under 200 pounds, Taufoou is a physical tone-setter from the safety position, having no fear in roaming around the line of scrimmage and making tackles — similar to the way that Thieneman operated with the Ducks in 2025.NEWS: Four-Star Safety Malakai Taufoou is down to 5 Schools, he tells me for @RivalsThe 6’2 195 S from Redwood City, CA is ranked as the No. 6 Safety in the Golden State (per Rivals)Where Should He Go?https://t.co/SLLHyB8DYQpic.twitter.com/Z7mvusv1M6— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 20, 2026As it stands, the safety room for Oregon is extremely strong.

Flowers and Perich are expected to be the starters this fall, but 2025 four-star Trey McNutt will push for playing time, as will 2026 five-star Jett Washington. There's plenty of depth as well, with several other players that were highly-ranked out of high school fighting for positioning on the depth chart.If Taufoou were to commit to the Ducks, he would be the seventh defender as part of the 2027 class while joining four-star cornerbacks Ai'King Hall and Josiah Molden in the secondary. The group is ranked No. 14 in the nation, a solid start early in the recruiting process. Adding Taufoou would boost them up slightly, potentially giving them their first safety addition of the class and further bolstering the safety unit.Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks in the mix to land standout 2027 safety Malakai Taufoou