A day after landing a five-star quarterback, the Oregon Ducks stay hot on the recruiting trail, securing a commitment from four-star safety Semaj Stanford on Thursday.Stanford chose the Ducks over Texas, Georgia and Ohio State. The 5-foot-11 safety’s decision became clear in recent days after recruiting experts placed predictions for him to land in Eugene, adding to Oregon’s stockpile of talented players in the secondary under Chris Hampton."Everybody knows my dream school was Georgia," Stanford admitted after announcing his decision. "I felt like I had to put my dreams aside to do what's best for me.
I had a lot of resources, a lot of thoughts, a lot of late-night talks about this decision, and I feel like I made the best decision for me and my family."In his junior season in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Stanford had a great mix of tackling and ball-hawking abilities. Stanford made 109 tackles and snagged five interceptions, two of which he returned for scores. He also had two forced fumbles and blocked a pair of kicks.
Stanford also was a key part of the offense, picking up 741 yards and 11 scores as Broken Arrow made a run to the state semifinals.The Ducks have plenty of talent at safety after adding Jett Washington, Xavier Lherisse and Devin Jackson in their 2026 recruiting class and picking up Minnesota transfer Koi Perich out of the portal. Hampton has been a tremendous recruiter for the Ducks in the secondary, and Stanford is just the latest feather in his cap since being promoted to defensive coordinator.Stanford is the No. 95 overall recruit and the No. 7 safety in the country, per Rivals. He’s also the No. 4 player in the state of Oklahoma.
The Ducks have made a habit of pulling elite recruits away from SEC territory since Dan Lanning took over the program. Stanford has experience playing as an outside corner and in the nickel as well, where he could compete for playing time with the Ducks. He's not afraid to get in a receiver's face at the line of scrimmage.After adding Will Mencl and Stanford in back-to-back days, the Ducks’ 2027 class is one of the five best in the nation, and there could be more additions on the horizon with a large group of visitors in Eugene for the spring game on Saturday.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: 4-star S Semaj Stanford commits to Oregon Ducks