Exclusive: Oregon 4-star commit reveals Texas tried flipping him

Oregon football locked in a top five college football recruiting class Wednesday. All during the Ducks’ push to the College Football Playoffs. However, one four-star signing revealed Texas attempted to flip him through a five-month long push.

Ventura High edge rusher/linebacker Tristan Phillips spoke exclusively with ClutchPoints on his signing day. He joins his quarterback Derek Garcia (UNLV signing) at the next level for 2026.

But Phillips revealed where the Longhorns stood.

“Texas probably had one of the longest pushes for me. They came in January and also offered me,” Phillips told ClutchPoints. “They didn’t shut down for a long time. Their coach (defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen) came out for spring practices too.”

Phillips added: “They were on me for a solid five months. They wanted me to come out for an official visit and see what they had to offer.”

How Oregon wins over Tristan Phillips in the end over Texas

Dan Lanning and the Ducks rise as the big winner in California’s 805 region in the end.

The long and powerful 6-foot-3 defender immediately fell in love with Lanning’s defensive background.

“Coach Lanning does an amazing job with the culture he’s built up there — and that was a major factor in my decision in picking Oregon,” Phillips added.

He entered Ventura High’s team room wearing the polo shirt for his next school. The LB jokingly nicknamed “Thanos” by his peers because of his massive size thanked his coaches, teammates and the Ventura community for molding him throughout his high school career.

Phillips became highly coveted on the trail and rose as the nation’s No. 15 ranked linebacker by 247Sports. He adds USC and Washington also tried getting him to commit but stayed with Oregon.

Phillips grabbed an astonishing six sacks in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 6 title game win over St. Pius X Matthias Academy of Downey. He also forced one fumble facing a school that’s produced a bevy of NCAA Division I talent.

Ventura’s Friday win placed the Cougars in the California State Playoffs. Phillips will now face CIF Central Section representative Arroyo Grande in a battle of 805 teams Friday. The Eagles and Cougars last faced each other in the 2000 Division 4 title game — when VHS was led by future UCLA running back Tyler Ebell.

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