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Tristan Phillips, a four-star linebacker from Ventura, California, has already made waves in the college football world without playing a single down for the Oregon Ducks. A highly coveted prospect in the Class of 2026, Phillips committed to Dan Lanning’s Oregon program over notable finalists including Oklahoma, Arizona State, Utah, Wisconsin, and rival Washington.
But it wasn’t just Phillips' on-field talent that caught attention; it was his bold embrace of the Oregon-Washington rivalry that truly fired up fans.
When Washington linebackers coach Brian Odom visited Phillips, speculation stirred that the Huskies might still be in contention. However, Phillips made his allegiance unmistakably clear.
“I just didn’t want it throwing up anything like oh maybe people thought Washington was back in the picture and I was considering Washington,” he said. “All of a sudden all these Washington fans are all butt hurt about it, coming after me."
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Phillips attributes this fiery competitive edge to his upbringing.
“I’ve always been big big on rivalries,” he said. “I’ve kind of just learned to hate your rival school and whatever school you’re on, you’re going to hate the other school no matter what.”
The linebacker leaned into the moment, replying to a tweet with the score of the last Oregon-Washington game.
“That’s when I saw all these Oregon fans coming in loving it, and so I was like you know what I could take this somewhere,” he explained. “I wasn’t even trying to get anything started but I’m gonna get this rivalry going.”
That intensity was fostered further at home.
“I have one older sister,” Phillips said, “and we’d always get mad at each other and honestly get pretty feisty.”
Oregon commit Tristan Phillips reflects on recruiting weekend, building bonds and breaking down film
Tristan Phillips, Oregon’s four-star linebacker pledge and On3’s No. 10 prospect at his position in the 2026 class, recently shared highlights from a productive and engaging recruiting weekend with the Ducks.
“I would say the whole trip was pretty fun,” Phillips told On3, pointing to a scavenger hunt as a standout moment. “I enjoyed being able to mob around on a golf car with Coach Zac Diles and Coach B-Mike (Brian Michalowski) and go solve clues and kind of have some fun with the staff and other recruits.”
Phillips also took the opportunity to improve his football IQ alongside his future position coach.
“Really enjoyed breaking down film with Coach Michalowski,” he said. “We probably broke down, I’d say two hours of film. So I really got to learn a lot and just get better at my game.”
During the visit, he bonded with key targets, including 5-star EDGE Richard Wesley, 4-star EDGE Prince Tavizon, and close friend Isaiah Phelps, a four-star linebacker from Oxnard.
“I’m definitely hoping that he (Phelps) hops on the train to play next to each other up there,” Phillips added.
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 217 pounds, Phillips posted 80 tackles, 2 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble last season, ranking top 5 in his league.
