The Oregon Ducks hosted a small but impressive list of recruiting visitors for their season opener against Bowling Green.

Of course, none bigger than class of 2020 five-star outside linebacker Sav'ell Smalls, the nation's No. 2 prospect.

The 6-foot-4 1/2, 228-pound edge rusher, out of Garfield High School (Seattle, Washington), holds offers from the nation's biggest programs - Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, USC, Washington and others.

So, this fall he's hoping to take a few trips to get the lay of the land before cutting his options down to single-digits.

"I'm definitely trying to find, I say at least a top nine and focus on them," he said. "I'm trying to take a couple of visits during the season to try to trim that down, get that process started."

Over the weekend, that meant an unofficial visit to Eugene.

"It was fun," Smalls said. "It was a good trip. For me, seeing how they recruit and to see the team and come together more and bond... overall, it was a good trip."

Perhaps even more newsworthy for Oregon fans, Smalls came away from his trip with the impression that the program is on the rise and expects star quarterback Justin Herbert to return for his senior campaign.

"They are definitely up there," he said. "They started a little slow (Saturday), but then they picked it up. They say that Justin wants to stay another year. He's the best quarterback in the country, too, so they are on the up and coming. It definitely helped."

While it's far too early to definitively say what Herbert's plans are for the future, Smalls is the second recruit who has come away from a visit believing Herbert has another year in Eugene.

Given that Smalls is still a junior in high school, Herbert's NFL decision won't affect his recruitment at all.

Instead, he was more impressed with other factors.

"It was the love and the staff," Smalls said. "I can tell they are up-and-coming and trying to get back to the golden era. They are on the rise."

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec