One of the top athletes in the state of North Carolina is leaving the state to play college football.

Kendre Harrison, a five-star tight end at Reidsville High School, announced his commitment to Oregon during a press conference at his high school on Saturday afternoon.

Harrison, a member of the Class of 2026 who stands at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, picked the Ducks over Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Penn State, and Tennessee. He said he knew he was going to commit to Oregon after attending the Ducks’ game with Ohio State.

According to ESPN, Harrison is the No. 1 tight end in the country and the No. 6 overall player from the Class of 2026. On3 and Rivals also rank him as the nation’s top tight end, while 247Sports lists him as the No. 2 tight end.

During the offseason, Harrison transferred to Providence Day School in Charlotte, but after just a few weeks of the season, he returned to Reidsville. In eight games at Reidsville this fall, he recorded 33 receptions for 555 yards and eight touchdowns.

“Coming out with Providence Day on Friday’s, it really didn’t feel like me … Coming out with my brothers, competing, having the opportunity to win, it felt great. It was all good vibes,” Harrison told HighSchoolOT after his first game back at Reidsville in September.

Reidsville was upset in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A state playoffs by East Rutherford. The Rams finished with an 11-1 record and won the Mid-State 2A Conference with a 6-0 mark.

Harrison is already a decorated athlete. As a freshman, he helped the Rams to a 2A state runner-up finish. Last year, the Rams avenged that loss with a win over Clinton in the state championship game. Harrison is also a four-star basketball player who saw Reidsville finish as a state runner-up his freshman year and win the state title his sophomore year.

Harrison plans to play both football and basketball for the Ducks.

Reidsville has not played a basketball game yet this season, but last year Harrison averaged 19.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game for the Rams. Several schools offered Harrison in both football and basketball, including UNC where basketball coach Hubert Davis offered Harrison in June.

Harrison was named the NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year and the MaxPreps Male National Athlete of the Year as a sophomore last year. He has been named to the HighSchoolOT All-State Team in both basketball and football each year he’s played in high school.

Harrison is the eighth commitment for Oregon from the Class of 2026, and the only commitment from the state of North Carolina — or anywhere on the east coast.

More about Kendre Harrison:

• Oct. 21, 2024: 6 NC juniors ranked among the top 34 national prospects by On3
• Oct. 1, 2024: Reidsville’s Kendre Harrison hopes he can use high school NIL to support his family
• Sept. 20, 2024: Hometown hero: Kendre Harrison back to feeling like himself as No. 11 Reidsville rolls in his return
• Sept. 12, 2024: 5-star TE Kendre Harrison returns to Reidsville after short stint at Providence Day
• Aug. 1, 2024: Kendre Harrison, highly recruited football & basketball player, transfers from Reidsville to Providence Day
• June 20, 2024: Hubert Davis joins Mack Brown in offering Reidsville multi-sport 5-star Kendre Harrison
• June 6, 2024: Reidsville soph. Kendre Harrison named MaxPreps Male National Athlete of the Year
• Mar. 16, 2024: Reidsville avenges last season’s loss, beats Farmville Central in overtime in 2A championship
• Feb. 13, 2024: Reidsville sophomore Kendre Harrison has backboard-breaking dunk in win over Morehead
• Dec. 8, 2023: Reidsville bounces back from last year’s runner-up finish, beats Clinton to win 2A title
• Aug. 29, 2023: February accident keeps everything in perspective for dual-sport 5-star Kendre Harrison

Which schools offered Kendre Harrison:

Harrison received dozens of offers in both football and basketball. Here is a breakdown of which schools extended offers to him in each sport.

Football (according to 247Sports): Akron, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Charlotte, Colorado, East Carolina, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia.

Basketball (according to ESPN): Florida State, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M.