Since his recruiting process began the summer before his freshman year, Cass Tech quarterback Donald Tabron II has emerged as one of the top signal-callers in the 2028 recruiting class.
Tabron has narrowed his list of 38 scholarship offers to three finalists. He told The Detroit News he will announce his commitment Aug. 15, choosing between Oregon, Texas A&M and LSU.
For Tabron, making his decision before the start of his junior season was always the ideal timeline.
“Now is the right time,” Tabron said of committing before his junior season. “Being able to lock in a commitment going into the season was a big thing for us.”
“He will be the first kid in the ’28 class in Michigan to be committed,” his father, Donald Tabron Sr., said. “That speaks to his focused work ethic, being consistent and persistent in the pursuit of his goals and what he wants to accomplish.”
Despite committing early, Tabron said he has no plans to reclassify.
“I love being around my teammates and coaches,” Tabron said. “I’ll do my full four years of high school, grind it out with all my ’28s who have been with me since the first day of freshman year and try to win three state championships.”
The Tabron family carefully evaluated every option throughout the recruiting process, but the final three schools aligned best with what they were looking for. Relationships with coaching staffs and current players were among Tabron’s top priorities.
Winning also played a major role in his decision. After going 23-1 in his first two seasons as Cass Tech’s starting quarterback, Tabron wanted a program with a proven track record of success. He also placed significant value on each school’s history of developing quarterbacks.
Each of his three finalists checked those boxes in different ways, making it easier than expected for Tabron to narrow his list.
Oregon stands out because of the program’s history of developing quarterbacks and sending them to the NFL. Last season, former Ducks quarterbacks Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Marcus Mariota all started NFL games, with Nix and Gabriel playing under current Oregon head coach Dan Lanning.
Oregon also has quietly built a pipeline into Metro Detroit. The Ducks’ current starting quarterback is Detroit native and former Detroit King standout Dante Moore.
Before entering eighth grade, Tabron practiced with King’s varsity team and served as an understudy to Moore, even competing in 7-on-7 tournaments when Moore was unavailable.
The Detroit pipeline extends beyond Moore. Ducks senior defensive lineman A’Mauri Washington is also from Detroit.
Oregon has also landed commitments from two Metro Detroit prospects in the 2027 class: Harper Woods receiver Dakota Guerrant and Detroit Country Day tight end Anthony Cartwright. Since committing to the Ducks in June, Cartwright has been recruiting Tabron to join him in Eugene while the two play video games together.
Oregon also has been recruiting Tabron longer than either of his other finalists. He’s also drawn to the Ducks’ ability to maintain one of the nation’s most explosive offenses despite losing each of their last two offensive coordinators to head coaching jobs.
Texas A&M appealed to Tabron because he views the Aggies as a program on the rise. After making their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, Texas A&M signed ESPN’s No. 7 recruiting class in 2026 and the nation’s top-ranked class in 2027.
Tabron also has built strong relationships with the Aggies’ coaching staff and starting quarterback Marcel Reed.
“I call Marcel here and there when he’s not busy and pick his brain a little bit about college football and the position he’s in now.”
Like Tabron at Cass Tech, Reed did not begin his freshman season as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback before taking over later in the year.
Tabron Sr. has also closely followed Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko dating to his time at Duke.
“Interestingly enough, I’m a Duke football fan,” the father said. “I watched the success Coach Elko had changing the culture and the program. They were able to beat a good Clemson team, and that’s almost unheard of for Duke football.”
Tabron also pointed to trips to Texas A&M’s games against Mississippi State and Notre Dame as experiences that strengthened his interest in the program.
Tabron’s offer from LSU did not come until after Lane Kiffin was hired as head coach in November. Despite entering the recruitment later than the other finalists, LSU and Kiffin’s history of success quickly caught Tabron’s attention.
“LSU has a rich history,” Tabron said. “Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, the national championship.”
The virtual reality technology LSU uses across its athletic department also stood out to Tabron. Tigers quarterbacks use the system to improve defensive recognition and gain additional mental reps. Daniels used the technology during his time at LSU.
The Tabron family also was impressed with Kiffin’s quarterback development and offensive innovation dating to his days at USC. Kiffin helped develop New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart as well as Michigan native and former Ferris State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss while at Ole Miss. Tabron was especially impressed with Kiffin’s ability to teach after Chambliss thrived in the offense despite arriving last June.
Michigan and Michigan State were among the 35 schools that did not make Tabron’s list of finalists. While he strongly considered both programs, he ultimately felt the other three schools were a better offensive fit and offered more coaching stability following recent staff changes.
Tarohn Finley is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Donald Tabron II, Cass Tech quarterback, narrows college list to 3
Reporting by Tarohn Finley, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Tarohn Finley, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
