LOS ANGELES -- Before the new Oregon staff took over this offseason, five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava says he wasn't considering the Ducks very strongly.

A lot has changed since then.

"Oregon's definitely one of the top contenders," he said plainly, while speaking to Duck Sports Authority at the Rivals L.A. camp last weekend.

It helped that Oregon hired Iamaleava's cousin Viane Talamaivao, who was previously at USC, in a support staff role. That spurred the elite QB prospect to start thinking more seriously about the Ducks, and his visit to Eugene, Ore., in late January left an impactful impression upon him.

"Oh man, I love Oregon. I definitely want to get back up there. I know I'm going to get back up there sometime in March. I loved everything about Oregon -- the environment, they were so family-oriented and they treated me so good. I loved Coach Lanning, Coach Dillingham, my cousin Viane. It was a great experience for me," Iamaleava said. "I got to take my mom on a visit -- that was her real first one she got to go on, so that's always good. She had a great time.

"I knew the facilities were going to be off the charts, but I didn't know how off the charts they'd be until I saw it in person. It was definitely good for me to get a good look at it in person."