Monday Thoughts: Ducks Score Big with Elite Recruits
One thing we’ve learned by now about Dan Lanning, Marshall Malchow and this staff is, they love to pour a lot of detail into these big visit weekends. The energy, the planning, the effort, the food, everything seems to be handled with the utmost detail and recruits are usually quick to report a good time.
This weekend quietly snuck in as a big weekend for this staff. Sure maybe 5-Star wide receiver Dakorien Moore didn’t make the trip, but it was still a star-studded event. While it would have been great to have him, it feels like Oregon pushed really hard to open up that Texas-Eugene pipeline bringing in 5-Star safety Jonah Williams and 5-Star athlete Michael Terry III. By no means are they a ‘package deal’ but great players want to play with other great players. And if you are going to play 2,000 miles from home, it’s nice to have someone you can relate to.
With regards to Williams, I think Oregon absolutely made a move here. I’m not saying they lead or he’s silent or anything of that nature. But I do think prior to this trip Oregon was just kind of on the list but probably on the outside looking in of his top three. That’s exactly what you are trying to do in May on some of these elites. Just inch your way up the list if you can. I mention Williams here because I feel like he’s the guy Oregon made the biggest impression on this weekend.
As for Terry, I think Oregon was already inside that (unofficial) top three and firmly cemented themselves there now. He talked a lot about meeting with coach Samples and spending some quality time learning about the offense.
As for the aforementioned Dakorien Moore, did his de-commitment really surprise you? I felt like Oregon had a better chance at signing him than LSU had at signing him for a while now. Brian Kelly’s recent NIL comments reeked like he was talking about Moore specifically. While this one is tough and I am guessing he’ll wait to make a new commitment, I feel like Oregon and Ohio State are really setting up to battle Texas here. Of course the recruitment of Duncanville (Texas) quarterback Keelon Russell will be an interesting part. Regardless of what happens there, I think Oregon will remain in his final two as these official visits take place.
The next recruit from this weekend I heard a ton about was five-star Ohio State cornerback Na’eem Offord. The staff feels like they were able to quietly remain in his recruitment and getting him on campus was the first step towards making a move. But this one is going to play out for a while and there’s no need to get too concerned just yet. The real win was getting Offord to commit to taking an official to Oregon. That’s the start you needed.
The guy Oregon really wanted to roll out the red carpet for was four-star defensive lineman Trajen Odom. This is a guy the staff has really put a lot of resources into recruiting and Lanning wanted to spend some time with him personally. Prior to the trip I felt like Oregon was fading just a little bit here. But that quickly changed this weekend and it might be shaping up to be an Oregon-USC battle if I had to make a guess. I think getting back out West is something that appeals to him and you have to like Oregon’s track record vs the Trojans the last few cycles if that’s the case.
I love that Oregon was able to host both SJ Alofaituli and Doug Utu this weekend. The staff really pushed development as one might expect but also had them around guys like Odom and Justin Hill making sure they’d know they’d be up against good competition week in and week out at practices. In a year where offensive line talent is kind of light, you can build around a class with these two and possibly an Aaron Dunn for the future.
As for 2026, you can never start too early. And Oregon brought in a few of the very best to start building a relationship with. This is a big weekend for Oregon. The past success of these ‘Amazing Race’ (scavenger hunt) weekends is pretty legit. To have one of your early top quarterback targets, Ryder Lyons come to town with some other elite offensive weapons like running back Javian Osborne and tight end Caleb Tafua, can be something you can build on. I think Oregon leads for Lyons currently and probably for Tafua as well. Of course it’s early and you still have a ton of work to do, but this is a pretty good spot to be in at this stage.
Given what Oregon will lose after this season, this 2025 and 2026 class puts Oregon on track to build an absolute monster in Eugene. Stacking classes and talent at each position group is what made Bama, Bama. It’s what Kirby Smart has also done at Georgia.
To date Lanning has done a pretty good job flipping this roster and using the transfer portal. A top 5 class in ’25 and ’26 combined with that No. 4 ranked 2024 class and No. 7 ranked 2023 class, puts Oregon among the elite rosters with talent and depth at nearly every position.
This Oregon class is taking shape to be a top three class on national signing day.
The post Monday Thoughts: Ducks Score Big with Elite Recruits appeared first on On3.
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