2028 intel & predictions: 5-stars at every position, why the nation’s best recruits are high on Oregon
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Oregon heads into the season as one of the favorites to win the National Championship. Based on the way recruiting continues to go, that will be the case for the next several years to come.
No program has recruited at a more consistent clip than head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. The Rivals Industry ranks their 2027 class No. 4 nationally, that’s tops in the Big Ten. It’s a standard Lanning class, tracking to be their fourth-straight top five class overall.
With that 2027 cycle about finished, Lanning and company look forward to really attacking the 2028 class this fall. From evaluating prospects, to hosting top recruits, the Big Ten powerhouse is turning the page to the next wave of college football’s future stars and they are already catching the eye of many of the nation’s best. Rivals has the latest.
Five-stars Oregon already has traction with
The Rivals Industry’s No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 2 prospect overall in Kellan Hall has already been out to Eugene once and he’s going to return this season. Defensive tackle is a major point of emphasis for the Ducks in the 2028 class and Hall and fellow Top100 recruit Geraci Carson are two Lanning and the staff are already very high on.
“Dan Lanning has had Oregon in contention for a National Championship the past few years,” Hall said. “They have strong defensive line play. They have at least four guys going first or second round this year, so it’s hard not to give them a good look regarding my recruitment. Coach (Tony) Tuioti does a great job with coaching players that have size like me. I enjoyed the camp experience and both he and Coach Lanning have been in contact with me directly. With so many guys expected to leave for the draft, there will be a chance for young guys to play a lot of snaps early. With my versatility and them seeing me play anywhere along the line, you have to give them serious consideration.”
Things are starting to get rolling between Oregon and the Rivals Industry’s No. 1 safety Casey Barner. While the Ducks may trail a few programs right now, there is runway to make a big move this season.
“One of my favorite things about Oregon is the culture and the way Coach Lanning has built the program,” Barner said. “You can see the standard, physicality and attention to detail every time you watch them play. I also really like the opportunity to develop as a player and compete at the highest level. Oregon is definitely a program I have a lot of respect for, and I’m excited to keep building that relationship with the Ducks.”
Oregon looks to be in the top two or three for five-star receiver Braylon Clark who has already spent a lot of time around the program and has a great rapport with Lanning, potential position coach Ross Douglas and the staff.
“My favorite thing that Dan Lanning has built is the culture he built and it gets me excited that I have an opportunity to play for him,” Clark said. He elaborated on what else stands out about the opportunity. “(I have a) great relationship with receivers coach and seeing there receiver production.”
Oregon is in the mix for the top defensive backs in the country
Barner isn’t the only elite defensive back high on Oregon. The Rivals Industry’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 ranked cornerbacks in Nasir Richardson, Keaton Fields and Jermaine Cobbins are a trio that Oregon will be in it for. Richardson and Cobbins have already been on campus while Fields’s track schedule hasn’t allowed him to see it just yet.
“What stands out to me about Coach Lanning and Oregon is the winning culture and energy he’s built,” Richardson said. “They compete for championships, develop defensive backs, and prepare players for the next level. I also appreciate how genuine the staff has been with me and how clearly they’ve shown that I’m a priority in their 2028 class. Oregon is definitely a program I’m excited about, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build that relationship.”
The No. 6 safety in the Rivals300 Jalen Flowers is as high on the board as anyone Oregon is targeting in the secondary. Four-star safety Jordan Hicks is another the Ducks have great traction for.
“The overall program he has built and still is building really stands out for sure,” Hicks said. “They’re a program that gets even better each year and closer and closer to a National Championship. It would be a great opportunity to compete against the best while also playing with the best.”
Defensive line a position of emphasis
Oregon is on the gas for Hall, Carson and several others. Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice edge rusher Kameron McGee is another top-of-the-board target.
“Dan Lanning has brought winning to the Oregon Ducks,” McGee said. “The winning culture is elite. To me he’s bringing in high-caliber guys and the expectations is winning games! He’s a defensive head coach and they are developing NFL talent.”
Chandler (Ariz.) Basha’s prized defensive lineman Landen Wade is one more Oregon loves as a versatile player at the point of attack. They’re pushing for four-star edge rushers Christian Webb-Scott, George Parkinson IV and Jayden Bell who are also Top100 recruits.
“Their culture from Coach Lanning down to the recruiters,” Parkinson has said. “I feel that even being so far from home they make you feel at home from everyone. I feel like I know a lot of people there not just my position coach. I feel like a big priority for them and genuinely feel like I can thrive there.”
Bell will be at the season opener against Boise State.
“The environment and culture seems a bit different in Eugene and of course the Nike exclusive gear and shoes,” Bell said. “In addition to expectations, development and competing to win a Natty.”
There are several more defensive tackles Oregon is bullish on including four-stars Aedyn Havili who will be a local priority, along with four-stars Dawson Jacobs, Cory Cunningham and Ayden Woodruff.
“Oregon speaks for itself,” Woodruff said. “I’m in contact with Coach Lanning as well as Coach T every week and the staff and culture there is just amazing. It’s very cool to have the opportunity to play for a head coach with a defensive mind that has had so much success.”
Oregon in it for the top offensive linemen in the land
Some of the offensive linemen Oregon is already giving a lot to think about include the nation’s No. 2 player at the position Maui Tonata, the No. 4 offensive tackle Cannon Zubeck, the No. 5 offensive tackle Joseph Frierdich and No. 9 offensive tackle Lincoln Fa’alafi. Four-star offensive tackles Aden Owolabi and Kyler Harden have unique traits at the position.
The No. 1 interior offensive lineman Joey Fleming, No. 3 interior offensive lineman Grayson Williams and No. 8 interior offensive lineman Elisha Muller are three more the Ducks are pushing for.
“The culture Coach Lanning has built really stands out to me,” Zubeck said. “He created one of the best programs that develops players on and off the field. The atmosphere and the fans around the program are also incredible!”
“It is a great program with great facilities,” Frierdich added. “My conversations with the o-line staff have been great. Looking forward to getting on campus sometime after my season to see it for myself!”
“I went up there before for a camp and saw the campus and facilities and can’t wait to get back up there and see their new ones,” Owolabi said. “I like how Dan Lanning and the Ducks have gotten better and better and farther in the playoffs with him at the helm and the linemen being drafted constantly”
Two others that Oregon is on heading into the season are Garrett Rosenberger and Caleb Pasina.
“Coach Lanning is a very good ball coach,” Rosenberger said. “He loves football. He has a great OL coaching staff which shows me he really wants to win the trench warfare. The opportunity to play for Coach Lanning, Coach (A’lique) Terry and Coach (Ryan) Walk is honestly a blessing.”
“I am definitely grateful to be high on Oregon’s board and to know that they see me as someone they want in their class means a lot,” Pasina said. “I really like what Coach Lanning has built there with respect to culture and development and the high level at which the program competes at. As a junior, I’m enjoying the recruiting process, building relationships with coaches, and learning about future opportunities.”
Looking for linebackers
Oregon has the attention of some of the top linebackers in the country including four-star Landon Miller who’s been on campus a couple times.
“Oregon has been very high on my list for a long time due to the fact they started recruiting me my freshman year,” Miller said. “I’ve gotten to know Coach Lanning very well along with almost the whole staff on numerous visits to Oregon. Getting the chance to sit down with Coach in his office, hearing about his vision for the program is exciting. The new facilities are amazing and I can’t wait to see them in person next spring. I think the thing that sticks out to me the most about what Coach Lanning has built is the family atmosphere around the team and the coaches. My parents and I all talk to the staff weekly and getting to know Coach Hampton better and better since he took over as DC. Coach BMike (Brian Michalowski) is a great guy and someone who I feel can develop me on and off the field. I can’t wait to see what the Ducks do this season with the roster they have built.”
Four-stars Skylar Alston and Allen Kennett V are two more that have shown a lot of interest in potentially playing at Oregon.
“My favorite thing is the consistency with the recruiting and the program!” Alston said. “They are always a Top 10 team every year! I love the way they get guys to the league, they turned a walk-on safety to a NFL Draft pick linebacker! How they coach is so intentional! With Coach Lanning being a defensive guy and also a linebacker guy, means and shows a lot! The opportunity to play under that is amazing definitely a school in my top! I love how they treat me and my family like a priority and also the plan they have for me in the future and right now!”
“I think Coach Lanning is building something over there special,” Kennett said. “He has a great coaching staff. I loved how everyone knew who I was. Made it feel like it’s a family environment. And the fact he’s able to get the top recruits all across the country to commit to Oregon is impressive. His passion for football and developing young men into men says a lot. Oregon will be in my top for sure. Can’t wait to get out there for a game.”
Ducks in strong position on offense
Oregon has a few tight ends they covet in the top-ranked player at the position Tytan McNeal, in-state four-star Presley DeLance and four-star Theo Schott.
“Dan Lanning is the definition of a players coach,” McNeal said. “I love his energy and passion and how it bleeds over to the team. As a tight end the Ducks have shown a proven recipe on translating from college to the NFL.”
“The Ducks and their staff have always stayed in contact with me since they started recruiting me, and that says a lot,” Schott said. “They have kept showing consistent love and showing why they think I fit their system. The Ducks have had very successful tight end use and production in the past five years, which you love to see as a recruit possibly joining the program. And the coaching staff is top notch, anytime I have conversations with them it’s only good things and Coach Lanning has built such a great culture at Oregon so far.”
Schott isn’t the only Midwest tight end target as Oregon also pursues No. 1 ranked athlete Grant Bowen along with four-stars Tre Oiler and Jordan McKinley.
At the receiver position, four-stars Dennis Tua’one, Jayce Halasz and Zyren Menor are three more key targets.
“What stands out to me about Oregon is the culture Coach Lanning has built,” Tua’one emphasized. “I’m a fan of Oregon, the energy around their program is contagious and you feel it the moment you’re on campus. Coach Lanning is the kind of head coach you want to play for. He’s direct, he’s competitive and he’s building something strong with the way he develops players and the standard he sets. What I remember the most on the visit is every single coach is trying be better in improve their own craft. Which lifts the whole program. I’ve also really liked the receivers coaches there, especially Coach (Ross) Douglas. He has given me pointers of what I can work on this year. They coach hard, they communicate well, and they make it clear how they can help you grow as a receiver. Every time I’ve been around them, it’s been real football talk and real development, and real feelings about making me a better player. The facilities are another big part of it. Oregon invests in their players, everything is top‑tier, from the training setup to the recovery resources to the way they support athletes off the field. And for me personally, my grandparents live in Corvallis, so Oregon has always been close to home in that way. Being able to play somewhere that’s near family means a lot to me. Overall, Coach Lanning, the staff, the development, and the environment make Oregon a place I’m definitely interested in.”
At the running back position, Oregon has several options, courting the likes of Kevin Hartsfield, Elijah Cromwell, Jayshawn Mitchell and Kameron Battle. Two flex options are four-stars Deandre Bidden and Dillon Mitchell who could line up all over an offense.
“Coach Dan Lanning in the recent years, has been on the come up with recruiting guys out of the state in the West Coast down south in Florida so it’s good being able to know that I’m high on their board also knowing being able to compete in the College Football Playoff and the end goal being able to compete for a National Championship,” Battle explained. “So it feels great being recruited by the Ducks program.”
Oregon becoming a destination for top quarterbacks
The Ducks style of play and the success their quarterbacks are having under center has the best signal-callers in America looking at Oregon year in and year out. The 2028 class is no different. That begins with the Rivals300’s No. 2 quarterback Josiah Boyd who’s already been out to Eugene a couple times and is trending to the Ducks on the Rivals Prediction Machine. I’ve added my forecast.
“The culture Coach Lanning has built, the way they develop players, and the resources they invest into the program,” Boyd recently highlighted. “I also like the offense and how they put their quarterbacks in position to succeed. The atmosphere in Eugene and the support from the fanbase are definitely things I’m looking forward to experiencing on a game day, also Coach Koa (Ka’ai) is my guy!”
Other Oregon targets at the position include four-stars Titus Huard, Hunter Fujikawa, Luke Rubley and Tristin Gaines.
“One of my favorite things about Oregon is the way they develop quarterbacks and prepare them to be NFL ready,” Fujikawa said. “I also really like the winning culture Coach Lanning has built and the standard they have for competing at the highest level. Oregon is definitely one of the schools I’m high on and I really like the opportunity to play there. I’m still trying to figure out a game I can get out to this season but right now I’m targeting the November 28 game against Washington.”
“The favorite things I have for Oregon are the relationship with the coaches, Coach Lanning’s leadership, the thorough QB development, history of a winning program, a great fan base, playing in the Big Ten, and having NFL-caliber athletes around everyday to compete with,” Rubley said. He’ll visit on Oct. 17.
“What stands about the Ducks right now is the coaching staff,” Gaines added. “Coach Koa (Ka’ia) came and visited me during spring ball and kept it solid with me the whole time. Then when I visited there and camped there, Coach (Dan) Lanning and Coach (Drew) Mehringer were very excited in the stuff I’ve been doing and what I did. And every week either Coach Koa, Coach Mehringer, Coach Johnson or Coach Lanning is calling me and texting me. Also their offensive play style suits me so good with the athletic abilities I have.”
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