Oregon Ducks established as a national recruiting wrecking ball

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Recruiting is the name of the game in college football. Whether it’s through the high school ranks or the transfer portal, it’s the key to success and winning games in the fall.

The Oregon Ducks seem to have mastered the art under Dan Lanning. No longer just the flashy program out west that attracts the top talent from California, Nevada and Arizona, the Ducks have spread their wings on the recruiting trail.

Since Lanning took over the program, the Ducks have routinely raked in top-five classes in the nation. Oregon has been open about creating a pipeline to Texas, using Lanning’s connections to win in the Midwest and in the South, and even pulling talent from the Northeast on occasion.

In the 2027 recruiting class, the Ducks are on a heater, hauling in 24 commits as of early July and holding the No. 2 class in the country. Those 24 players are scattered across 17 states, and they are all planning to flock to Eugene in 2027.

That number has only grown as Oregon has become more exposed to the rest of the country. In 2025, the class after Oregon won the Big Ten in 2024, the Ducks had 18 commits across 11 states. Among the freshman class hitting the field in Eugene for the first time this offseason, the Ducks brought in 23 recruits from 14 states.

There are many reasons why the Ducks have become so powerful in recruiting, even when dipping deep into enemy territory. Although Oregon might not have the national championship trophies to show off yet, the Ducks have done plenty of winning in different states in recent years.

In the past three years, the Ducks have won games in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey. Lanning and his staff have also secured commitments in each state in the 2027 class. The relationship and brand-building that the Ducks have done on the road has made them an even bigger national landing spot than they already were.

NIL, of course, is a big separator as well. Oregon has consistently brought in top classes in recruiting and in the transfer portal because they are able to spend top dollar for some of the best talent in the nation. Like it or not, money is a factor in today’s game, and the Ducks haven’t shied away from it.

On3’s Pete Nakos spoke to several anonymous general managers at different programs around the country, and Oregon, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Texas Tech and Miami are viewed as the top spenders.

That’s reflected well in the current recruiting rankings, where that group makes up the top four, and Texas Tech falls inside the top 10.

“It feels like $350,000 was the starting price for a low four-star this year,” an SEC general manager told On3. “We’ve reached the period where everyone has an agent. There are no layups anymore in high school recruiting. Nothing is even reasonably priced.”

You can’t fault recruits for chasing the biggest bag possible. Everyone is doing it, and there are no guarantees in football, especially at the next level. So, why not cash in now? That comes at the expense of loyalty during transfer season and a lack of trust in commitments during recruiting, but without strict guidelines to level the playing field when it comes to spending, that’s the reality of the sport right now.

Oregon is putting together one of the best classes in program history right now and could finish with the top-ranked class in the country when pen hits paper on signing day in December. The Ducks will only continue to expand their national footprint this season, playing games in Oklahoma and Ohio, while returning to Michigan, Illinois and California as well.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks established as a national recruiting wrecking ball

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