Who are the biggest winners, losers in Oregon Ducks' record 2026 class?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are known for stealing the show and making history during the early signing period. In year one of the Lanning era, we saw the head coach light up a cigar for all of social media to see after flipping several of the top prospects in the nation to Eugene.
Since then, it’s been nothing but positives for Oregon on National Signing Day, and that continued into the 2026 class, where the Ducks made headlines on Wednesday by signing a handful of 5-star players and inking the top-ranked class in program history.
In the end, the Ducks signed the No. 2-ranked class in the nation, adding a total of 21 players to the roster in the class of 2026, five of whom were 5-star players, the most in the nation.
Let’s dive into the class and see if we can identify the biggest winners and losers from around Eugene.
Winner: Dan Lanning
Dan Lanning did it once again. While this class didn’t ultimately come with the flip fireworks that were expected with Chris Henry Jr. choosing to stick with the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, Oregon did sign the best class in program history for the third-straight year, as Lanning continues to outdo himself each and every cycle.
Since Lanning arrived in Eugene, this is the fourth-straight top-10-ranked class for the Ducks, the third-straight top-five-ranked class, and the third-straight class that has been the best in program history. It’s the first time the Ducks have ever finished No. 2 in the national rankings, and it was all done with only 21 players signed, compared to the 35 signed for USC’s No. 1-ranked class.
At this point, the proof is in the pudding. There are a handful of elite recruiting head coaches out there, and Lanning is certainly one of them.
Winner: Chris Hampton
One of the biggest ways to improve in college football is by putting talented players on the field, obviously. So it comes as no surprise that with the improvement in Oregon’s recruiting in the secondary, the on-field product has gotten better as well. The Ducks have one of the best passing defenses in the nation this year, due in large part to some elite playmakers on that side of the ball. If the correlation remains true, then Oregon’s secondary is about to go gangbusters in the coming years.
In the 2026 class, defensive backs coach Chris Hampton helped land 5-star safety Jett Washington, 4-star CB Davon Benjamin, 4-star S Devin Jackson, 4-star S Xavier Lherisse, 3-star CB Azel Banag, and 3-star CB Trevon Watson. There’s some incredibly impressive length and speed in that class, and it sets up for the Ducks to be dominant on the back end going forward.
Winner: Ross Douglas
The impact that wide receivers coach Ross Douglas has had on this roster since taking over for Junior Adams earlier this year has been incredible. The Ducks were able to sign 5-star WR Jalen Lott, 4-star WR Messiah Hampton, and 3-star WR Hudson Lewis in this class, helping bolster what is expected to be an unbelievable WR room in 2026. Look at these potential names that could be on the roster a year from now:
- Evan Stewart
- Dakorien Moore
- Jeremiah McClellan
- Jalen Lott
- Gatlin Bair
- Cooper Perry
- Messiah Hampton
- Dillon Gresham
- Kyler Kasper
- Justius Lowe
On top of that, don’t be surprised to see Oregon land a top-ranked pass-catcher in the portal, either. All of this is to say hats off to Douglas. He’s been an incredible WR coach and an elite recruiter.
Winner: A’lique Terry
Whether at the prep level or in the transfer portal, the Ducks have been elite at offensive line recruiting under Terry, and they landed some elite talent in this class. The headliner is 5-star OL Immanuel Iheanacho, who stands at 6-foot-7, 345 pounds. The Ducks also got 4-star OL Tommy Tofi, who is also 6-foot-6, 330 pounds. These are two players who could have early impacts with the Ducks down the road, and they further bolster Terry’s recruiting chops.
Loser: Scott Frost
Years ago, former Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost famously stated that he believed it was extremely hard to recruit to Oregon because of the distance needed to travel from talent hotbeds in the nation.
“It’s hard in those places because we’re just not in close proximity, Oregon wasn’t and isn’t in close proximity to the fertile recruiting ground,” Frost said to USA Today. “At the end of the day, recruits have to decide to leave Southern California, or Georgia, or Florida, or Texas, where there’s some other pretty good schools, and go all the way to Eugene.”
Well, almost a decade since that quote, Dan Lanning has proved that it’s not too difficult if you know what you’re doing and have the right staff around you. Lanning has wrapped up a fourth-straight top-10 class, a third-straight top-five class, and the third-straight top-ranked class in program history. How’s that for recruiting to Oregon?
“This is an unbelievable place, and it’s awesome that other people get to recognize what exists here and what’s continuing to grow here,” Lanning said on Wednesday night.
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Good recruiting, or winning on the field? One begets the other, and at this point, Dan Lanning seems to be in the middle of a positive cycle that is going to bring success to Eugene for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks biggest winners and losers from 2026 National Signing Day
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos