Ranking Oregon's Recruiting Needs in the 2025 Class
Oregon signed its best recruiting class in program history last cycle, topping out at No. 3 in the country according to 247Sports.
Now it's on to the 2025 class, and with the recruiting dead period set to end in early March, what better time to examine the top needs for the Ducks this cycle?
Here are my position rankings from low to high in terms of most pressing needs for Oregon on the recruiting trail.
Quarterback (Low)
I don't think there's a lot that needs to be said here. Oregon already landed a blue-chip at quarterback and a legacy to boot in Akili Smith Jr. With Dan Lanning and the Ducks grabbing a long-term guy in Dante Moore out of the portal, the future at the position looks pretty stable.
I don't think you need to get another passer this cycle, just focus on keeping Smith in the fold and getting yourself in a good spot with top players at the position in 2026.
Running Back (Low)
I expect Oregon to grab another two backs this cycle, but I wouldn't characterize it as a big area of need. Noah Whittington should be off to the NFL after this season, but I view Jordan James as a bit of a wild card. It may not feel like it, but he's already entering his third season and has gotten better each year.
Transfer Jay Harris projects to be featured heavily in 2024 and has two years of eligibility remaining. Hopefully we get to see more of Jayden Limar, who showed a few flashes as a true freshman. Da'Jaun 'Dink' Riggs is someone this staff is really excited about but I don't expect him to see a lot of snaps out of the gate.
Cornerback (Medium)
This is a spot Oregon has loaded up on in recent cycles, but again, a couple players who are in line to be major contributors in 2024, namely Jabbar Muhammad and Kameryn Alexander, will only be in Eugene for one season. Fortunately for the Ducks, they've acquired some really special talent.
We can list off four All-Americans from 2023 and 2024 in Rodrick Pleasant, Daylen Austin, Dakoda Fields and Ify Obidegwu. And let's not forget about elite junior college standout Sione Laulea III, who joined the team this offseason from the College of San Mateo.
Rising junior Jahlil Florence continues to play better and better, while the Ducks get one more season with Dontae Manning, who's been hit and miss. Nikko Reed also has one more year after transferring over from Colorado. So the 2025 rotation may feature a lot of talent, but there's plenty of guys that should be in the mix.
Interior Defensive line (Medium)
Here we are with another position group the Ducks attacked in each of the last two cycles. I think they signed arguably the best D-line haul in the country for 2024, headlined by Aydin Breland and Jericho Johnson, who could all compete for an early role in Eugene.
But don't forget about 2023 signees like A'Mauri Washington and My'Keil Gardner. Rising junior Ben Roberts is also worth a mention as Tony Tuioti moves on from a quartet of vets in Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, Popo Aumavae and Taki Taimani.
Houston transfer Jamaree Caldwell has just one season to play with the Ducks. So while there's plenty of talent in this room, it needs more experience and you can never have too many elite defensive linemen. Perhaps here more than any other position, it's better to have too many than not enough.
EDGE (Medium)
The Ducks brought in five-star Elijah Rushing and Jaxson Jones in the 2024 class, with Jones being someone I think was under the radar a bit on the national scale.
Oregon had three true freshmen pop early on in Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and Blake Purchase, with guys like Ashton Porter and Jaeden Moore also developing as true freshmen in 2023. They're in good shape for 2024 with the aforementioned trio as well as Jordan Burch and Emar'rion Winston, who is developing quite nicely and gave the Ducks some good snaps.
Getting after the quarterback is what separates a good defense from a great one and we know this is important for Dan Lanning, so keep close tabs on players like Nasir Wyatt and Justin Hill here.
Wide Receiver (Medium)
Despite having a loaded room heading into this season, Junior Adams will lose Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr. and possibly Evan Stewart after this season. Stewart is a wildcard since we haven't seen him play as a Duck after transferring from Texas A&M, but this will be his third college season.
Names like Jurrion Dickey, Kyler Kasper and Jeremiah McClellan all come to mind when looking at the long-term outlook of the room, but you can really never have too many talented playmakers on your team. Again, even though there's a lot of talent already at this position, the lack of snaps we've seen from some players could be indicative of where they're at in their development.
You don't tend to see a player stick around if they haven't seen the field after two seasons.
Offensive line (Medium to High)
This is an interesting position to look at, primarily because you don't usually see many players hit the field early. The Ducks will likely have three starters move on in with Josh Conerly Jr., Marcus Harper II and Ajani Cornelius expected to try their hand in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Right now you have some players waiting in the wings and developing like Dave Iuli and George Silva. I think the haul in 2023 could've been better, but the staff signed a couple of All-Americans in 2024 with Jac'Qawn McRoy and Fox Crader that should be promising in a few years.
Fortunately for A'lique Terry, Iapani 'Poncho' Laloulu hit early in his college career and already projects to be the team's starting center the next two years.
Inside Linebacker (Medium to High)
Oregon absolutely crushed linebacker recruiting in 2024, bringing in a trio of highly-touted 'backers in Dylan Williams, Brayden Platt and Kamar Mothudi. Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs enter what should be their final college seasons, and behind them the Ducks have players like Devin Jackson, Connor Soelle and Jerry Mixon.
The coaching staff really bounced back at this position from 2023 to 2024, but the position remains a significant need with what Tosh Lupoi and Dan Lanning ask of the linebackers in their system. Fortunately there's a lot of talent out West once again with players like Noah Mikhail and Madden Faraimo.
Safety (High)
Safety is a big need for Chris Hampton and the rest of the secondary staff at Oregon. The Ducks will lose two veterans in Tysheem Johnson and Kobe Savage after they exhaust their eligibility and there isn't much depth in that room.
Now granted I'm writing this in February, but there's still plenty of work to be done at the position. Adidas All-American Aaron Flowers and Kingston Lopa signed in the 2024 class and the Ducks will hope to get more snaps from Kodi DeCambra and Tyler Turner, who signed in 2023.
Duke nickel transfer Brandon Johnson is also worth a mention here, but he too has just one season remaining, which further demonstrates a more pressing need at the last line of defense. The Ducks are involved with plenty of high level talent at this position including Faheem Delane, Jadyn Hudson and Trey McNutt.
Tight End (High)
This is a pretty clear position of need as Oregon is set to lose both of their starters in Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert. There's hardly any proven depth behind him aside from Kenyon Sadiq, a rising sophomore who appeared in all 14 games and scored a touchdown as a true freshman.
Roger Saleapaga and A.J. Pugliano join the team in 2024 as more pass-catching tight ends than true in-line blockers, so expect Drew Mehringer to sign a pair of players at the position.
