Five-Star Recruit Will Mencl's Latest Performance Has Ducks Fans Fired Up

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks might not have played in Week 0, but they were still well-represented on national television.

Five-star quarterback commit in the 2027 cycle, Will Mencl, and Chandler High School faced off against Basha on ESPN on Saturday night. His performance left Ducks fans antsy for the future.

Will Mencl Flashes Future Stardom

oregon ducks recruiting will mencl five star dan lanning bo nix dante moore dylan raiola akili smith justin herbert nfl — Chandler quarterback Will Mencl (7) throws a pass during spring football showcase at Chandler High School in Chandler on May 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mencl committed to Oregon in April, after recording 33 passing touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns in 2025 as a junior, according to 247Sports.

The five-star recruit had his ups and downs in the heavyweight battle against Basha, but overall, he provided Ducks fans with plenty to look forward to. Mencl showed quick throws and his ability to take over a game with four touchdowns.

Perfect throw from 5-Star Oregon commit Will Mencl for the TD 👀 pic.twitter.com/7RBufQxe72
— Oregon Updates (@oregon__updates) August 30, 2026

But the 6-3 quarterback seemingly battled injury throughout the matchup and took a big hit late in the third quarter. Mencl remained in the game, however, and went on to throw his fourth and final touchdown.

Mencl’s team may have ended up falling 37-26 in their season opener, but if he’s able to put up a performance like that against one of Arizona’s top teams, a big senior season could be in store before he heads to Eugene in 2027.

Oregon Ducks’ Quarterback Future

The Ducks enter the 2026 season with a loaded quarterback room, led by Dante Moore. Moore returned for his second season as the expected starter on the Oregon offense after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore in 2025.

Former Nebraska Cornhusker Dylan Raiola also transferred into the quarterback room in the offseason. Raiola is widely anticipated to step into the starting role in 2027 if Moore departs for the NFL Draft.

Since Dan Lanning took over as coach, the Ducks’ starting quarterbacks have come exclusively from the transfer portal. Mencl will have a tough battle as a true freshman to seize a starting role. Not only did Raiola already start two years at Nebraska, but the program also has current redshirt freshman Akili Smith Jr. as an option in the room.

Raiola brings 4,819 passing yards and 31 touchdowns on offense, while Smith was a consensus four-star recruit in 2025. The odds of Mencl getting handed the reins right off the bat aren’t high, especially given that the Ducks haven’t had a true freshman start the season at quarterback since Justin Herbert in 2016.

Still, Mencl has the potential to be the long-term quarterback option in Eugene, with the palpable excitement around him even going as far as receiving comparisons to former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

In addition to the stiff quarterback competition, Mencl will have a plethora of options to target at Oregon. Receiver Dakorien Moore will be a junior in 2027, while current freshmen and former five-star recruits Jalen Lott and Gaitlin Bair will still have multiple seasons of eligibility upon Mencl’s arrival.

Mencl is joined by five-star receiver recruits Dakota Guerrant and Xavier Sabb in his recruiting class, as well a four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr. and four-star tight end Anthony Cartwright III.

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