Oregon Continues Recruiting Momentum by Landing Local SEC Target

The Oregon Ducks are delivering multiple recruiting wins to start the week of June 8, this time adding a big local weapon.

Oregon Ducks College Football Dan Lanning Peach Bowl Indiana Hoosiers Semifinal Dante Moore Fernando Mendoza national championship odd | oregon ducks on si Jake Bunn

The Oregon Ducks jump started the week of June 8 in epic fashion on the recruiting trail.

Oregon started off the week flipping Washington State wide receiver commit Malachi Garlington, who becomes the Ducks' first wideout pledge for the 2027 class.

Except coach Dan Lanning and the Big Ten power weren't through with adding talent on Monday. They advanced their future offensive weaponry with this new commit.

Oregon Lands Three-Star Tight End George VanSandt

Oregon Ducks dante moore dan lanning eugene nfl draft big ten college football playoff evan stewart dylan raiola practice nil | oregon ducks on si will seibert

The Ducks won over local talent out of Portland in three-star tight end George VanSandt. He received his commitment graphic to announce his decision. He also turns down a chance to play in the SEC at Arkansas and Texas A&M in the process.

BREAKING: Class of 2027 TE George VanSandt has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’4 235 TE chose the Ducks over Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Tulane

“Sco Ducks!”https://t.co/lor4JSyPBm pic.twitter.com/SLHeVsJEt6

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 8, 2026

Oregon claims more than a local win on the recruiting trail here. VanSandt nearly came close to adding to the Aggies' stacked 2027 class. Texas A&M ranks No. 1 in both On3/Rivals and the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

But Lanning and the Ducks coaching staff continue a notable pipeline with Central Catholic High, a well-known feeder for Oregon when it comes to prep recruits.

How Oregon won Over George VanSandt

kenyon sadiq Oregon Ducks nfl draft visit kansas city chiefs travis kelce bri amaranthus philadelphia eagles dan lanning | oregon ducks on si darby winter

Oregon invited out the nearby tight end for a official visit to the campus.

That came during the same weekend the fellow local talent Garlington (from Happy Valley) made his rounds in Eugene.

Lanning was joined by offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer to help recruit VanSandt. Mehringer holds this unique advantage compared to his offensive coordinator peers across the nation: he's a former tight ends coach, meaning he'll know how to unleash VanSandt.

Mehringer has proven that already for the Ducks. He's produced high NFL Draft picks in Terrance Ferguson of the Los Angeles Rams and more recently, Kenyon Sadiq, who landed in the first round to the New York Jets this past April.

Mehringer know gets full coordinator reins as he replaces Will Stein, who accepted the University of Kentucky head coaching job in Dec. 2025.

How Oregon Class Looks Now for 2027

Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher | Jake Bunn

Oregon officially sits at 15 verbal commitments for this current recruiting cycle.

Four-star safety Semaj Stanford of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma is the headliner on defense so far with his 93 rating by 247Sports. But quarterback Will Mencl is the overall headliner, armed with a five-star ranking by On3/Rivals.

Mencl becomes a big winner here too, as he receives two future weapons to throw to inside Autzen Stadium for the near future.

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