Oregon Coach Dan Lanning's Underrated Strength Is Becoming Clear

Since Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning arrived in Eugene, he has used a mixture of high school recruiting and transfer portal pickups to fill out his roster.

Notable transfers include quarterbacks like Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, Oregon's current starting quarterback Dante Moore, and former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. Additionally, Lanning and the Ducks have added key defenders like cornerback Christian Gonzalez, safety Dillon Thieneman, and defensive lineman Bear Alexander through the portal.

oregon ducks dan lanning transfer portal high school recruiting nfl draft development college football playoff bo nix — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, a former Oregon quarterback, left, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, right, take a picture with Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein during the Oregon football’s Pro Day Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the other hand, the Ducks signed the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation in 2026, the No. 4 class in 2025, the No. 3 class in 2024, and the No. 7 overall class in 2023.

Dan Lanning Called 'Transfer Portal King'

The mixture of both means of player acquisition has paid of for Lanning, who holds a 48-8 record in his first four seasons with the Ducks. Additionally, Lanning has led Oregon to two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and a Big Ten title in 2024.

When put into a national perspective, research from On3's Andy Staples revealed that Lanning and the Ducks have had the most transfers selected in the NFL Draft since 2023 over teams like Miami, Ole Miss, and LSU.

Oregon's 17 transfers turned into NFL Draft picks compared to 14 homegrown talents that were also selected in NFL Drafts between 2023 and 2026 reveals a rather small disparity. When looking at total draft picks regardless of where they started their college careers, the Ducks also rank towards the top with 31 total selections since 2023.

Programs like Georgia (39), Alabama (37), and Ohio State (35) have all outpaced Oregon since 2023 when it comes to sending players to the NFL Draft, but the Ducks don't seem to be going away anytime soon.

After seeing seven former Oregon Ducks selected in the 2026 NFL Draft class, the program has a chance to set another record in 2027. The most Ducks ever taken in a single draft was 10 in 2025.

Oregon Ducks 2027 NFL Draft Class

The 2027 NFL Draft class could be a historic one for Oregon led by Moore. However, Moore was not the only Ducks star to forgo the 2026 NFL Draft and return to Eugene for another season, and he'll likely be joined by center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu, wide receiver Evan Stewart, tight end Jamari Johnson, and defensive linemen Matayo Uiagalelei, Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington, and Teitum Tuioti as part of Oregon's draft class.

Moore, Stewart, Johnson, and Alexander all transferred into Oregon, but the Ducks signed Laloulu, Uiagalelei, Washington, and Tuioti as high school recruits.

But first, Lanning and his team will have to get through the 2026 season first. They enter the year as one of the top contenders for the national championship, but the Ducks will have to navigate a non-conference schedule of Boise State, Oklahoma State, and Portland State. Then comes Oregon's marquee matchups in the Big Ten, like road games against USC and Ohio State or home games against Michigan and Washington.

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