Oregon Ducks Coaches Snubbed in Latest Ranking of Best Recruiters?

With the 2026 recruiting cycle nearly complete, a ranking of the top-10 recruiting coaches in the country was updated. Despite the Oregon Ducks' success on the recruiting trail, no Ducks assistant coaches made the list. The USC Trojans have three coaches ranked.

Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are in the midst of their 2026 recruiting cycle and have experienced success despite a few bumps along the way. 247 Sports' Grant Hughes recently released the updated the top 10 recruiters in the 2026 cycle as of July 23, and not one of the Ducks' assistant coaches made the list.

Schools represented in the list include USC, who had three in the top 10. Coaches from Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, and Texas were also included. Here is the full top 10:

No. 1 Donte Williams, Georgia
No. 2 Eric Henderson, USC
No. 3 Lou Esposito, Michigan
No. 4 Brian Hartline, Ohio State
No. 5 Doug Belk, USC
No. 6 Matt Luke, Clemson
No. 7 Zach Hanson, USC
No. 8 Alex Mirabal, Miami
No. 9 Kenny Baker, Texas
No. 10 Jordan Peterson, Texas A&M

Some members of the Ducks' coaching staff certainly have a strong argument for being included in the top 10. The Ducks' coaches as a group are responsible for the No. 7 recruiting class in the country, according to On3. 

Ducks safeties coach Chris Hampton should certainly be recognized on the list created by 247 Sports. Hampton has played a role in landing some elite defensive backs, including a commitment from five-star recruit Jett Washington, the No. 1 safety in the 2026 cycle.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks during a press availability Thursday, March 13, 2025, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hampton has also helped earn the commitments of four-star recruit Devin Jackson, the No. 20 safety in the class of 2026, as well as four-star recruit Xavier Lherisse, the No. 50 safety in the class of 2026. Having three commits in the top-50 at one position should have given Hampton a spot in the list.

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Another Ducks coach who has an argument to be on the list is offensive line coach A'lique Terry. Terry’s shining moment as a recruiter came a few weeks ago when five-star recruit Immanuel Iheanacho committed to the Ducks live on "The Pat McAfee Show." Iheanacho is the No. 2 offensive tackle in the country according to On3. 

Terry also played a big role in securing the commitment from four-star interior offensive lineman Tommy Tofi, who committed to the Oregon Ducks just a couple of days after decommitting from the California Golden Bears. Tofi is the No. 97 recruit in the nation, the No. 6 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 13 recruit from California according to 247Sports.

Terry rounds out his 2026 offensive line commitments with three-star recruit Koloi Keli. Keli, like Tofi, was committed to Cal before flipping his commitment to Oregon. Keli plays for Honolulu Farrington and was hosted by Hawaiia Iapani Laloulu on his visits to Eugene. Laloulu attended the same high school that Keli currently attends.

Fighting Ducks offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrates as the Fighting Ducks face off against Mighty Oregon in the Oregon Ducks spring game on April 26, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans were well represented in 247 Sports’ list of top 10 recruiters for 2026 as the Trojans have the No. 1 overall recruiting class so far in 2026. Three of the top ten coaches were from USC: offensive line coach Zach Hanson, secondary coach Doug Belk, and defensive line coach Eric Henderson.

The Trojans have two five-stars, 19 four-stars, and 10 three-star commits for the 2026 class. Five-star tight end recruit Mark Bowman is the crown jewel of Lincoln Riley’s recruiting class for 2026.