What Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Said On National Signing Day About Top-5 Recruiting Class

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is having "fun" on National Signing Day 2025. Oregon's No. 4 ranked recruiting class is star-studded, highlighted by Dakorien Moore, Na’eem Offord, Trey McNutt, Ziyare Addison and Douglas Utu. Lanning emphasized that the high school stars mean nothing now in college.

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

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is having "fun" on National Signing Day 2025 and why wouldn't he be? Lanning and the Ducks secured the nation's No. 4 ranked recruiting class, highlighted by the No. 1 wide receiver in the country Dakorien Moore, two star defenders in cornerback Na’eem Offord and safety Trey McNutt, plus massive offensive linemen Ziyare Addison and Douglas Utu.

"It's fun. It's always great to be able to add high quality people that are also high quality players to your program," Lanning told Duck Insider. "Early on we were certainly talking about a vision that we had. Now, it's kind of 'proof is in the pudding' - This is what you're you're going to be able to do when you come in here. Compete with the best of the best and play for some of the best of the best and become the best version of yourself."

Dec 6, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Parker's Na'eem Offord (1) runs for a touchdown against Saraland at Protective Stadium in the 6A State Championship game. / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's 2025 recruiting class, which is mostly already on campus in Eugene is composed of three five-stars and 16 four-stars. While Lanning appreciates the highly-rated athletes, he reiterated that those high school stars do not correlate on the field in college.

"They've been doing some work in the weight room already," Lanning continued. "All the stars, they stay at home. You don't take those out of the field with you. So anything you accomplish in high school doesn't really matter now, it's about what you accomplish now. So seeing that growth from those guys here is really important."

How does coach Lanning find players who genuinely love football, when many high school coaches will assert their players are ready to compete at the next level? Lanning mentioned playing a game - checkers or tik tok toe - can help decipher the competitiveness.

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

"I think you got to dig a little deeper, right?" Lanning told Duck Insider. "Maybe than just football, is, what's their competitive spirit? We're always going to try to find something that's going to allow us to compete with a kid, whether you're playing, tic tac toe or checkers, whatever that might be, you're going to find something that can give you that advantage, an idea, how does this guy compete?"

"Then you dig into the details," Lanning continued. "What are this guy's habits away from the field? Do they want to be a guy that can really compete for championships? Because, guess what? Champions have championship habits. So you try to peel back the layers and understand that everybody has a different voice in this, and they might say the right things, but you got to be able to read through it and see the tea leaves."

There has been a lot of change in Lanning's three years at Oregon, including the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) landscape and transfer portal shift. The 38-year-old Lanning's success on the field speaks to his ability to adapt quickly.

Lanning is 35-6 in three seasons as head coach at Oregon, ranking third among active head coaches in both wins and winning percentage during that time. Lanning looks to continue to build from his best season yet as a Duck after Oregon won the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship in it's first season in the conference. The Ducks also achieved the first 13-0 start in program history, earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a berth in the Rose Bowl. 

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, center, waits to take the field with his team for their game against Oregon State at Autzen Stadium Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. / Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

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"I think the one thing that's changed is the standard to play at Oregon's higher now than it was three years ago," Lanning told Duck Insider. "So we're always looking to improve, right? We're not looking to get the same. The standard of play has gone up here, and that means the caliber of athlete that we're trying to target, to play for us, has gone up. And it starts there, right? Not lowering your standard and making sure that you're going to get guys that you feel like give you a competitive edge when you step out there on the football field, so that adjusts."

Lanning made history to become the first Oregon coach to win the Stallings Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership, character and achievement in college football. Lanning's success at Oregon is cementing him among the best in college football with much thanks to his integrity.

... Which is undoubtedly helping him on the recruiting trail too.

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