Oregon Flashes Recruiting Strategy With Push for Four-Star Running Back

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning and his staff continue to battle for their first commitment in the 2028 recruiting class.

Oregon Assistant Coach Ra'Shaad Samples apologizes for his DUI during press conference August 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coach Dan Lanning is known for taking on unique strategies as a recruiter with the No. 13 Oregon Ducks. One way that Lanning and his staff seem to build strong relationships with players during the recruiting process is through video messages.

Oregon continues to ramp up its pursuit of top targets in the 2028 cycle. The coaching staff put their recruiting strategy on display once again, with 2028 four-star running back Jayshawn Mitchell posting to his Instagram story a compilation of the Ducks’ birthday messages for him.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning | Darby Winter

Running Back Jayshawn Mitchell’s Recruitment

Mitchell ranks as the No. 1 running back in the class by Rivals, who also has him ranked the highest overall of any recruiting site at No. 40 nationally.

The consensus four-star recruit plays for William J. Brennan in San Antonio, Texas. According to 247Sports, he rushed 31 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns as a junior in 2025, but also showed his abilities as a receiving option, notching 26 catches for 474 yards and eight touchdowns.

Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff wishing elite 4-Star RB Jayshawn Mitchell (@JAYMITCH_1) a happy birthday 🦆

The No. 1 ranked RB in the 2028 class will be in Eugene later this season for Oregon’s matchup against Michigan 👀 pic.twitter.com/6qISWbIUbJ

— Oregon Updates (@oregon__updates) October 5, 2026

Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples were included in the birthday messages for Mitchell. Samples, who is a key recruiter for the Ducks in the push for Mitchell, revealed that the running back is set to visit Eugene for the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Autzen Stadium. According to 247Sports, he's also expected in Columbus on Nov. 7 when Oregon plays Ohio State.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the team leading by a long shot in percentage to land Mitchell in the Rivals Prediction Machine. In fact, the Ducks aren’t even listed in the RPM picks. But multiple game-day visits and a birthday message indicate that Oregon could be flying under the radar in his recruitment.

Oregon Ducks’ Use of Video Messages to Recruits

Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on before a game against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This isn’t the first time a recruit posted messages from the Oregon coaching staff during their recruitment. In the 2026 cycle, five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho similarly posted the staff’s birthday messages on social media.

Lanning addressed using video as a strategy during his Early Signing Day press conference last December.

"It's something I've probably done for a little while. I don't love that every secret gets out,” Lanning said. “But we build relationships, and not everybody always picks up the phone. Not everybody answers a text. But a lot of times when a video gets sent, it gets seen.”

“There's a lot of different ways you can communicate with guys and players,” he added. “We do everything we can to make sure when they wake up in the morning, they see a message from us and when they go to bed at night, they see that. Communication is a big key to that."

July 27, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; Immanuel Iheanacho part of the top-ranked recruits flocked to Eugene for the 2024 Oregon Ducks Saturday Night Live ; Mandatory credit: Zachary Neel-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fortunately for the Ducks, it worked out well in Iheanacho’s case. The consensus five-star landed with the Ducks and continues to compete for snaps along the offensive line as a true freshman.

Lanning is still searching for his first commitment in the 2028 cycle. The Ducks have found success in recent years when it comes to landing running backs from Texas, including current freshman Tradarian Ball, who’s from Texarkana, and 2027 commit CaDarius McMiller from Tyler.

Leading 2026 running backs Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison would be seniors in 2028, but may elect to enter the 2028 NFL Draft. If that’s the case, it would provide more opportunity for a future freshman like Mitchell to break out in the running back room.

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