Oregon Ducks Hosting Elite Wide Receiver Recruit For Oregon State Game

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks are preparing for it's highly anticipated rivalry matchup against the Oregon State Beavers. Aong with preparations to host their bitter rival at Autzen stadium, coach Dan Lanning and his staff have been preparing to host top ranked recruits from both the class of 2026 and 2027.

According to Rivals, Julian Caldwell, a wide receiver out of the class of 2027 will be making his fourth trip to Eugene while the Ducks host the Beavers on Sept. 20.

Caldwell is a consensus four-star recruit out of Argyle, Texas, and is considered nationally as the 8th wide receiver in his class according to ESPN's rankings.

Oregon Ducks Football Julian Caldwell Dan Lanning Ross Douglasautzen stadium Oregon State Beavers Wide Receiver Dakorien Moo — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field as the Oregon Ducks host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sept. 6, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caldwell Is High On The Ducks

The member of Oregon's staff that has led the way for Caldwell's recruitment is none other than wide receiver coach Ross Douglas along with offensive analyst Donte Ellington, and the relationship they've built is starting to come to fruition.

"It was a beautiful place and I definitely have a great connection with Coach (Donte) Ellington and Coach Douglas,” Caldwell told Rivals. “They’re very knowledgeable coaches...They’ll definitely be in the mix. We talk almost every week and we’ve built a strong connection.”

Caldwell also expressed how the energy around the locker room and weight room is a sign of success, and a sign of a positive future as he evaluates possibly committing to the Ducks.

“Not only are the coaches high energy, but so are the players, and you can tell how they play that they all share that same energy," Caldwell told Rivals. "You can tell that they really want to build this program to a college national championship level, which is something that excites me for the future of this program.”

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Another Top Receiver From Texas

Freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore is a Texas product, and has made an immediate impact for the Ducks. Having Moore as an example can and will be huge for landing recruits from the Southeast, yet not just from a standpoint on the field, but giving the perspective of having to make a complete environment change physically.

Caldwell holds offers from schools that are only a few hundred miles from his home like, the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Tech, SMU, and Texas A&M. But Oregon is the outlier when it comes to distance as the Ducks are over 1,500 miles away from Caldwell's hometown.

It's not easy for anyone to get up and go across the country to pursue their dreams when another opportunity is closer to home, and in most times in the same state, but Moore can attest to recruits the worth of taking the opportunity in Eugene.

While Moore was considered the No.1 receiver in his class by ESPN, Caldwell could be trending into that very direction as he's only in his junior year at Argyle High School.

Early investment into a player like Caldwell who still has time to develop, and rise in rankings could pay off huge for the Ducks. But Caldwell isn't the only top receiver the Ducks have interest in.

Oregon has already received verbal commitment from the fifth ranked wide receiver in the class of 2027 (ESPN), Kesean Bowman. The junior at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, Tennessee has made the decision to move across the country come time to go to college. But in the end it's just a verbal commitment, and things change quite often.

If the Ducks can retain Bowman and get Caldwell on board come their signing day, Oregon would have a scary wide receiver room entering the 2028 season.