Oregon Ducks Recruiting is Heating Up at One Crucial Position

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning are in the midst of their 2027 recruiting cycle and are making progress at one key position.

The Ducks are one of four programs with a pair of linebacker blue-chip commits in the 2027 recruiting class, joining Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Miami in that statistic, and they will look to potentially add more depth on the defensive side of the ball in the coming months.

Oregon Ducks Continue Recruiting Success in Hawaii

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Dante Moore Dakorien Moore Recruiting Rankings Recruiting Class 2027 Cycle Eugene Autzen Stadium — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during warmups as the Oregon Ducks take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon made headlines when it secured the commitments from four-star linebackers Brandon Lockley Jr. and Toa Satele. Satele is the No. 4-ranked linebacker in the country according to On3, and the No. 1 overall recruit out of the state of Hawaii.

Lockley Jr. is the No. 29-ranked linebacker in the 2027 class. Lockley committed to the Ducks over Penn State, Alabama, and Nebraska, all of whom had offered Lockley. Lockley Jr. is the No. 11-ranked recruit out of Pennsylvania, so for Lanning and his staff to land him is impressive considering Penn State recruited him heavily.

Rivals recently ranked all the linebacker commits in the 2027 class, and Oregon commit Toa Satele came in ranked at No. 7, while Lockley was ranked at No. 21. In the ranking of the top linebacker recruits in the country, only one other Big Ten program has a commit in the top 10, with Ohio State earning the commitment from four-star linebacker recruit Prince Goldsby.

Oregon Will Need to Prioritize Linebacker Position in Future Recruiting Cycles

Oregon and Lanning bringing in high-end talent at the linebacker position will be crucial in the coming years. The linebacker room for the 2026 season, while talented, is expected to be one of the weaker points in the Oregon defense, which is expected to have one of the best defensive lines and secondary in the country.

Oregon has now had success in recruiting at the linebacker position in back-to-back years. The Ducks signed linebacker Braylon Hodge and Tristan Phillips in the 2026 recruiting cycle, and both freshmen could see some serious playing time in the upcoming season.

Oregon Ducks Have Work to do to Earn the No. 1 Ranked Recruiting Class

The Ducks currently sit at No. 9 in the On3 recruiting rankings and are still in the mix for the No. 1 overall recruiting class in 2027. While the Ducks will hope to maintain their recruiting success not only for the 2027 cycle but for the years to come, they have yet to sign a five-star recruit in the class of 2027.

Oregon was able to sign four five-star recruits in 2026 and three four-star recruits in 2025. Oregon currently has nine defensive players and five offensive players committed to playing in Eugene for the 2027 cycle. Below are the top-10 rankings as they stand now for the 2027 cycle, according to Rivals:

10. Michigan
No. 9 Oregon
No. 8 USC
No. 7 Ohio State
No. 6 Notre Dame
No. 5 Florida
No. 4 Texas Tech
No. 3 Oklahoma
No. 2 Miami
No. 1 Texas A&M

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