Oregon Quarterback Target Will Mencl Turns Heads With Recruiting Ranking Update

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks could be closing in on their first five-star commitment of the 2027 recruiting class.

Oregon continues to be in a good spot with one of the top quarterbacks in 2027, Will Mencl. Mencl moved from a four-star to five-star standing in On3’s latest Rivals300 rankings.

Elite Quarterback Recruit Will Mencl’s New Ranking

oregon ducks dan lanning recruiting quarterback will mencl five star koa ka'ai dante moore transfer portal akili smith bryson — Sep 30, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning walks on the field before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Mencl is now ranked the top player in the state of Arizona, the top quarterback in the class and a top-five player nationally in the latest rankings. He recorded 33 passing touchdowns on 70.3 percent completion and rushed for 17 touchdowns during his junior season.

The Ducks are considered the favorites to land Mencl. Oregon offered Mencl back in November 2025. He revealed after participating in the Navy Bowl in January that the Ducks were one of the five teams emerging as a frontrunner for him.

Mencl has also expressed that he’s planning on visiting Eugene again. He took an unofficial visit when the program offered him in November and appeared on campus again in January.

The five-star quarterback told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong that Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s culture and adaptability set the program apart. Mencl added that the coaching staff’s belief in him throughout the recruiting process also sticks out.

“My relationship with coach Koa (Ka’ai), the quarterback coach, started off when I wasn’t the high recruit I am now,” Mencl told Wiltfong. “Being able to sit down with him the first time I was there helped push me over the edge mentally and be able to grow into the player I am now.”

What a Commitment Would Mean for Oregon

Lanning is proving to be an impressive recruiter. The Ducks signed four five-star recruits in the 2026 class and earned a top-five recruiting class ranking.

Oregon currently has five commitments in the 2027 recruiting class, but no quarterbacks and no five-stars. Mencl alone would likely boost the Ducks’ No. 13 standing to a top-10 class in the nation.

Blue-chip quarterback Bryson Beaver was the program’s quarterback commitment in the 2026 recruiting class. Beaver ended up transferring to Georgia in January shortly after an early enrollment in Eugene. A similar story happened in the previous recruiting class, with now-California Golden Bears quarterback and former five-star Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele transferring after enrolling early.

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The Ducks do have 2025 four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr. still in the quarterback room. But outside of Smith’s commitment, a majority of Oregon’s quarterbacks have come via the transfer portal in recent years. The three quarterback starters in the Lanning coaching era – Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore – were all transfers. Lanning recently added Nebraska transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Moore is the projected starter in 2026, with Raiola anticipated to take the starting role in 2027. If Raiola utilizes a redshirt in 2026, he’ll be a redshirt junior in 2027, meaning he’ll have the option to return to Oregon in 2028. A Mencl commitment for the Ducks would mean another five-star quarterback in the Lanning era and a potential future starter post-Moore and Raiola.