Oregon Lands Top-Ranked Quarterback Recruit Over Auburn, Penn State

EUGENE, Ore. – The week leading up to the 2026 Spring Game is shaping up to be a massive recruiting stretch for the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning received a commitment on Wednesday from the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class. Five-star Will Mencl announced his commitment to the Ducks on the Rivals YouTube channel.

Breaking Down Quarterback Will Mencl’s Recruitment

oregon ducks quarterback will mencl recruiting dante moore dylan raiola akili smith nfl draft justin herbert spring game koa — Chandler Wolves quarterback Will Mencl sits with his teammates during the high school football Championships Media Day at the Arizona Interscholastic Association office in Phoenix on Dec. 1, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks beat out the Auburn Tigers and the Penn State Nittany Lions for Mencl’s commitment. The five-star took an unofficial visit to Eugene in November. He returned in January and he also visited last week.

Mencl told Rivals that his connection with Lanning and the staff stood out in his recruitment.

“That continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring,” Mencl said. “Being able to sit down with coach Koa (Ka’ai), just really being an under looked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then the path to the NFL, you can't deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”

Mencl continues to jump in the recruiting rankings as he gets set for his senior year at Chandler High School. The 6-3, 205-pound quarterback totaled 50 touchdowns in 2025 (33 passing and 17 rushing) and completed over 70 percent of his passes. He only threw five interceptions as a junior.

Lanning and company previously were in the running for four-star quarterback Jake Nawrot, who recently committed to Kentucky. With Nawrot committed elsewhere, the pressure to land Mencl mounted even more. The Ducks were able to pull it off, but there’s still plenty of work to do in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

Oregon’s Quarterback Future

The Ducks’ attention now shifts from earning a quarterback commitment to retaining that quarterback commitment.

The top quarterback recruit to land on Oregon’s fall roster in the past few years was 2025 four-star Akili Smith Jr. Blue-chip recruits, such as Bryson Beaver and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, enrolled early before shortly transferring elsewhere. There was also Moore in 2023, who committed to Oregon but flipped to UCLA.

Moore is anticipated to be the Ducks’ starting quarterback again in 2026, with the expectation being that he’ll declare for the 2027 NFL Draft. Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola is also on the roster and will be a strong contender for the starting role in 2027.

Justin Herbert was the last true freshman to seize the Oregon starting quarterback role, and that was back in 2016. Mencl will compete to start in 2027, but he’ll be in a deep room with Raiola and Smith.

Mencl said during his commitment on the Rivals YouTube channel that he’ll work hard to compete for a role ahead of his true freshman season.

“I'm not sure how many hours I'm going to spend outside of that facility. I'm going to try my best to compete year one and just grind my butt off is the main thing you can expect,” Mencl said. “Somebody who's one of the most competitive people in the world. I can't accept losing, and I know that program can't accept it either. So, they're getting a winner that's going to work super, super hard.”

Will Oregon’s Latest Commitment Create a Domino Effect?

Lanning and his staff received help recruiting Mencl from other 2027 commits. Four-star running back CaDarius McMiller posted a photo of Mencl on his social media on Tuesday, captioned: “Cmon home” with a duck emoji.

Now, Mencl can join the list of current Oregon commits and help add to the Ducks’ 2027 class. Another big Oregon target is set to announce his commitment on Thursday. Four-star safety Semaj Stanford is predicted to end up in Eugene, per Rivals.

The end of April marks a chaotic time to be a Ducks fan. Between multiple Oregon players predicted to be selected Day 1 the NFL Draft and the April 25 Spring Game showcasing current Ducks talent, there’s plenty for recruits to get excited about when it comes to Oregon.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google