Recapping Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning's Busy Recruiting Summer

The Oregon Ducks have turned around a relatively slow start to the 2026 recruiting class into one of the best group of commits in the country in only a few months. The Ducks now have five five-star athletes committed to further their education and playing career in Eugene. Rivals' has Oregon at No. 3 in the 2026 recruiting rankings.

At the beginning of July, five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho committed to Oregon while five-star EDGE recruit Anthony "Tank" Joines committed to the Ducks on July 31. Shortly after Jones, five-star defensive back prospect Davon Benjamin joined the fold.

Oregon’s five-stars are tired for the most by any school in the country. The Ducks have a 92.65 rating per recruit, which is also the highest in the country. Oregon only has 17 total recruits for the 2026 cycle, the lowest amount of any school in the top 16. The Ducks and coach Dan Lanning have clearly gone for a quality-over-quantity approach, evident by their estimated average of $273,000 worth of NIL per recruit, per On3.

Three Big Ten teams make up the top ten schools in the 2026 recruiting rankings. The USC Trojans still hold the No. 1 spot as coach Lincoln Riley has the Trojans on a roll this recruiting cycle. USC has just two five-stars, but they make it up with 20 four-star recruits currently committed.

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Dakorien Moore Dante Moore Big Ten autzen stadium immanuel iheanacho — Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes check in at the No. 9 spot in the On3 rankings. Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. is the crown jewel of the Buckeyes' 2026 recruiting class and remains the only five-star committed to the Buckeyes for the 2026 cycle. Ohio State has 13 four-stars and seven three-stars to go along with Henry Jr for the 2026 class.

The Ducks have missed out on two players who each could have made a case for the Ducks having the No. 1 2026 recruiting class in the country. Five-star quarterback and Georgia commit Jared Curtis chose the Bulldogs over the Ducks.

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Five-star offensive tackle and the No. 1 offensive line recruit in the country, Jackson Cantwell, was deciding between Miami and Oregon before choosing the Canes in another recruiting battle that went down to the wire.

For the misses that the Ducks have had, they've had massive wins to offset them. Iheanacho gave the Ducks a huge boost when he committed to the Ducks on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Jones was the second Duck to commit to Oregon on national television in the same month.

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Na'eem Offord immanuel iheanahco big ten autzen stadium Oregon Dante Moore — Pat McAfee helps to kick off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival Fan Fest with a live broadcast outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. July 31, 2025. | Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones represents the second year in a row that Lanning has secured the commitment from the No. 1 player in Alabama. Last year, the Ducks successfully recruited five-star Na’eem Offord, who at the time was a highly coveted defensive back.