College Football Fans React To Oregon Quarterback Bryson Beaver's Giant Jump In Recruiting Rankings

When quarterback recruit Bryson Beaver committed to the Oregon Ducks just two weeks after decommitting from the Boise State Broncos, he shot up On3's player rankings in the 2026 recruiting class.

College football fans outside of Eugene are upset that he went from a three-star to a four-star soon after committing to the Ducks. He went from being unranked amongst the rest of the nation's prospects to jumping all the way up to No. 44 in Rivals players' rankings.

Beaver also suddenly became the No. 7 recruit in the state of California as well as the No. 5 quarterback in the country. That's higher than No. 6 BYU Cougars commit Jared Curtis, No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats commit Matt Ponatoski, and No. 11 USC Trojans commit Jonas Williams, three quarterbacks that Oregon was previously going after.

Dandy Dozen top football recruit selection for 2025 TSSAA season, Nashville Christian quarterback Jared Curtis, Wednesday, June 19, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fans believe that recruiting sites On3 (which just recently merged with Rivals) are showing bias towards Oregon, and the program is playing these sites to improve the overall ranking of their 2026 class. These fans also believe that they are purposely bringing other programs' rankings down after a recruit doesn't choose the Ducks in favor of someone else. For example, Lyons went from a five-star to a four-star on Rivals after choosing BYU over Oregon.

More likely, these sites are bumping up Beaver's rankings because he showed improvement over the course of the summer at quarterback events like Elite 11. He participated in the finals and was named the No. 3 overall performer at the camp. On3's Charles Powers was one of the biggest believers in Beaver after witnessing his arm at the Elite 11 in Southern California.

"Beaver looked like one of the more talented prospects on hand. We felt his arm took a backseat to nobody in attendance. The Southern California native has explosive arm power that effortlessly delivers from multiple slots and platforms. ... Currently a four-star prospect for On3, Beaver is primed to debut inside the inaugural Rivals300 ranking in July."
On3's Charles Powers on Bryson Beaver

With Vista Murrieta in California, the 6-3 and 195-pound Beaver threw for 6,458 passing yards and 63 touchdowns on a 60.1 completion rate through 34 games in his high school career. The gunslinger can also do it on his feet, rushing for 387 yards and three touchdowns through his three varsity seasons.

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Oct 4, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; The Oregon Ducks mascot rides out to the field on a motorcycle as the football team takes the field before a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the rest of his staff have had a successful summer on the 2026 recruiting front, currently holding the No. 6 class and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference.

Besides Beavers, the class is headlined by five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho (ranked No. 11 in the country), four-star tight end Kendre Harrison (ranked No. 16 in the country), four-star wide receiver Messiah Hampton (ranked No. 43 in the country), five-star safety Jett Washington (ranked No. 68 in the country), four-star wide receiverJalen Lott (ranked No. 75 in the country), four-star running back Tradarian Ball (ranked No. 163 in the country), all according to Rivals.