Ducks Digest

USC Trojans Tease Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning With Mark Bowman Commitment Video

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning jumped in a pool to celebrate the commitment of five-star recruit Richard Wesley, who later decomitted from the Ducks. Now, the USC Trojans are teasing the social media stunt with 5-star Mark Bowman's commitment video.
Ally Osborne|
Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Oregon DucksUSC Trojans

The recruiting trail has been hot lately for the USC Trojans ans a recent commitment to the USC has prompted the program to tease the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning.

On Friday, the Trojans secured the commitment from class of 2026 five-star tight end Mark Bowman. Bowman is the No. 1 tight end and the No. 3 athlete in his home state of California according to 247 Sports. Bowman was also a target of the Ducks, with the Mater Dei High School senior unofficially visiting the Ducks in October of 2024 and with a penciled in official visit on June 20th.

With such an impactful addition to USC coach Lincoln Riley's roster, the Trojans decided to poke some fun at Lanning, referencing a recruitment victory that turned into a faux pas.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggie
Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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In a video posted to USC's official "X" (formerly Twitter) account, a clip of USC alumnus Will Ferrell as his news anchor character Ron Burgundy from "Anchorman" calls for people to pay attention, as he then exclaims "cannonball" and jumps into a pool during a pool party.

The video is branded with a "live" "SC TV" bug in the top left corner, "breaking news" in the bottom right corner, and a graphic along the bottom of the video reads "the place to be." At the end of the clip from "Anchorman," the peace sign emoji is shown (a motif of the current USC squad) along with the phrase "we got him" as the Trojans' marching band plays on.

Why is this a shot at Lanning? Well, earlier this spring, the Ducks' coach filmed a video with class of 2026 five-star edge Richard Wesley celebrating his commitment to Oregon. In the video, Lanning removes his shirt and cannonballs into a pool with Wesley.

Last week, Wesley de-committed from the Ducks to continue to pursue other programs, leading to the prior commitment video going viral online, and Oregon's competitors and critics making pool-related jokes.

Oregon and USC have been ribbing each other back and forth since offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon and defensive lineman Bear Alexander both transferred from the Trojans to join the Ducks.

Furthermore, USC is dominating class of 2026 recruiting efforts, sitting at No. 1 on 247 Sports' recruiting tracker with one five-star commit, 16 four-stars, and ten three-stars. USC currently sits at a 290.01 recruit rating, which is nearly 40 points more than the next closest school on the ranking, Notre Dame (253.02). Oregon (149.57) currently sits at No. 27 on this ranking, with one five-star, four four-stars, and two three-stars.

Also, Oregon finally faces the Trojans for the first time since each of the teams' assimilation to the Big Ten Conference this upcoming season. On November 22nd, the Trojans travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Maybe a cannonball or mini pool could be involved.

Knowing that Lanning has used teases like these in the past as fuel for pre-game speeches (look no further than his viral speech about Colorado, "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins.") it will be interesting to see if Ron Burgundy himself becomes a character in a Ducks' locker room monologue.

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI, Ally Osborne is a born and raised Oregonian. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. Osborne continued her career in Bend, Oregon as a broadcast reporter in 2021 for Central Oregon Daily News while writing for Oregon Ducks on SI. Since then, Osborne is entering her third season reporting for the publication and is frequently the on-site reporter for home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. She is currently the host of lifestyle shows "Everyday Northwest" and "Tower Talk Live" for KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon. Osborne also works as a sports reporter for KOIN 6's "Game On" sports department. In her free time, Osborne is an avid graphic designer, making art commissions for athletes across her home state. Osborne's designs have even become tattoos for a few Duck athletes.

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