Dan Lanning's First Calls on the Recruiting Trail as Oregon's New Head Coach
New Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning is in a bit of a tough spot. He'll get formally introduced as the next head coach in Eugene on Monday afternoon, then likely return to Athens to coach Georgia in preparation for the upcoming semifinal game against Michigan.
Between now and the start of the early signing period he won't be able to get in front of recruits, but he can work on building his staff and getting on the phone with recruits on a phone call or FaceTime.
With numerous players backing off their commitments to Oregon and landing in new spots, it's important that he get to work trying to salvage what he can in the 2022 class, although it's going to be very difficult given the circumstances.
Here are some recruits I think Lanning should call now that he's the next leader of the program.
Cyrus Moss
Moss has had himself quite a busy weekend. He started in Los Angeles visiting USC after Head Coach Lincoln Riley and Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch visited him in-home in Las Vegas following the hire.
The last I heard he was planning to sign during the early signing period before going public with his decision in January. After Cristobal visited him in-home in Vegas as the Ducks' head coach I spoke with him and came away thinking it was between Oregon and USC.
Clearly the relationship with Cristobal is a huge factor in his recruitment and suggests the Hurricanes have a real shot. For Oregon, bringing in a big defensive name like Lanning should help since he can sell what he's done this year at Georgia and that could help get the Ducks back in it. This team also has a need at pass rusher for next year and Moss has long been viewed as one of if not their top option.
I view this as as bit of a long shot, but it's certainly worth a call given how he was viewed as an Oregon lean for much of his recruitment.
Darrius Clemons
The Ducks have a need at wide receiver following the losses of Jaylon Redd, Johnny Johnson III and Mycah Pittman. That need only grew more pressing after Nicholas Anderson flipped to Oklahoma, Isaiah Sategna flipped to Arkansas.
Even with his ties into the Southeast, I'm sure Lanning understands the importance of locking down the state's best talent and keeping those players home playing for the Ducks. Clemons has been very high on the Ducks throughout the recruiting process, but a trip to Michigan over the weekend and a Miami offer from Mario Cristobal looks like it's really making it tough to get a beat on this one.
Along with making this call, Lanning should retain Bryan McClendon on his staff because he's Clemons' main recruiter, an awesome coach, the players love him, and he's elite on the recruiting trail.
Jahlil Florence and Jalil Tucker
The former DB commit Florence was on an official visit at USC this weekend after backing off his pledge to the Ducks earlier this week.
I get the sense that he wants to be at Oregon, but wanted to check out another school to be absolutely sure of his decision. He did sound pretty excited about USC when I spoke with him earlier this week, but hiring Lanning should only help the Ducks get him back on board.
I also think it's a positive that his teammate Jalil Tucker is still committed to Oregon and looks like he could be solid with the Ducks after tweeting photos of himself on his Oregon visit on Sunday. However, he also tweeted earlier in the week that he won't be signing on Dec. 15.
Both of these guys really like Cornerbacks Coach Rod Chance, so it'll be important to see how Lanning fills out the rest of his coaching staff in the coming days. San Diego is a pipeline that has been very kind to the Ducks in recent years and the transfer of DJ James and uncertainty around Mykael Wright's NFL decision creates a pressing need at cornerback.
TJ Dudley
Dudley was one of the headliners in Oregon's 2022 class before de-committing last week and said he's still interested in the Ducks depending on who they hired and if they try to build a relationship with him. There's definitely a lot of ground to make up here, especially with Ken Wilson taking the head coaching job at Nevada.
Dudley is an SEC footprint guy from Montgomery and it's hard to think of a better way for Lanning to tap into those Southern routes. Getting a name like Dudley into the fold will only attract more talent as Lanning works on filling out this class.
Further supporting Oregon's case is that Dudley doesn't plan on signing early unless something drastically changes in his recruitment. Having some more time to work on his recruitment could bode well for the Ducks.
Emar'rion Winston
Like Clemmons, Winston is another in-state prospect, but he was a former commit that decided to slow things down and reopen his recruitment last week. He was the first player to commit to Oregon in the 2022 class and has Duck ties with his brother La'Mar Winston being a former Duck.
He also has another brother that's at USC, which could make it a tougher battle, but getting him back on board could help create some momentum on the trail for the Ducks.
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