Oregon Ducks Primed for Recruiting Explosion as Dead Period Begins
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The month of June is coming to a close, and if you follow recruiting you know that July is a dead period on the calendar. That means no visits, official or unofficial for just about an entire month. But that's not a bad thing if you're the Oregon Ducks.
As it stands, the Ducks have a good, but not great 2023 recruiting class. They have the No. 29 overall class on 247Sports, the No. 35 class on Rivals, and the No. 13 class according to On3. Depending on which recruiting service you prefer (I prefer 247), you'll find Oregon's class ranges anywhere from second to fifth in the Pac-12 rankings behind the likes of the USC Trojans (No. 1) or the Washington Huskies (new No.2) , who landed six commitments over the weekend.
Keep in mind though, Dan Lanning and his staff only hold eight verbal commitments and that number is poised to grow in July.
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Here's why.
Oregon spent most of June bringing in many, if not all of their top prospects to campus for a visit. Those visits were of both the official and unofficial capacity, with this past weekend being the strongest collection of talent the Ducks have ever hosted.
Names like EDGE Matayo Uiagelelei, defensive lineman David Hicks, running back Richard Young, cornerback Caleb Presley and quarterback Dante Moore all made their way to Eugene over the past two weeks. This staff also made sure to push for top players to visit unofficially in the spring, with the hope of sealing the deal by bringing them back for an official visit in the summer.
While we've yet to see any commitments come from this past weekend, July will be anything but a dead or even quiet period for recruiting news. Because after all of those visits, commitments are more than likely on the way.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Ducks landed a commitment or two of the silent variety over the weekend, but they're having the recruit hold off on announcing to create a perfect storm on the recruiting trial.
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Dan Lanning is no newbie to recruiting. He's done a ton of heavy lifting with the '23s in the spring and summer, and he even managed to get the final official visit for some of the team's top recruits.
Just like the aforementioned recruiting run that Washington has seen, Texas has also surged in a big way over the last week after landing heralded quarterback Arch Manning, who some view as the premier quarterback in the 2023 class.
I'm not trying to pump up Washington in the least, I just believe in giving credit where it's due, and new head coach Kalen DeBoer has created significant momentum on the trial. However, the Ducks have and will continue to recruit at a different level from their Pac-12 rival, so I'd imagine a streak of commitments would look quite different.
Not only do the two schools recruit and land a different caliber of player, but the Ducks have pushed into the Southeast more than any other Pac-12 school in recent years. Oregon can recruit nationally alongside the sport's premier schools and brands, and it's time for all the hard work this staff has put in to pay off.
Add in the domino affect we'd see if the Ducks land Dante Moore and it could get real scary for the rest of the conference, especially Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans, who hold the Pac-12's top class.
Dan Lanning and the Ducks are lurking. Expect a big month of July on the recruiting trail.
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