Could Oregon Ducks land both 5-star quarterbacks Jared Curtis, Ryder Lyons? There's a real chance

Andrew Nemec | Apr 4, 2025

Folsom junior quarterback Ryder Lyons passes during Friday's season-opening victory over visiting Long Beach Poly. / Photo: Todd Shurtleff

The Oregon Ducks have had three consecutive top-five recruiting classes and major several major splashes in the the transfer portal.

But perhaps Dan Lanning's biggest flex came last year - not from a cigar smoking meme - but when his program signed both two coveted quarterback transfers, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore, in the same offseason.

In an era of college football defined by, "Where's my quickest route to playing time?" Oregon was able to thread the needle and pitch both the then-Oklahoma starter and the then-UCLA starter on a future together in Eugene.

In truth, it worked out seamlessly (so far).

Gabriel was a one-year star at Oregon, who led the Ducks to a No. 1 ranking and an undefeated regular season.

Moore, meanwhile, redshirted last year and appears poised to take over the reigns on the offense with a little more seasoning under his belt.

With evidence of success in their favor, could the Ducks do it again - this time at the high school level?

On this week's "Recruiting with Andrew Nemec" on ESPN-affiliate 1080 The FAN, 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman discussed Oregon's quarterback situation in the 2026 class.

The Ducks are in the final two for Nashville Christian School (Tennessee) five-star quarterback Jared Curtis and are almong the favorites for Folsom (California) five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, who intends to take an LDS mission and become part of the 2027 recruiting cycle.

Huffman put the odds of Oregon getting - not one, but both players at around 33 percent.

"Well, it's not even unrealistic -and I'm not saying this is going to happen - but it's not unrealistic to say it could be Curtis and Lyons," Huffman said..

Asked if that meant in the ballpark of 5 percent or 33 percent, Huffman provided more detail.

"I would say 33 percent. I would say it's better than 5 percent. I think that BYU will have something to say about Ryder Lyons... USC is not going away, Michigan is making a push. It's 50-50 if they get Jared Curtis, and perhaps it's even trending a little bit more towards Oregon in that respect."

"It's not unrealistic at all to think there is a one-in-three chance that they could end up with both."

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Curtis, who is set to announce his commitment May 5, is rated the nation's No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2026.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about him as a prospect:

"A big-armed quarterback prospect with some moxie. Owns a favorable build having measured roughly 6-foot-3, 215 pounds as a 9th grader. Started football career off playing running back before getting a look under center. Instantly found success at his new position, earning Mr. Football runner-up honors in Tennessee after a freshman campaign in which he won 10 games and totaled just over 2,750 yards of offense. Not afraid to dial up the deep ball and tends to connect on plenty of vertical shots. Also excels at hitting timing-based breaking routes over the middle. Shouldn’t be classified as a true dual-treat talent, but can move the chains with his legs and work off-script when the pocket collapses. Camp footage shows both pace and touch. Must keep developing and learn how to read the complex defenses he will face at the next level, but looks like one of the top signal callers early on in the 2026 cycle. Likely to find success in a variety of different offensive systems given his well-rounded skill set."

Lyons is rated the nation's No. 6 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in the class of 2026, but he's been open about the fact that he's truly a 2027 recruit because he intends to take an LDS mission after high school.

That move will mean he is compared to younger prospects, and so he could climb to No. 1 overall in the 2027 class.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about the California passer:

"Lyons is on the short list when talking about the top overall signal caller in the ’26 class. He's coming off a huge sophomore season where he showed off his rare ability as a thrower and runner and accounted for 61 all-purpose touchdowns. At the SoCal Elite 11 Camp (3/17/24), he showed off one of the quickest releases in the camp, the ability to make throws from in and out of the pocket and was accurate to all three levels of the field. His 36" vertical jump was 2nd highest in the camp and he combines rare physical tools with an advanced feel for the position as well."

Oregon is in great shape to land a potential program-altering quarterback in the next few months.

But there's also a chance they land two.

As Oregon likes to say, "The grass is damn green in Eugene."

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