On Monday night, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning was asked how he tries to balance the necessity of securing his 2023 recruiting class while also trying to get a jump-start on the 2024 class. It’s a line that many college coaches have to try and walk.
“That’s just got to be part of your everyday process,” Lanning said. “Again, there’s recruiting and there’s relationships. And that’s kind of the key. I think our staff does a great job building relationships.”
One of the relationships that Oregon has been able to build recently is with 2024 4-star linebacker Justin Williams, a blue-chip prospect from Oak Ridge Texas who is now being projected to commit to the Ducks. Williams is rated by 247Sports as the No. 8 LB in the 2024 class, and the No. 92 overall player in the nation.
After the massive weekend and big win over UCLA, the Ducks picked up not one, but two predictions to land the blue-chip linebacker, the first coming from 247Sports’ Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong:
The second prediction came from Rivals’ National Recruiting Director Nick Harris:
🔮: Oregon is red-hot following its big home win over UCLA, as the Ducks have secured two commitments today and could be trending towards a third this week.
I’ve entered a new @Rivals #FutureCast for Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge 4 ⭐️ LB Justin Williams.
🔗: https://t.co/kx7w7Tv5Zb pic.twitter.com/EIEonHeToQ
— Nick Harris (@RivalsNick) October 24, 2022
Things are looking good for the Ducks, especially after a big Monday where they not only added 4-star IOL Iapani Laloulu to the 2023 recruiting class, but added their first 2024 commitment — 4-star TE A.J. Pugliano, the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Oregon, and the No. 5 TE in the nation.