Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are not unfamiliar with this feeling, unfortunately.
Over the past 8-12 months, there have been a number of times where a highly-rated 5-star prospect flirted with the idea of committing to Oregon, and ended up choosing to go elsewhere.
David Hicks, Kadyn Proctor, Nyckoles Harbor, Johntay Cook, Richard Young. Those names all ring bells for certain reasons in Oregon football fan circles.
There have even been a couple of times where the player ultimately did verbally commit to the Ducks — Dante Moore, Peyton Bowen — but for one reason or another, something happened before they signed their letter of intent, and they landed at another school.
That’s what happened on Thursday afternoon when 5-star EDGE Elijah Rushing — the No. 8 player in the 2024 class — announced that he would commit to the hometown Arizona Wildcats, rather than the Oregon Ducks. For months, Rushing was thought to be a virtual lock to join Lanning and come to Eugene, but over the past 48 hours, something flipped, and he ended up staying close to home.
What happened? Who knows, ultimately? Does it matter? Not really.
The end result is the same: Oregon is left sitting as a silver medalist, rather than a gold medalist.
In the era of the transfer portal, however, that’s not exactly the worst thing in the world. Of course, I am not arguing in any way, shape, or form that the Ducks are better off by coming in second for some of the top recruits in the nation. 100 times out of 100, I would rather get the commitment from a player and roll the dice going into the future. However, in today’s era of college football, just because you missed out on a player once doesn’t mean that an opportunity to recruit him and sign him won’t present itself again.
Dan Lanning recruited 5-star Jordan Burch to UGA, but Burch chose South Carolina. 2 years later, Burch entered the portal and followed Lanning to UO.
A perfect example of how UO finishing 2nd for some 5-star players could eventually turn into a positive.pic.twitter.com/xZ6jXQ7p5b
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) February 2, 2023
We saw things play out this way recently with former 5-star defensive end Jordan Burch. While Lanning was the defensive coordinator at Georgia, he recruited Burch heavily and developed a great relationship with the No. 8 player in the 2020 class. Burch ended up choosing the South Carolina Gamecocks instead of the Bulldogs, but after a couple of seasons that didn’t meet his expectations, he began to look around.
That relationship was still strong, so he decided to come across the country and join up with Lanning in Eugene.
“I think it just shows that you never know when a relationship might go full circle,” Lanning said of Burch when talking to media members on Signing Day. “I know his work ethic, I know his demeanor and his approach and having a strong relationship. You know, four years ago, you never realize it’s gonna pay off down the road and come full circle like I said, but then it gives us a chance to be better. I’m really excited about him being here.”
Who is to say that type of scenario can’t happen again? We see hundreds of players choose to enter the transfer portal every offseason, looking for a better situation to continue their careers. A situation where they feel comfortable with the coaching staff, and know that they are wanted.
The Ducks lost out on Rushing this week, but they are in on several other 5-star players in the class of 2024. Guys like Brandon Baker, or Aydin Breland; Justin Williams, Williams Nwaneri, Colin Simmons, Koble Black, KJ Bolden. The list of 5-star players that Dan Lanning is recruiting and developing great relationships with is endless.
Will all of those players end up in Eugene? Absolutely not. Will a couple? Hopefully.
But for the guys who end up choosing to commit elsewhere and start their career in a place where they feel more comfortable, be it close to home or with a coaching staff that they admire, don’t admonish them. These kids are making a difficult decision based on the information that they have, and trying to do what they feel is best for them.
If it doesn’t work out in a year or two, they have the opportunity to enter the transfer portal and again do what they feel is best for them. Should that happen, Lanning and the Ducks have the relationship already established, and a place for them to land.
It’s certainly not better than getting the commitment from a 5-star player the first time around, but if you’re looking for a silver lining in a frustrating situation, it’s there.
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