After spending a little more than a year on the job in Eugene, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning now officially has put a stamp on his first full recruiting cycle as a head coach. Of course, he was around for the latter half of the Ducks’ 2022 cycle, turning a fledgling class around after Mario Cristobal’s departure and securing an impressive top-15 finish, but 2023 marked a recruiting cycle where Lanning had complete control from beginning to end.
So it should be encouraging to Oregon fans that their guy was named by ESPN among the biggest winners of the cycle when it comes to first-year head coaches having an impact early on.
With the commitment of 5-star Jurrion Dickey, the No. 2 WR in the nation, and a handful of other top-100 players in the nation, it’s clear that Lanning increased the talent level on the Duck’s roster by a large margin. On top of the recruiting haul that ranked No. 8 in the nation, per 247Sports, Lanning also brought in a group of transfers that will have an instant impact on the team.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about Lanning’s first year recruiting in Eugene:
Even after losing five-star QB Dante Moore before the early signing period, Lanning did an excellent job. The Ducks snagged ESPN 300 QB Austin Novosad, landed ESPN 300 defender Matayo Uiagalelei from California (a key recruiting footprint) and kept active nationally with signings out of Florida, D.C. and Mississippi. On signing day, Lanning brought in top-100 cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, whose blazing 10.14 100-meter speed will help in the secondary and possibly the return game. After a three-year run of signing the Pac-12’s top class, the Ducks fell to fourth in the 2022 cycle, but with a full year on the trail, Lanning returned Oregon to the top of the conference’s recruiting rankings.
Of course, depending on which recruiting service you are loyal to, you will see different rankings. While ESPN may not have had the Ducks atop the Pac-12 recruiting rankings in 2022, Lanning’s impressive close a year ago made it so Oregon’s No. 1 ranking out west this season locked up a five-year run as the top team in the conference when it comes to recruiting.
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