The early signing period is just a day away, and top-rated players across the nation are going to put pen to paper and bring their recruitment to an end. For the Oregon Ducks, it should be a banner day, with one of the best recruiting classes in school history coming together.
As we wait for the signing period to open up, though, a recent exercise conducted by The Athletic (subscription required) caught my eye. What if recruiting were dictated via a draft similar to the NFL, and players didn’t have the opportunity to play where they wanted to? This would allow teams to fill their biggest needs on the roster while promoting a bigger sense of parity, with the worst teams in the sport getting a crack at the best players, which is far contrary to what we have now where the rich seem to get richer year after year.
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The Athletic took this idea and ran with it, breaking down the 70 Power 5 schools and conducting a draft of the top recruits in the nation. Whether it is to fill a roster need or simply the best player on the board, it gave a good sense of who would go where, and why.
The Ducks, who had the No. 63 pick in this draft, landed EDGE Jamonta Waller, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 73 player in the 2024 class, and the No. 6 edge rusher. Waller is currently committed to the Auburn Tigers.
The Ducks did offer a scholarship to Waller back in 2022, but the recruitment never got too extensive, from what I can remember. Here’s what The Athletic’s Antonio Morales had to say about the pick:
A team can never have too many defensive linemen. That’s especially true for a West Coast program that’s headed to the Big Ten. Dan Lanning has clearly emphasized building a deep and talented defensive front during his two years at Oregon. So with a lot of the more high-profile defensive line prospects off the board, it makes sense to go to Mississippi, which has a knack for producing elite defensive linemen, and nab Waller.
What is also interesting to see in this exercise is where players who are currently committed to Oregon would land in the draft. At the top, 5-star EDGE Elijah Rushing — the No. 17 player in 2024 — was selected by Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils with the No. 12 overall pick. Later, 5-star DL Aydin Breland — the No. 16 player in 2024 — was drafted by the UCLA Bruins with the No. 42 pick. Uncommitted Oregon target WR Gatlin Bair was also taken by Notre Dame with the No. 55 pick.
It’s an idea that will literally never happen, but it is something that is fun to think about and see contextualized. In the end, I think recruiting powers like Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, and several others are happy that they don’t have to wait their turn.
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