Oregon has recruiting at a good pace in the last few years, starting with Mario Cristobal. But when Dan Lanning was hired, the recruiting has gone to another level.
The second-year coach doesn’t just recruit these kids to sit on the sideline and watch. Sure, some will definitely do that and redshirt and some will play just on the special teams to start out with.
But there are a handful of freshmen who could, and probably should, make an immediate impact on the 2023 season. According to On3.com writer Matt Zenitz, the Ducks have three such players.
The first player is wide receiver Jurrion Dickey, a five-star recruit and the No. 2 receiver in the Class of 2023. Although he is with a group that includes Troy Franklin, part of what is considered one of the top receiver rooms in the country, Dickey’s talent is too much to ignore and he could see the field early and often.
Part of a conference-by-conference look at true freshmen expected to make immediate contributions.
Based on intel from team sources, here are 11 Pac-12 true freshmen in position to be factors this season: https://t.co/Yq8pwHZMli pic.twitter.com/EZICyKoDuN
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) July 13, 2023
Freshman No. 2 on the list is the No. 1 player out of the state of Oregon in linebacker Teitum Tuioti out of Hawai’i and finally Sheldon High School in Eugene. He had a solid Spring Game as an early enrollee and turned some heads.
Finally is defensive end and edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, who also had a good first outing on the Autzen Stadium turf. He’ll most likely start from Day 1 and his career will be off and running.
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