When it comes to recruiting, you never know the minor details that are going to help lead to a commitment.
For 5-star CB Na’eem Offord, it was a handful of games of Connect Four — which Dan Lanning admits that he lost — that ended up contributing to the blue-chip defender’s flip to the Ducks.
For 5-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson, it was a dream that he had early in his recruitment.
“Our longest commit to this class, he had a dream about getting an opportunity to play at Oregon,” Lanning said of Wilson on Wednesday night.
Wilson, one of the top players in the nation, obviously had multiple offers throughout his recruitment, and until the pen hit the paper on Wednesday, schools were in his ear about flipping to their school.
But when push came to shove, Oregon was the place he wanted to be.
“I’m just really proud of Dallas for knowing what he wanted,” Lanning said. “And you know, when you’re a talented player, there’s going to be a lot of people that want you, and Dallas is an extremely talented player, but you know, the relationship mattered. I think his dream mattered to him, what he wanted to be able to accomplish at a place he’s dreamed about for a long time, and to see his journey to get here through some of the adversity he’s faced is really, really impressive.”
According to 247Sports, Wilson is the No. 3 wideout in this 2025 class, but Oregon was lucky enough to lock down the No. 1 receiver as well in Dakorian Moore. It’s a duo that could be one of the best in Oregon history if everything goes according to plan. With the transfer portal and NIL situations, players rarely stay put for an entire four years, but as with the initial recruitment, relationships can go a long way. It led Wilson to stick with the Ducks instead of flipping elsewhere.
“There were strong relationships there,” Lanning said. “I think, you know, it’s a matter of him being able to sit down and think through, you know, all the details, but this guy’s held true and for a long time, really proud of him for being able to do that.”
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