Tag: Oregon recruiting

Oregon PG signee Jackson Shelstad earns 5-star status

All three members of Oregon’s 2023 signing class are now rated as 5-star players thanks to the bump for Jackson Shelstad.

It’s been a long time coming, but Oregon Ducks point guard signee Jackson Shelstad can finally say that he is recognized — properly, I might add — as a five-star player in the class of 2023.

Shelstad picked up his fifth star in the 247Sports Composite ratings after their latest update, ranking him as the No. 23 player in the 2023 class, and No. 5 PG in the nation. Shelstad has long been rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Oregon.

247Sports still rates Shelstad as a 4-star player, as does On3 and ESPN, while Rivals has him as a 5-star as well.

All three members of Oregon’s 2023 prep signing class are now listed as 5-star players, according to the 247Sports Composite. Kwame Evans is rated as the No. 14 overall player in the class, while Mookie Cook is rated as the No. 26 player in the class. The latest update from 247Sports actually saw Shelstad jump Cook in the ratings.

At the moment, the Ducks have the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2023.

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Ducks extend offer to 2027 DB, son of Oregon defensive legend

The Ducks extended an offer to a C/O 2027 DB from West Linn. His last name is well known in Oregon history.

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are trying to keep it all in the family, so to speak.

On Wednesday, the Ducks extended a scholarship offer to 2027 cornerback Josiah Molden, an incoming freshman at West Linn High School and the son of Oregon legend Alex Molden.

This is the first D1 scholarship offer for Molden, who will be joining the reigning 6A State Champions this fall.

Molden, who stands at 6-foot-0, 175 pounds, does not yet have any recruiting rankings this early in his career but has been generating some buzz throughout the high school football circles in Oregon over the past couple of seasons.

His father, Alex, had 11 interceptions for the Ducks in four seasons from 1992-1995 and was eventually drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round in 1996. Josiah’s older brother, Elijah, is a current member of the Tennessee Titans after playing his college ball at the University of Washington.

Josiah Molden’s Recruiting Profile

UTSA star WR Zakhari Franklin is available; Can Will Stein and the Ducks land him?

UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin is now one of the top players in the portal. Oregon OC Will Stein has a close relationship. Might the Ducks reach out?

There are a lot of very talented wide receivers currently on the Oregon Ducks roster, from Troy Franklin to Tez Jonson; from Kris Hutson to Traeshon Holden.

That doesn’t mean that head coach Dan Lanning, and particularly offensive coordinator Will Stein don’t want to add more if they have the ability, though. Lanning has consistently said this spring that they will always look to add more talent if it becomes available.

It just so happens that one of the most talented players in the nation just became available via the transfer portal, and the Ducks’ offensive coordinator might have as good of a relationship as anyone in the nation.

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Former UTSA Roadrunner’s wide receiver Zakhari Franklin entered the transfer portal over the weekend, becoming one of the hottest names on the open market. Franklin leaves UTSA as the school’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Will Stein spent three seasons with Franklin at UTSA, where the WR saw a massive breakout, scoring 37 touchdowns over those three years.

The Ducks are clearly in the market for a transfer portal WR, which has been highlighted by their recruitment of former USC WR Gary Bryant Jr., who is projected to commit to the Ducks in the coming weeks.

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Might they also try and add Franklin as well?

It may make the room a bit crowded, but it’s hard to argue against the notion that the former UTSA star’s presence would up the level of talent in that room significantly and give QB Bo Nix yet another elite WR to target in the offense.

Keep your ears to the ground for an Oregon offer on this one, it seems more than likely that they reach out in the coming days, if they haven’t already.

Zakhari Franklin’s Transfer Portal Profile

Top-ranked recruits react to Oregon Ducks spring game visit

Dan Lanning and the Ducks knocked it out of the park this weekend for recruits at the spring game.

While the fans in the stands were soaking in a beautiful sunny day in Eugene and enjoying the chance to get back inside Autzen Stadium to watch the Oregon Ducks’ annual spring game, a large group of top-rated recruits was on the sidelines, enjoying the raucous atmosphere for a scrimmage in April.

While it’s always important to make sure fans are happy, one of the biggest objectives of the weekend for Dan Lanning and his staff was making sure the recruits in attendance enjoyed their visits. Be it meetings with coaches, tours of the facility, photo shoots in the uniforms or the game itself, this was a big weekend for the Ducks to make an impression on some of the most talented players in the 2024 class and beyond.

To nobody’s surprise, a vast majority of the recruits left with great reviews. Here are some of the top reactions on Twitter after Saturday’s game.

Breaking down QB Luke Moga’s commitment, and what it means for QB Michael Van Buren

QB Luke Moga committed to Oregon on Friday. Does that change anything for QB Michael Van Buren? Let’s talk it out.

Earlier this week, a bit of a twist was thrown into the Oregon Ducks quarterback recruiting world when four-star Michael Van Buren announced he would return to Eugene for the annual spring game on Saturday.

That announcement set a series of actions into motion, including a number of predictions for the Ducks to land Van Buren’s commitment, as well as a delayed commitment announcement from three-star Luke Moga, a player who was favored to choose Oregon.

Another surprise came for Duck fans on Friday morning when Moga went back to his original plan and committed to the Ducks.

With Moga committed to Oregon in the 2024 class, what does that mean for Van Buren? Is he still interested? Is he still visiting this weekend? There are questions to answer.

Ducks land transfer from Ole Miss tight end Casey Kelly

TE help incoming for the Ducks. Oregon lands a commitment from Ole Miss TE Casey Kelly.

The Oregon Ducks got a major helping hand at the tight end position on Friday afternoon, landing a commitment from Ole Miss transfer Casey Kelly.

Kelly announced on Twitter that he would be committing to the Ducks after taking a visit to Eugene.

At Ole Miss, Kelly played in 19 games and had 28 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns. He immediately adds some much-needed depth to the TE room in Eugene after the team lost Terrance Ferguson for the remainder of spring ball. At the moment, only Patrick Herbert and Kenyon Sadiq are the only two scholarship players at the position on the roster.

While Ferguson is expected to return for the fall season and be healthy, the addition of Casey alleviates some depth pressure in the TE room.

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‘We’re not trying to trick guys;’ Dan Lanning focused on relationships over commitments this weekend

“We’re not used car salesmen. It’s not a sales pitch for us,” Lanning said. “Guys are going to jump on board when they’re ready to jump on board.”

By all intents and purposes, the long list of high school recruits who will be in Eugene over the next few days to check out the Oregon Ducks’ annual spring game is the most talented and star-studded group of players that have ever been on campus at one time.

With a list of 5-star athletes that pushes double-digits, and a group of 4-star players that’s in the dozens, all eyes in the recruiting world will be on head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, seeing what they can do with such a robust group of blue-chippers on campus. While the recruits will be taking in the spring game, checking out the facilities, and getting a feel for what it’s like to be a Duck for the weekend, many fans and media members are going to wait and see what the potential ramifications are.

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Will Oregon land some commitments over the weekend or in the early days of May? It’s possible. According to Lanning, though, that’s not a prerequisite for this weekend to be deemed a success.

“We’re not used car salesmen. It’s not a sales pitch for us,” Lanning said on Tuesday. “Guys are going to jump on board when they’re ready to jump on board. This impact, everything matters, right? So this weekend could certainly impact that. But we’re not trying to trick guys to come to our campus.”

We’re relatively early in the 2024 recruiting cycle, and there are still seven months until the first signing day in college football. That means that regardless of the decisions that are made this weekend, Oregon still has time to recruit these kids and show them what their future would look like as a Duck.

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“When they’re ready to be Ducks, we’re excited about it,” Lanning said. “Does it mean we get a commitment? It very well could. Does it mean we might not? That’s okay. It’s a long, steady race and it’s a long way away from Signing Day. It’s about the overall experience for our guys. The overall relationships and connections that are built and then them seeing a product that they can be proud of and want to be a part of.”

Showing recruits something that they want to be a part of is arguably the main focus this weekend. The spring game has become an annual showcase over the years since Chip Kelly took over at Oregon. Tyson Alger with the I-5 Corridor put it perfectly earlier this week when writing about the spectacle that it’s grown into:

It just feels a little different the last few years. Maybe it’s the shifting priorities. Yes, everyone in the athletic department will be thrilled if all the fans in attendance Saturday have a good time. But making sure the bevy of 5-star recruits on the sidelines are having a blast has become more important.

In a marriage of those two ideas, it’s become increasingly apparent that the fans in attendance having a good time often leads to the recruits on the sideline leaving Eugene impressed with the overall environment.

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Autzen Stadium can be a raucous place when it’s packed with fanatics. When 40,000-plus show up for an inter-squad scrimmage in April, it’s not hard to show high school prospects the type of atmosphere you’re getting if you come to Eugene.

“I think this is a great example of how everybody here at Oregon needs to realize that they have an impact,” Lanning said. “We’re gonna have great players here on campus, but (fans) have an impact from what that experience looks like, right? They can help create that experience. From a fan standpoint, from an administrative standpoint, from our staff standpoint, we want to make that experience really unique and special for the guys that we have here on campus.”

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Former Oregon linebacker Keith Brown transfers to Louisville

Former Oregon LB Keith Brown announced that he will be transferring to the Louisville Cardinals.

Oregon Ducks linebacker Keith Brown sent a bit of a shock to the fanbase by announcing that he was entering the transfer portal on the afternoon that it opened earlier in April.

After spending two seasons in Eugene, and growing up as an Oregon boy, there was a thought that Brown was on the precipice of breaking out for the Ducks and playing a bigger role for the 2023 season.

Instead, Brown opted to look for a new school. On Tuesday night, Brown announced that he would be transferring to the Louisville Cardinals.

At Oregon, Brown played in 19 games, wracking up 36 tackles and one sack. He had a strong finish to the 2022 season, notching a career-high 7 tackles in the Holiday Bowl against North Carolina. Brown also addressed the potential that he could transfer just days before his ultimate decision, saying that he had no intention of leaving Oregon and that he wanted to be a Duck.

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Recruiting Party: Most star-studded visitor list in UO history comes together for spring game

Nine confirmed 5-star players on the visitor list, and a long list of 4-stars expected as well. An all-time recruiting weekend coming for the Ducks.

Since Dan Lanning came to Eugene and took over as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks less than two years ago, we’ve started to see an upward trend when it comes to high-profile recruiting visits.

There have been certain weekends over the past year, be it for a regular season game, the annual spring game, or a big-time recruiting weekend in the offseason, where we’ve seen a loaded group of players flock to Eugene, with a handful of 5-stars and numerous high-end 4-stars coming to check out the Ducks.

It’s looking like the visitor list for this weekend’s spring game is going to trump all previous visitor lists.

Over the past several months, high-profile prospects have been declaring that they’re coming to Oregon to check out the campus and facilities at the end of April, resulting in a group of 7 5-stars, and numerou 4-stars expected to be in attendance.

While it may not immediately result in commitments from some of the top guys, there is no arguing the fact that Lanning’s ability to get these marquee players on campus means nothing but good things for the program.

Here’s a list of who is expected over the next several days.

Twitter Reactions: Another successful weekend of recruiting visits takes place at Oregon

Another busy weekend of visits for the Ducks, and another long list of impressed recruits leaving Eugene.

We are in the thick of the 2024 recruiting cycle, and the Oregon Ducks are getting busier every weekend.

While the biggest weekend of recruiting visits will take place next week at the annual spring game, Dan Lanning and his staff were certainly occupied over this past week with highly-rated recruits coming into Eugene to check out what the Ducks have to offer.

While some recruits were in town earlier in the week to watch practices, others came on the weekend to take in the Ducks’ second spring scrimmage of the year inside Autzen Stadium.

As is usually the case, most of the recruits who were in town took to social media to post visit photos and their reactions on Twitter. Here are some of the most notable that we found.