Tag: Oregon recruiting

Report: Dan Lanning takes in-home visit to 5-star Nyckoles Harbor ahead of OV in Eugene

It looks like Dan Lanning is going to be seeing 5-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor on an in-home visit on Tuesday. Harbor will take his official visit to Eugene next weekend.

One of the biggest remaining targets on the Oregon Ducks’ horizon in the 2023 recruiting class is 5-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor. In fact, we can remove the “one of” classification in that previous sentence; Harbor is the biggest target remaining for Dan Lanning and the Ducks as national signing day draws closer.

While Harbor, the No. 16 player in the nation, will be taking an official visit to the University of Oregon at the end of the month, a report from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong on Tuesday showed that Lanning is planning to see the 5-star on an in-home visit in the Washington D.C. area. This will be a great opportunity for the two to further their connection while Lanning lays out a plan for how the Ducks would use Harbor in Eugene going forward.

Of course, the official visit at the end of the month will be the No. 1 selling point, though. That is when the Ducks can pull out all of the stops and truly sell Harbor on his potential future in Eugene. While the football facilities will be big, it could be the track facilities at the Historic Hayward Field that ultimately sway Harbor, who has dreams of running track in the Olympics.

We will try to find out how the in-home visit went with Lanning and Harbor on Tuesday, but all eyes are on the OV at the end of the month at this point.

Nyckoles Harbor Recruiting Profile

Most important players for Duck fans to watch at Polynesian Bowl on Saturday

A long list of the top prospects in the 2023 class are playing at the Polynesian Bowl on Friday, headlined by Oregon’s 5-star Matayo Uiagalelei.

As we continue to hurtle toward the end of the 2023 recruiting cycle, the last major high school showcase will be taking place this weekend in Hawaii.

The Polynesian Bowl will take place on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. PT and be broadcast on NFL Network. Some of the top athletes in the 2023 class will play in the game, including eight 5-star players and a total of six Oregon Ducks.

While it will be fun for Oregon fans to tune in and check out their next class of players coming to Eugene, there are also a ton of other guys that the Ducks should be interested in keeping an eye on, for numerous reasons. Maybe it’s a 5-star who strongly considered signing with Oregon and could be a player in the transfer portal down the road, should they reconsider their options. Maybe it’s a highly-touted player who signed with another Pac-12 school and could be going up against the Ducks a few times in the coming years.

No matter the reasoning, the Poly Bowl will be a fun spectacle with college football’s next-best players on display. Here are some guys to keep an eye on as an Oregon fan.

How to Watch Info

When: Friday, Jan. 20, 4 p.m. PT
Channel: NFL Network

Every 5-star recruit the Oregon Ducks have offered in the 2024 class

The Ducks signed a pair of 5-star recruits in 2023 and were close to landing several more. They’ve offered 18 5-stars in 2024. How many do they land?

As we continue to march toward the end of the 2023 recruiting cycle, which will come to a hopefully eventful conclusion for the Oregon Ducks on the February 1 signing day, high school prospects remain at the top of our minds.

While many of the current class’s top players are already off the board, we are aware of the remaining guys who could make a huge impact for Oregon, be it 5-star Nyckoles Harbor, 5-star Duce Robinson, or 4-star Rodrick Pleasant. Regardless of whether or not the Ducks are able to land another 5-star to the mix in 2023, it’s been impressive to see what Dan Lanning and his staff did this past year, getting a pair with WR Jurrion Dickey and EDGE Mattayo Uiagalelei.

It’s also clear that the Ducks are not afraid to go after some of the most high-profile players in the market. We learned that much this past year when Lanning initially pulled off the flip of 5-star S Peyton Bowen, was among the finalists to land 5-star DL David Hicks, and had a commitment from 5-star QB Dante Moore until the 11th hour. Of course, none of those three players ended up signing with the Ducks, but Oregon’s willingness to put in the effort and try to recruit the best of the best to Eugene is encouraging for a fanbase that is getting used to seeing some of the top players choose to be Ducks.

So who are the “best of the best” in the 2024 class that Oregon is after, and that Duck fans should start to familiarize themselves with? We made a list of all the 5-star prospects that the Ducks have offered in 2024.

Ducks land commitment from in-state QB Brock Thomas

The Ducks added hometown QB Brock Thomas to the roster, keeping the Sheldon Irish passer in town.

The Oregon Ducks have a good track record when it comes to quarterbacks taken from Sheldon High School, the predominant football school in the Eugene area. The last QB to start for both Sheldon and Oregon was Justin Herbert, who went on to win a Rose Bowl with the Ducks and get drafted early in the first round by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Why not take another dip in the pool, right?

That appears to be what Dan Lanning and the Ducks are thinking. On Sunday night, it was announced that 3-star QB Brock Thomas, a senior at Sheldon, was committing to Oregon. It’s unclear whether he is joining the Ducks as a preferred walk-on or not, but with Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Austin Novosad already on the scholarship count, it’s not crazy to presume that.

Thomas stands at 6-foot-0, 165 pounds and had an impressive senior season with the Irish, going 12-1 on the season and losing to West Linn in the 6A State Championship.

Brock Thomas’ Recruiting Profile

5-star DL Justin Scott announces commitment date; Oregon among finalists

5-star DL Justin Scott, the No. 18 player in the 2024 class, will announce his commitment later this month. The Ducks are in his group of final schools.

One of the top recruits in the 2024 class will be coming off the board in the coming weeks, and the Oregon Ducks are in contention to potentially land him.

5-star defensive lineman Justin Scott released his top 8 schools earlier in the week, and he announced on Friday that he would be making his commitment on January 31. Scott is ranked as the No. 4 DL and No. 18 overall player in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite.

Alongside the Ducks, Scott also has teams like Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, USC, and Notre Dame in his group of final schools. He has yet to take a visit to Eugene, but that could change before now and his commitment date.

Justin Scott’s Recruiting Profile

Another former UGA defender with close ties to Dan Lanning pops up in transfer portal

MJ Sherman struggled to find a role with Georgia, but he is a former top-50 recruit with close ties to Dan Lanning, looking for a new home.

On Thursday afternoon, an interesting name popped up in the transfer portal when it was reported that Georgia Bulldogs’ former 5-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary was looking to leave Athens and find a new school to play for.

Another intriguing name popped up in the portal on Friday morning, with Georgia edge defender MJ Sherman announcing that he would end the portal as well.

Both of these players are worth noting for Oregon Duck fans for a couple of reasons; the both fill positions of need for the Ducks, and they both have close ties to Oregon coach Dan Lanning.

Lanning was the primary recruiter for Sherman, who is a former 5-star prospect who was rated as the No. 33 overall player in the 2020 class, and No. 2 OLB per 247Sports. Sherman struggled to find a consistent role with the Bulldogs in his three years but is obviously a talented player with a high upside looking for an opportunity to make a difference.

Likewise, Singletary was not primarily recruited by Lanning,  but he committed to Georgia with Lanning as the defensive coordinator, so it’s safe to assume that there is a solid relationship between the two.

There is not yet any news out there that the Ducks are after either one or both former Georgia players, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on the two over the coming weeks. There is a chance that they could be heading out west, if only for a visit, at the very least.

MJ Sherman’s Transfer Portal Profile

Top 10 QB in 2024, Michael Van Buren, to visit Oregon this weekend

One of the top QBs from the 2024 class will be taking a visit to see Dan Lanning and the Ducks this weekend.

As the 2023 recruitng cycle starts to wind down, we’ve seen a lot of 2024 players start to announce visits and offers. For the Oregon Ducks, one of the most recent players to announce that he will be taking a visit to Eugene is 2024 4-star QB Michael Van Buren.

Van Buren recently announced his top 8 schools in December, with the Ducks listed among schools like Miami, Oklahoma, and Penn State. He also confirmed on social media that he would be in Eugene this coming weekend for an unofficial visit.

Van Buren is rated in the 247Sports Composite rankings as the No. 8 QB in the 2024 class, and the No. 103 overall player in the nation. Coming from Baltimore, Maryland, Van Buren stands at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.

Michael Van Buren’s Recruiting Profile

2024 4-star LB Brayden Platt to visit Ducks this weekend

The No. 1 and No. 2 players from the state of Washington will visit Oregon this weekend, with 4-star LB Brayden Platt joining RB Jason Brown.

A couple of the best players from the state of Washington are going to be down in Eugene for visits with the Oregon Ducks over the weekend.

4-star linebacker Brayden Platt, the No. 2 player from the state of Washington, confirmed that he would be in Eugene this weekend, where he will join 4-star RB Jason Brown, the No. 1 player in Washington for the 2024 class.

Platt stands at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, and is rated by 247Sports as the No. 9 LB in the 2024 class, and No. 78 overall player in the nation. He holds offers from mostly Pac-12 schools at this point, but we will see if the Ducks can make some early in-roads in his recruitment over the weekend.

Brayden Platt’s Recruiting Profile

Former 5-star Georgia CB Jaheim Singletary could be interesting transfer target for Ducks

Former 5-star Georgia CB Jaheim Singletary is headed to the transfer portal. He committed to the Bulldogs when Lanning was the DC. Might the Ducks reach out?

An interesting name popped up in the transfer portal on Thursday morning, and it could lead to Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning making a phone call or two before all is said and one.

Georgia Bulldogs true freshman cornerback Jaheim Singletary, a former 5-star commit from the 2022 class, announced that he would be entering the transfer portal and looking for a new school. Singletary committed to the Bulldogs as the No. 5 CB in the nation, and No. 27 overall player in the 2022 class.

This is interesting for Oregon fans for two reasons; the Ducks have a need to fill at the cornerback position, even after adding Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson earlier in the offseason, and Lanning has a relationship with Singletary already.

While Lanning is not listed as one of the primary recruiters for Singletary on 247Sports, it’s safe to assume that as the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs when the 5-star CB committed to Georgia, the two have a good relationship. Singletary also took a visit to Eugene back in December of 2019.

We will see if the Ducks end up reaching out and trying to make contact, but this could be another massive get in the transfer portal for Oregon at a position of need.

Jaheim Singletary’s Transfer Portal Profile

No. 2 RB in 2024 Jason Brown to visit Oregon Ducks this weekend

Jason Brown, the No. 1 player in WA and No. 2 RB in the 2024 class, will be taking a visit to Eugene over the weekend.

The Oregon Ducks are making some waves on the recruiting trail as the 2023 cycle starts to come to a close, and while there are a number of prospects that we are keeping an eye on in the current class, one of the top players in the 2024 class has plans to head south to Eugene this coming weekend.

4-star RB Jason Brown, the No. 2 RB in the 2024 class, has confirmed to me that he will be taking an unofficial visit to Oregon over the weekend to check out the Ducks.

Brown stands at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, and is rated as the No. 1 overall player from the state of Washington, and No. 30 overall player in the nation.

At the moment, there are a pair of Crystal Ball Predictions for Brown to stay home and commit to the Washington Huskies. However, both of those predictions were logged back in April of 2021. It’s safe to say that a lot has changed in his recruitment since then, and the Ducks have a chance to get an early foot in the door for one of the best rushers in the nation.

Jason Brown’s Recruiting Profile