Tag: Oregon recruiting

5-star Matayo Uiagalelei, No. 1 DE in 2023 class, to make return trip to Eugene this weekend

Oregon’s recruiting weekend just got bigger. According to @DUiagalelei No. 1 DE Matayo Uiagalelei will join numerous 5-star recruits on campus.

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The Oregon Ducks’ recruiting weekend just got bigger than it already was, with the father of 5-star edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei announcing on social media that his son would once again be in Eugene to see Dan Lanning and Co. this coming weekend.

Uiagalelei, who is the No. 1 rated DE in the 2023 class, made a visit to Oregon near the end of January right before national signing day. He obviously has a lot of interest in the Ducks, which is supported by his decision to return again so quickly.

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Uiagalelei is the younger brother of DJ Uiagalelei, the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers. He has offers from the USC Trojans, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Clemson Tigers, and Ohio State Buckeyes, among numerous other top programs.

This coming weekend was already going to see a lot of top players come to Eugene, with 5-star OT Josh Conerly and 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton also coming to town. On top of that, All-Pac-12 DE Mitchell Agude, a transfer from UCLA, will also be on campus to see the facilities ahead of making his decision.

The Ducks start spring practice on Thursday and will take the field again on Saturday, giving the recruits a chance to see what Lanning and his staff are about in action. Here’s to hoping they see everything they need to see.

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5-star OT Josh Conerly, 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton set for official visits to Oregon this week

Josh Conerly and Lebbeus Overton, the top unsigned OL and DL in the 2022 class, will be taking official visits to Eugene this weekend.

The Oregon Ducks have an important recruiting weekend ahead of them, with some of the top available prospects in the nation coming to Eugene to check out the facilities.

According to 247Sports, both 5-star OT Josh Conerly and 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton will be in Eugene this coming weekend for official visits, getting a chance to see new head coach Dan Lanning and check out the Oregon facilities.

Conerly is listed as the No. 2 OT in the 2022 recruiting class, and the No. 15 player overall. He is a highly coveted prospect, and among the best players left unsigned after delaying his recruiting process until after national signing day. He recently listed Oregon in his top-6 ahead of his commitment.

One of the other top unsigned players in the 2022 class is Overton, who was originally part of the 2023 recruiting class, but reclassified after NSD and will look to start his college career this fall. Overton, who is the No. 5 DL in the nation, and No. 18 player overall, will be accompanied by his brother, Micaiah, who is a defensive lineman at Liberty who recently entered the transfer portal and announced he plans to transfer to whichever team signs his younger brother. The Ducks offered a scholarship to both Overton brothers earlier this month.

On top of those two visits, Oregon will also be hosting Mitchell Agude, an all-Pac-12 edge rusher who is transferring from UCLA this offseason.

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5-star PG and Oregon target de-commits from Kentucky, opens up recruitment

5-star PG Skyy Clark listed Oregon in his top-8 before signing with the Kentucky Wildcats. He’s now back on the market after de-committing Sunday.

 

One of the top prospects in the 2022 recruiting class made a big announcement on Sunday.

Montverde Academy’s Skyy Clark, a 5-star PG who ranks as the No. 27 player in the 2022 class said on social media that he is de-committing from the Kentucky Wildcats and opening up his recruitment going forward. Clark, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 5 PG in the class, signed his letter of intent with UK back in November but asked to be released from that LOI on Sunday.

This is an interesting development since the Oregon Ducks have offered Clark and could potentially pursue him now that he is available once again. When he was in the midst of his recruitment, Clark named the Ducks in his top-8 and obviously liked that Dana Altman has going in Eugene.

Now, of course, there is the question of whether or not Clark would be a good fit with the 2022 Oregon Ducks. You are never going to turn down a 5-star player who wants to join your team, but it would be easy to understand Clark looking at the incoming 2022 class at Oregon and seeing too many cooks in the kitchen alongside 5-star Dior Johnson, the No. 4 PG in the class.

It’s a fair concern and we will see if it deters Clark in the end, but for now, we will wait and see if the Ducks show any more interest in the young 5-star now that he is once again on the market.

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Oregon target Nico Iamaleava Jr. draws comparisons to Ducks’ legend Justin Herbert

Nico Iamaleava Jr., a big-time Ducks’ target, is drawing comparisons to Justin Herbert. That’s not something that should be said lightly.

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The recruiting momentum for 2023 5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava Jr. to come to the University of Oregon has certainly been picking up steam, and in the past week, On3 Recruiting projected that the Oregon Ducks are currently in the lead to land him this spring.

On3 recently added more fuel to that fire as well, making a comparison with Iamaleava — the No. 4 QB in the 2023 class, and the No. 7 player overall — and saying that he has shades of Justin Herbert.

“Iamaleava has some of the more impressive raw physical tools we’ve seen,” On3’s Charles Power said. “Has a huge arm with the ability to drive the ball to multiple levels with ease.”

Obviously saying that Nico is comparable to Herbert should not be done lightly. After a thrilling college career that saw the Ducks win a Rose Bowl, Herbert has gone on to become one of the best and most promising young QBs in the NFL. Should he keep up on his current trajectory, it is not hard to see him being named a future MVP and potentially being gifted a golden jacket down the road.

It’s way too early to say any of that is in the cards for Iamaleava, but the fact that he’s drawing comparisons to an Oregon legend this early on is never a bad sign.

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Oregon battling Miami Hurricanes for 5-star DL Jayden Wayne in latest projections

A recruiting rivalry is bubbling up between Dan Lanning and Mario Cristobal. The eventual commitment from 5-star DL Jayden Wayne will further add to that.

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In the sense of rivalries, the Oregon Ducks don’t have many outside of the Pac-12. While we know about the bad blood with Washington, Oregon State, and even USC, outside of conference play it’s hard to pinpoint a school that could be labeled as a rival to the Ducks other than maybe the Ohio State Buckeyes, or perhaps the Boise State Broncos, just due to past history.

However, a new rivalry may be bubbling to the surface, at least from a recruiting standpoint. Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes are stepping up to the plate and taking on the Ducks head-on.

After leaving Oregon last December, Cristobal went up against the Ducks in a few recruiting battles, notably losing 4-star OL Dave Iuli to Dan Lanning after the Washington product flipped to Oregon late in the process.

Now, another highly-rated Washington recruit — 5-star DL Jayden Wayne — is up for grabs, and it’s the Ducks and Hurricanes who currently lead the way in his recruitment, according to On3’s predictions.

According to 247Sports, Wayne, who plays at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, is listed as the No. 4 DL in the 2023 class, and No. 30 player overall. Standing at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Wayne would be a massive addition to the Ducks’ defensive line and act as a centerpiece to Oregon’s 2023 recruiting class, should he choose the Ducks.

As you can see, the Ducks currently hold a slight advantage in his recruiting, according to On3, with a 27.7% chance to land him. Miami is right behind them, with a 27.2% chance. We will see how his recruitment continues in the coming months, but Wayne is definitely someone to keep an eye on, as both teams will be fighting hard for him down the stretch.

After losing Iuli late to the Ducks, you can guarantee that Cristobal wants a little bit of revenge. We’ll just have to see what Lanning has to say about that.

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Oregon adds Lydia Gibbs as on-campus recruiting coordinator from Georgia Bulldogs staff

It appears that Dan Lanning has brought a familiar face from Georgia to Oregon, adding Lydia Gibbs as the new on-campus recruiting coordinator for the Ducks.

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Dan Lanning reached out for one of his own this week, reportedly hiring Lydia Gibbs as the new Oregon Ducks’ on-campus recruiting coordinator. Gibbs was formerly a recruiting specialist intern with the Georgia Bulldogs, where Lanning held the role of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, winning a national championship in 2021.

This is not the first time that Lanning has reached into his past to find talented people to bring with him to Oregon. In fact, most of the coaches on Oregon’s new staff have worked alongside Lanning in some way or another over the years, and are now following him to the Pacific Northwest to try and bring a national championship to Eugene.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen Georgia land some of the best recruiting classes in the nation, and Lanning had a big part to do with that as one of the team’s lead recruiters. By bringing over Gibbs to help with on-campus coordination, you can reasonably assume that Lanning trusts her abilities to work with players and best display all of the great things that Oregon has to offer.

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4-star LB Harrison Taggart to enroll early at Oregon; RB Jordan James to join Ducks this summer

LB Harrison Taggart will participate in spring ball with the Ducks, but RB Jordan James will not join the team until summer.

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As we inch closer to spring football starting for the Oregon Ducks, we are getting a clearer picture which incoming freshmen will enroll early and join the team for practices starting in March.

Last week, we found out four-star cornerback Jahlil Florence and four-star wide receiver Justius Lowe would be on campus for spring ball, and four-star athlete Anthony Jones has been enrolled at the U of O since January, so he will be playing as well.

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Ducks Wire has also learned four-star linebacker Harrison Taggart will join the Ducks midway through the spring session, arriving on March 23. Meanwhile, four-star running back Jordan James will not arrive in Eugene until the summer, per a source.

While it’s unfortunate we will not be able to see James play until later in the season, there will be enough storylines to follow this spring as the new-look Oregon Ducks take the field.

Spring ball starts on March 10, with a series of practices leading up to the spring game on April 23.

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5-star DL Lebbeus Overton, top unsigned defensive player in 2022, locks in visit to Oregon Ducks

Oregon’s recruiting momentum is still rolling, with 2022 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton setting a date to visit the Ducks.

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Recruiting momentum is hot right now in Eugene, and while the Oregon Ducks were just recently projected to be among favorites to land both 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava Jr. and 5-star OT Josh Conerly, they also locked in an official visit from 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton, according to 247Sports Steve Wiltfong.

Overton is the top-unsigned defensive player remaining in the 2022 class after reclassifying from the 2023 class and choosing to enter the college ranks this coming summer, rather than a year down the road.

Overton, who stands at 6-foot-4, 265-pounds, is listed by 247Sports as the No. 5 DL in the 2022 class, and the No. 18 player overall. His older brother, Micaiah, is a defensive lineman at Liberty who recently entered the transfer portal and announced that he plans to transfer to whichever team signs his younger brother. The Ducks offered a scholarship to both Overton brothers earlier this month.

It isn’t expected that the Overtons will make a final decision until this summer, but the fact that Oregon was able to lock down an official visit is a big win for Lanning, who developed a relationship with Lebbeus during his time with the Georgia Bulldogs. If the Ducks can wow the brothers on campus later this spring, it could go a long way in convincing them to make the move out to the Pacific Northwest and help reshape Oregon’s defensive line.

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Where do Ducks stand in recruiting battle for 5-star OT Josh Conerly?

5-star OT Josh Conerly is among the top unsigned players in the 2022 class, and Oregon will battle USC down the stretch for his commitment.

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Though the Oregon Ducks added a number of highly ranked recruits to their 2022 class on national signing day in February, at least one big fish is left in the sea.

That big fish is five-star offensive tackle Josh Conerly, out of Rainier Beach, Washington. Conerly stands 6 feet, 5 inches and 283 pounds. He is ranked the No. 2 OT in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 15 player overall, according to 247Sports.

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Earlier this year, the Washington native announced he would hold off on his commitment until the spring — after he had the chance to take more official visits once the recruiting period opened back up. One of the visits he is planning to take is to Eugene to see Dan Lanning and the Ducks.

While we wait for him to do that, On3 Recruits offered an update on which teams have the best chance to land him, and Oregon is in the mix, behind the USC Trojans.

While the Trojans are considered the favorites, it will be interesting to see if that changes after Conerly takes his visit to Eugene. Everyone knows the Ducks’ have some of the nicest facilities in the nation. The ace up their sleeve has long been their ability to get recruits on campus and ‘wow’ them simply by just showing them around Autzen Stadium and the neighboring complex.

Will Adrian Klemm and the Ducks be able to impress Conerly enough to flip him to Oregon? Early predictions might suggest he will head to Los Angeles, but everything can change after a visit. We will surely be keeping a close eye on this and waiting for more news about Conerly’s eventual visit and his commitment in the end.

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Oregon Ducks receive favorable odds to land 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava Jr.

The Ducks have set their sights on 2023 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava Jr., who plans to make his commitment in the coming months.

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A lot of college football fans may be under the belief that recruiting is just something that happens for part of the year, but in today’s day and age, that couldn’t be more wrong.

Though the Oregon Ducks turned in an impressive 25th-ranked class earlier this month on national signing day, the grind hasn’t stopped for the coaching staff in Eugene, where they are still working to add a couple of pieces to the 2022 class, and being aggressive when it comes to landing top prospects in the 2023 class and beyond.

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One of those top prospects in the 2023 class will be at the quarterback position, where the Ducks will undoubtedly look to grab a highly-rated player as early on as they can to help attract other stars to Eugene as well. So far, it appears that California’s 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava Jr. is the main target for Oregon. Standing at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, Iamaleava is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 QB in the 2023 class, and No. 7 player overall.

Nico has a few schools that he is interested in, but after his recent visit to Eugene at the end of January, it is the Ducks who are currently in the lead to land him, according to On3 Recruits.

With a few visits left on his schedule, Iamaleava is expected to narrow his recruiting list down over the next month and plans to try and make his ultimate decision before the summer begins. If he does ultimately end up choosing the Ducks, it will be the biggest recruiting win in Dan Lanning’s young tenure at Oregon, and act as a recruiting boon for the 2023 class.

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