Tag: Oregon Transfer Portal

Oregon Ducks reportedly reached out to CB Cormani McClain after Colorado transfer

Cormani McClain and the Oregon Ducks? A new report shows that there has been contact.

The Oregon Ducks are about as stacked as they can be at the cornerback position going into the 2024 season, but we know that’s not going to stop Dan Lanning from trying to add more top-rated talent if he is able to.

On Friday night, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that the Ducks are one of the many teams to have reached out to former Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain earlier this week after the former 5-star recruit entered the transfer portal.

McClain is going to be a sophomore in 2024. He was rated as the No. 1 CB and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class. In his freshman year, he played in 9 games under Deion Sanders, with 13 tackles and 2 PBUs.

With the additions of Jabbar Muhammad and Kam Alexander this offseason, the Ducks are currently in a good spot when it comes to CB, but they can always work to develop McClain for the future and use him as much as he’s ready this year, should he be interested in that role.

We will see if the Ducks can get him to Oregon for a visit this spring.

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Report: Ducks eyeing intriguing pair of players in basketball portal

The Oregon Ducks have reportedly reached out to a pair of intriguing players in the transfer portal so far.

While Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks are focused on the NCAA Tournament and their second-round game against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday, there are members of the staff who have kept a close eye on the transfer portal, which opened earlier this week.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, the Ducks have been in contact with a pair of players in the portal so far — Michigan’s Tarris Reed and St. Louis’s Sincere Parker.

Reed is a 6-foot-10 forward who has played for two years in Anne Arbor. As a former 4-star recruit who was rated as the No. 35 player in the 2022 class, Reed now ranks as the No. 17 available player in the transfer portal, per 247Sports.

He averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds in 2023 with the Wolverines.

Sincere Parker is a former Community College player who has spent two years at St. Louis, averaging 16 points and 4 rebounds in 2023. Parker did not have a ranking as a recruit coming out of high school, but 247Sports sees him as the No. 32 available player in the portal this offseason.

While the focus is on March Madness for the time being, it will be interesting to see what moves the Ducks make this offseason. Players like N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard are leaving after the end of the season, so replacing some production at the center and guard spots will be crucial.

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Report: Ducks are pursuing former Michigan DB Keon Sabb in transfer portal

The Oregon Ducks are reportedly pursuing former Michigan Wolverines transfer Keon Sabb in the portal.

The Oregon Ducks have been incredibly active in the transfer portal this year, and after adding the likes of Jabbar Muhammad, Kobe Savage, Kam Alexander, and Brandon Johnson, they appear to be set when it comes to talent in the secondary going into the 2024 season.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t want to continue to improve, though.

A relatively surprising name entered the portal earlier this week when Michigan Wolverines safety Keon Sabb announced that he was looking to transfer. Now it’s being reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett that the Ducks are one of many teams who have reached out to Sabb since he became available.

Sabb was a major part of the Wolverine’s championship team this year, with 28 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown on the year. In the national championship game against the Washington Huskies, Sabb had 6 tackles and 2 PBU’s.

According to 247Sports, Sabb is rated as the 54th-best player in the transfer portal this year, and the fourth-best safety. That stacks up well when you compare it to the safeties that Oregon has already added: Savage (No. 13 S in 2024 portal), and Brandon Johnson (No. 28 S in 2024 portal).

We will see if the Ducks are able to add Sabb, who would be a cherry on top of the already impressive transfer portal haul that Oregon’s been able to bring in this offseason.

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Where CB Jabbar Muhammad stands among the top-rated transfers in Dan Lanning era

A look at where Oregon Ducks’ new cornerback transfer Jabbar Muhammad ranks among top-rated transfers to come to Oregon under Dan Lanning.

The Oregon Ducks held a massive recruiting weekend, with their Junior Day bringing in top-rated high school prospects to Eugene from all over the nation.

Headlining that list of visitors, though, was former Washington Huskies’ cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, one of the top available players in the transfer portal. On Saturday afternoon, Muhammad announced his commitment to Oregon on social media, leading head coach Dan Lanning to tweet out his famed duck emoji while courtside at the Oregon men’s basketball game vs. Arizona.

In 2023, Muhammad had 46 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He also had 16 PBU’s, and a coverage grade of 77.7, per PFF, which was fifth-best in the Pac-12 (minimum 300 snaps).

Before his time at Washington, Muhammad spent three seasons at Oklahoma State, where he racked up 71 tackles and 1 INT in two seasons on the field. He was also named to the second-team All-Big-12 in 2022.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen Lanning add some top-rated portal players to the roster, whether it was Bo Nix, Jordan Burch, or Christian Gonzalez.

So where does Muhammad rank among the 32 (non-specialist) Oregon transfers in the Lanning era? There are two ways to look at it. For starters, you can take into account the 247Sports transfer portal rankings. However, those rankings don’t always match what we see play out on the field. For instance, Bo Nix was a three-star prospect in the portal, but he finished his college career as a Heisman Trophy finalist in New York.

For good measure, I added my own rankings based on how good each player ended up being in Eugene.

Let’s take a look at the 25 best transfers that the Ducks have landed since Lanning has been here, and see where Muhammad lands:

Ducks land transfer from former Washington All-Pac-12 CB Jabbar Muhammad

The Oregon Ducks got a big-time transfer addition from former Washington Huskies All-Pac-12 CB Jabbar Muhammed.

The Oregon Ducks weren’t always planning on taking a pair of cornerbacks in the transfer portal this offseason, but when an opportunity presents itself that you can’t pass up, then you take it.

That was the case when former Washington Huskies cornerback Jabbar Muhammad entered the transfer portal in the wake of head coach Kalen DeBoer leaving Seattle for Tuscaloosa. The Ducks worked quickly and ended up getting a commitment from Muhammed, a second-team All-Pac-12 player in 2023.

While Oregon was pretty set at the CB position following the addition of UTSA CB Kam Alexander earlier this month, you don’t pass on a player like Muhammad if he is interested in playing for you. In 2023, Muhammad had 46 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He also had 16 PBU’s, and a coverage grade of 77.7, per PFF, which was fifth-best in the Pac-12 (minimum 300 snaps).

Before his time at Washington, Muhammad spent three seasons at Oklahoma State, where he racked up 71 tackles and 1 INT in two seasons on the field. He was also named to the second-team All-Big-12 in 2022.

Going into the 2024 season, Oregon’s secondary is now stacked with top-end talent, and promising young players with a chance to break out. With guys like Muhammad, Alexander, Jahlil Florence, Brandon Johnson, Dontae Manning, Rodrick Pleasant, Daylen Austin, Sione Laulea, and several other young guys, it will likely be as deep of a secondary as we’ve seen in a long time in Eugene.

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Oregon Ducks land commitment from former Duke DB Brandon Johnson

The Oregon Ducks got a transfer from Duke cornerback Brandon Johnson on Wednesday afternoon.

The Oregon Ducks have been in the market for another cornerback via the transfer portal, and they landed one on Wednesday afternoon with former Duke DB Brandon Johnson announcing his commitment.

Johnson played for three seasons at Duke, racking up 128 tackles, 16 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 2 INTs, and 1 touchdown in his time there, operating more out of the slot/nickel position than an outside CB spot.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder will have 1 year of eligibility remaining.

Earlier in the offseason, the Ducks added a commitment from former UTSA CB Kam Alexander, who is expected to come in and compete for a starting spot right away. The same can be said for Johnson, who will likely compete for the starting STAR position in 2024.

The Ducks lost cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin on Wednesday as he left to take a job with the Michigan State Spartans, but they promoted safeties coach Chris Hampton to an all-encompassing defensive backs coach to fill the hole.

Even with the addition of Johnson, there still is a good chance that Oregon tries to add former Washington CB Jabbar Muhammad, who entered the transfer portal last week after the departure of Kalen DeBoer. Muhammad is thought to be an Oregon lean, but is taking visits to Texas and Alabama this week.

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Alabama OT and former Oregon target Kadyn Proctor to enter transfer portal

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is expected to enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season.

In the wake of legendary head coach Nick Saban leaving the Alabama Crimson Tide, we’ve seen several top-rated players choose to leave the program and enter the transfer portal, despite the hiring of former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer.

On Wednesday morning, it was announced that All-American safety Caleb Downs was entering the portal, a player that Oregon has shown interest in. Not long after, it was also announced that Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor was entering the portal as well.

Oregon Duck fans will likely remember Proctor’s name because he was a major recruiting target for the Ducks before choosing the Tide. Proctor was the No. 1 OT in the 2023 class, and the No. 5 overall player. He took multiple visits to Oregon, and was very close to flipping his commitment from Iowa to the Ducks before ultimately choosing Alabama.

Now that he is in the portal, the Hawkeyes are looking like the team to beat in his transfer recruitment, with a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction already coming in for Proctor to choose Iowa, just minutes after he entered the portal. Proctor is from Des Moines, Iowa, so returning home would not come as a major surprise.

The 6’8 365 OT started every game for Alabama as a true freshman and received Freshman All-American & 1st Team Freshman All-SEC Honors.

While Proctor considered the Ducks the first time around, it would honestly be a surprise if he ended up in Eugene this time around. Going into 2024, Oregon is feeling very good about their situation on the offensive line, with former 5-star OT Josh Conerly holding it down at LT as a second-year starter, and veteran OT Ajani Cornelius announcing his return at RT for one more year.

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Alabama safety Caleb Downs to enter transfer portal; Does Oregon have a shot?

Alabama Crimson Tide safety Caleb Downs entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, but do the Oregon Ducks have a shot to get him?

Since coming to Eugene, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has said that the goal when using the transfer portal was always to improve the roster in any way that they can. That means that if a player becomes available that they think can make them better, they will try to get him, regardless of whether or not it is a position of need for not.

On Wednesday morning, that opportunity arose with freshman Alabama safety Caleb Downs announcing that he would be entering the transfer portal. As a true freshman in 2023, Downs was an All-American safety, regarded as one of the best overall players in the nation at his position, regardless of age.

Downs finished his true freshman season with a team-leading 107 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. Unsurprisingly, he is now the No. 1 rated player in the transfer portal.

So do the Oregon Ducks have a shot to get him?

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That’s an interesting question. There is no doubt that Lanning and his staff will reach out, and I’m told that they already have made contact. The other two teams who are favored to land him, per a person with knowledge of the situation, are Georgia and Ohio State.

While the Ducks don’t currently have a massive need at the safety position after adding Kobe Savage earlier this offseason and getting a return commitment from Tysheem Johnson, Downs is a player who you don’t pass on if he is interested. The former 5-star recruit — Downs was ranked the No. 6 overall player in 2023 — didn’t have much connection with Oregon during his recruitment other than being offered by the Ducks, but based on what we’ve seen from Oregon when it comes to other transfer portal prospects, that isn’t a barrier for entry.

The Ducks currently have the No. 6 transfer portal team in the nation after landing top-ranked guys like Evan Stewart, Dante Moore, Ja’Maree Caldwell, and Dillon Gabriel. We will see how this recruitment develops for Downs, but it’s clear that Oregon is going to do what they can to land the elite defensive back.

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Former Oregon TE Casey Kelly transfers to East Carolina

Casey Kelly, the one-time Oregon Ducks TE, has transferred to East Carolina.

Casey Kelly, the former Oregon Ducks tight end who entered the transfer portal in December, has finalized his transfer to East Carolina University. 2023 was Kelly’s first and only season with the Ducks, and he finished the year with 5 catches, 43 yards, and 2 TDs.

2024 will be Kelly’s final year of eligibility, so a desire for a bigger role probably drove his decision to transfer. If he stuck with Oregon for his final season, he would’ve had to sit behind Terrance Ferguson, Patrick Herbert, and Kenyon Sadiq.

One of the likely reasons Kelly chose East Carolina is his relationship with their offensive coordinator. John David Baker, the Pirates’ OC, was Kelly’s TE coach at Ole Miss, where Kelly played for three years before his time at Oregon.

The East Carolina Pirates went 2-10 in 2023, so adding transfers like Kelly could make a big impact for them in 2024. ECU’s 2024 recruiting class doesn’t have any blue-chip recruits, but they have plenty of 3-star high school recruits and transfers that could round out their roster.

Where does Oregon stand when it comes to transfer portal needs?

A look at where the Oregon Ducks stand in terms of remaining needs in the transfer portal after adding some top-level talent.

The Oregon Ducks have not utilized the transfer portal as abundantly this year as we’ve seen in prior years, but they’ve arguably been more prolific and proficient with their additions, getting commitments from some of the best available players in the portal.

With just 9 incoming transfers so far, Oregon has the No. 4-ranked class in the nation after adding the No. 3, No. 6, No. 18, and No. 53 players in the class with commitments from Evan Stewart, Dante Moore, Ja’Maree Caldwell, and Dillon Gabriel at the top of the list.

Going into the offseason, they had a roster that was stacked with blue-chip players, but there were a handful of needs and potential needs, depending on who decided to return to Eugene for 2024 or head into the NFL Draft. Fortunately for Oregon fans, many of those players have decided to come back for one last ride.

So with the roster in its current construction, are there any other needs that the Ducks need to fill in the transfer portal this year? Let’s take a look back at our needs coming into the offseason and assess: