While we didn’t receive a cigar video from Dan Lanning like last year, I think most Oregon Ducks fans went to bed on Wednesday thinking “Today was a good day.”
A big reason for that was the pair of WRs Oregon was able to flip from other schools: Jeremiah McClellan and Ryan Pellum.
McClellan, who had been committed to Ohio State since August, was the first to flip, becoming the highest-rated offensive recruit in the Ducks 2024 class. Often, flipped commitments like these are solidified days or weeks before signing day, but McClellan made his choice at the last moment. In an interview clip shown below, McClellan details when he made his decision, and how the decision was made.
"It was really stressful… Last night I'd probably say was when I found out."
4-star receiver Jeremiah McClellan (@jay_mac2481) took his decision down to the wire… but ultimately picked @CoachDanLanning and @oregonfootball.
Here's the CBC star on his decision: pic.twitter.com/y7THenlTej
— Corey Miller (@corey_miller5) December 20, 2023
In the video, McClellan highlights how stressful the decision was for him, which is why he was unsure where he’d end up until the eleventh hour, but overall he seems excited about his decision. The biggest draw for Oregon that McClellan mentioned is his relationship with Dan Lanning, as well as WR coach Junior Adams.
Lanning also talked about the process of getting McClellan back in the fold for the Ducks, continuing to recruit him all along even after he announced his commitment to Ohio State.
“I remember the day that he committed somewhere else and just be able to talk to him saying, ‘Hey coach, I’d love to keep the communication going.’ And it never really stopped on our end, all the way into late last night and early this morning,” Lanning said. “So I always felt like there was an opportunity if he felt like this was a fit, that there would be an opportunity for him to be here. And our staff did a phenomenal job of continuing to work all the relationships necessary for him to see the same picture and vision that we saw.”
While there was uncertainty at the wide receiver position at the beginning of the offseason, the Ducks are set to have a full WR room in 2024. The top guys will likely be, Tez Johnson, Gary Bryant, Traeshon Holden, and Jurrion Dickey (Oregon’s top recruit in 2023), but there are always depth chart surprises come fall. McClellan has been described by some analysts as the most “ready-now” receiver in the class, so there’s a chance we see him make an early impact in Eugene.
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