Ducks Stacking Top-Five Classes Under Lanning

There was a time when Oregon football signing a top-10 class in the nation was a rare occurrence. That time is no longer.

The NCAA's early signing period for 2025-26 saw the Ducks this week announce a group of recruits rated among the top three in the country. With the bulk of the class of 2026 now signed to financial-aid agreements, Oregon has its third straight consensus top-five class in the country, just five years after having a class ranked in the top five for the first time ever.

The class of 2021 received a single top-five ranking among national recruiting services. The class of 2026 is Oregon's third straight that's considered in the top five nationally by all the major recruiting services.

"Rankings can be overrated," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "But we signed some guys that are obviously really highly ranked and really, really good players — but more than that, quality people."

Lanning spoke on Wednesday this week, the start of the early signing period. The Ducks announced 19 signees that afternoon, including receiver Gatlin Bair, a 2024 signee coming off a church mission. On Thursday they announced three more, including two of the five consensus five-star recruits in the class — the most in the country.

Among the five-star signees Wednesday were offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, edge defender Anthony Jones Jr. and defensive back Jett Washington. They were joined Thursday by tight end Kendre Harrison and receiver Jalen Lott.

Those were some of the most prominent names in a class ranked No. 2 in the country by ESPN as of Friday evening, and No. 3 by both 247Sports and Rivals. Oregon's 21-player class of 2026 seniors — not counting Bair — was ranked behind only USC's 35-player class and Notre Dame's 27-player class by Rivals.

"It was much more about quality over quantity," Lanning said. "It wasn't about, sign as many guys as we could possibly sign. It was more about signing guys we thought would really make an impact on this team."

Oregon's staff clearly has an eye for identifying such talent. Among the contributors to this season's College Football Playoff team are running back Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., receiver Dakorien Moore and cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. — true freshmen, all.

"We've always said, if you're good enough, you're old enough, and I think this year was a great indication of that," Lanning said. "If you've got the ability to make an impact here early, you can."

That staff with the eye for talent will look different in 2026. Offensive coordinator Will Stein was announced prior to signing day as the next head coach at Kentucky, and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi was announced Friday as the new head coach at his alma mater, California.

Both, Lanning said Wednesday, planned to continue working with the Ducks through their playoff run. Neither departure impacted Oregon's signing class.

"Every player that signed here, they always sit down in my office and I always share the truth about my vision for their future, and the truth of, what does it look like for me here in the future and the future of our coaches here?" Lanning said. "I've never been shy about the fact — I've been very adamant about the fact — that my goal is to help people reach their dreams and goals."

That includes assistants hoping to try their hand as head coaches. And that includes players looking to maximize their chances for a pro career.

Recruiting rankings aren't the only thing that has sky-rocketed under Lanning. The Ducks are stacking record-sized NFL draft classes in recent years, as well.

"Players come here for a reason, and there's a lot of reasons that go into that," Lanning said. "But I think we have a really complete program in a lot of ways, everything that you're looking for, from development on the football field and the opportunity to compete at the highest level on the football field, as well as what Oregon provides academically and the support that exists here on our staff.

"The relationships, I think, are real key here."