Oregon makes early move in team recruiting rankings with latest commitment

Entering this week, it looked like Washington was in pole position to land a commitment from Little Elm (Texas) Guyer four-star defensive lineman Zane Rowe. On Friday night, it was Oregon that pulled in his pledge.

The Ducks have always been in the thick of his recruitment. The one-time Oklahoma commit really began to eye programs out West once he came back on the board over a year ago. Dan Lanning and Co. visited Rowe in January, then finally got him up to Eugene for a visit this week.

That helped seal the deal.

“They’ve been relentless in their approach with me,” Rowe told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman about his decision. “It’s black and white, and never gray. I appreciate that and I love my overall fit there.”

With Rowe, the No. 100 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle, now in the mix, Oregon has jumped two spots from No. 10 to No. 8 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Ducks now have six commits in their haul, as of March 13. To no surprise, the Big Ten program is in a great spot to sign another impressive class.

Rowe now headlines the Oregon pledge list

The Lone Star State lineman is now the highest-ranked prospect in Oregon’s class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies.

Rowe gives the Ducks their second blue-chip defensive lineman this cycle, too. Last June, Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson four-star DL Cam Pritchett made an early pledge and he remains rock-solid. He’s now the No. 22 DL and No. 9 player in Alabama this cycle.

Last month, Lanning and his staff nabbed two more blue-chip commitments via Anaheim (Calif.) Servite four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder and Tyler (Texas) four-star running back Cadarius McMiller. Fielder is the No. 14 OT in the nation, while McMiller checks in as the nation’s No. 8 RB.

“Oregon is everything I ever looked for in a program,” Fielder told Rivals’ Greg Biggins. “Between the coaching staff, the player development, and the team culture, they are really second to none.”

Turlock (Calif.) three-star OT Avery Michael and Salt Lake City Olympus three-star athlete Sam Ngata, the son of Haloti Ngata, round out the haul thus far.

Last cycle, the Ducks inked the No. 4 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The class features 23 total signees, 16 of whom were blue-chip recruits.