Oregon Recruiting: Ducks in contention for nation's No. 1 class

Fresh off of a Big Ten championship in the Ducks’ first season in the conference, Oregon got off to a hot start in the 2026 recruiting cycle. After a bit of a slowdown in the spring and early summer months, the Ducks have gone on a heater and sit within striking distance of the country’s No. 1 class. With 17 commitments — 15 of which are blue-chip prospects — Oregon ranks No. 3 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings early in August.

The ball got rolling for Dan Lanning and his staff well over a year ago with the addition of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Willamette four-star defensive lineman Tony Cumberland. Cumberland committed to the Ducks on Sept. 23, 2023 and has been a centerpiece of the class ever since. He is the nation’s No. 91 overall prospect and No. 7 DL in the 2026 cycle according to the Rivals Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies.

Last fall, they beat out North Carolina and a host of others for Kendre Harrison, one of the best tight ends in the country. An elite prospect, Harrison ranks No. 17 overall in the class and is one of four five-star commitments.

“Oregon is the total package,” Harrison told Rivals when he pledged. “I chose Oregon because of their player development, the coaching I will get there, the culture and the place. I like Eugene a lot.”

Four-star Tradarian Ball joined the class last summer in late July and was followed in December by blue-chip linebacker Tristan Phillips out of Ventura (Calif.) in February by Florida-based four-star safety Xavier Lherisse. The pieces were in place for another elite class.

Class has seen its highs and lows

But the Ducks have taken their lumps early in the cycle as well though, losing five-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene to Washington, four-star quarterback Jonas Williams and four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui to USC, as well as four-star lineman Bott Mulitalo, who decommitted before pledging to BYU.

In May, they pulled off a huge recruiting victory by landing five-star Sierra Canyon (Calif.) EDGE Richard Wesley, in a moment that went viral with Wesley and HC Dan Lanning cannonballing into a pool together. Just a few weeks later though, Wesley decommitted from the Ducks and ultimately pledged to Texas.

Since then, they’ve been rolling as the commitments have piled up. Last month, they beat out Alabama, USC and dozens of others for Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman five-star safety Jett Washington. They added their second five-star on two weeks later, landing Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho over LSU, Penn State and others. Less than an hour later, four-star safety Devin Jackson added his name to the commit list.

July ended with another massive bang when St. Paul’s Episcopal (Ala.) five-star EDGE Anthony Jones spurned Alabama and Texas A&M for the Ducks. Since then, they added Rivals’ No. 1 cornerback Davon Benjamin to move all the way up to No. 3 in the team ranking.

UO now has four five-stars in the class — tied with Alabama — and they’re supplemented by seven more players ranked among the top-150 nationally.

Commitments by position for the Ducks

Quarterback
Four-star Bryson Beaver, No. 174 NATL. (No. 12 QB)

Running Back
Four-star Tradarian Ball, No. 80 NATL. (No. 7 RB)

Wide Receiver
Four-star Messiah Hampton, No. 103 NATL. (No. 11 WR)

Tight End
Five-star Kendre Harrison, No. 17 NATL. (No. 1 TE)

Offensive tackle
Five-star Immanuel Iheanacho, No. 6 NATL. (No. 2 OT)

Interior offensive line
Four-star Tommy Tofi, No. 144 NATL. (No. 8 IOL)
Three-star Koloi Keli, No. 918 NATL. (No 91 IOL)

EDGE
Five-star Anthony Jones, No. 22 NATL. (No. 4 EDGE)
Four-star Prince Tavizon, No. 228 NATL. (No. 28 EDGE)
Three-star Dutch Horisk, No. 886 NATL. (No. 82 EDGE)

Defensive Line
Four-star Tony Cumberland, No. 91 NATL. (No. 7 DL)

Linebacker
Four-star Tristan Phillips, No. 311 NATL. (No. 21 LB)

Cornerback
Four-star Davon Benjamin, No. 43 NATL. (No. 6 CB)

Safety
Five-star Jett Washington, No. 26 NATL. (No. 3 SAF)
Four-star Devin Jackson, No. 147 NATL. (No. 13 SAF)
Four-star Xavier Lherisse, No. 353 NATL. (No. 30 SAF)

Athlete
Four-star Jalen Lott, No. 57 NATL. (No. 3 ATH)