Elite QB recruit Josiah Boyd picks UCLA over Oregon and Ducks have only themselves to blame

Before the Oregon Ducks kick off their game against Illinois, Ducks fans had a recruiting storyline to follow as the recruitment of elite quarterback recruit Josiah Boyd was coming to an end. After scheduling an announcement for November, Boyd pushed his schedule up, and it wasn't great news for the Ducks.

While Oregon became the early frontrunner for Josiah Boyd over the Summer, recruiting is all about momentum. Battling UCLA and Kentucky, the Ducks never landed a commitment through the Summer and early fall, and it's going to complicate the Ducks' 2028 recruiting class.

Josiah Boyd commits to UCLA over Oregon and Kentucky

On Saturday Afternoon, California native Josiah Boyd brought his recruitment to a close, picking UCLA over Oregon and Kentucky.

This is a recruitment where each finalist seemingly held the edge throughout the Summer and Fall, but in the end, Bob Chesney won out. Oregon offered Boyd over the Summer, and as he called the Ducks a dream school, and visited Eugene, the Ducks were predicted to win out. Then Boyd visited Lexington for Kentucky's wild win over LSU, and it seemed that the Wildcats would win out.

Instead, Bob Chesney's program built up late momentum in the recruitment, and surged past Will Stein and Dan Lanning to seal a commitment. When the decision was finally made, it wasn't much of a surprise as Boyd was donning a UCLA arm sleeve, wristband, and towel in his high school game on Friday Night.

Missing out on Josiah Boyd stings for the Ducks as he's one of the top prospects in the 2028 recruiting class. According to Rivals' recruiting rankings, Boyd is the 31st ranked player in the country, the 2nd ranked quarterback in the class, and the 3rd ranked player out of California.

When you look at the outcome of this recruitment, Oregon can only blame itself for missing out. UCLA has built up a ton of momentum in Bob Chesney’s first season, in part due to the Ducks losing to the Bruins. Without Dante Moore, the Ducks offense has been abysmal, and the fact that Dan Lanning has never started a quarterback he’s recruited out of High School certainly doesn’t help.

While the loss stings for the Ducks, not landing Josiah Boyd isn't the end of the world as for starters, there's still over a year until he signs with a program. Oregon has one of the top quarterbacks in the country committed in the 2027 class in Will Mencl, and that can often deter others from jumping on board. Add in that Dante Moore could end up coming back to school if the concussion continues to hold him out or tha the Ducks could add a transfer, and it's impossible to project the future of the room.

The Ducks are still involved in the recruitment of several 2028 quarterback recruits, and they will only become bigger focuses. Oregon has been after the likes of Tristin Gaines, Luke Rubley, Hunter Fujikawa, and others, and it'll be interesting to see if one becomes a bigger priority the rest of the way.

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