Recruiting rankings vary. The true measure of a football signing class comes in two or three years, after the prospects have had an opportunity to prove themselves and become the foundation of a winning football team.
With Kendre Harrison signing and turning in his paperwork at a ceremony at his school Thursday morning, the Ducks have signed a program-record five five-star players. It's an insane level of quality.
Dynamic, next-level athletes dot the class. Depending on the service and the evaluation, Dan Lanning has brought to Eugene offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho, EDGE Anthony Jones, safety Jett Washington, tight end Harrison, and cornerback Davon Benjamin who have five-star ratings at one or all of Rivals, ESPN and 247 Sports.
About 32 players a year earn a 5-star rating. A notch below that for the Ducks are guys like offensive tackle Tommy Tofi, defensive tackle Tony Cumberland and safety Devin Jackson, 6-2, 195.
They were chosen for their playmaking ability and potential to be impact players. Not every recruit makes it. Oregon history is littered with can't-miss players who missed, but this group earned these evaluations with speed, strength, work ethic and football instincts that are exceptional. The competitive drive they'll create as a class will be exceptional.
They'll come here to embrace a standard, and they'll elevate that standard. Working against great athletes every day is how a player gets better. They're coming here to be developed.
Eye-popping talent is no guarantee of success, but it's the foundation of it
In Harrison's case, he has the raw material to become an NFL tight end, maybe even a great one. He has work to do, but at 6-6, 250 he's got the size, agility and athletic ability to dominate in the Big Ten.
Obviously he has to learn the playbook. Coming from a small school in North Carolina he has to adjust to a new level of competition and push himself, not rely on the accolades that got him the NIL deal.
The Ducks have had a great tradition at tight end, the latest being Kenyon Sadiq and Terrance Ferguson, a four-star player who ran 4.63 at the NFL combine and vertical-jumped 39 inches. Yet Colt Lyerla was perhaps the most athletic of all, also a high school basketball star, and he got derailed by drug and discipline issues.
Kendre Harrison was a man amongst boys in front of Hubert Davis and others at Peach Jam. pic.twitter.com/aGm9Tz90yC
— Jay (@Jayy_Hardyy252) July 13, 2024
He's a brash, cocky, fluid athlete, but with the skills and grace to back up the posture. Moving the way he does, he has the physical skills to join a select group of basketball/football powerhouses that includes home-state legend Julius Peppers, Tony Gonzalez, Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates.
God gifted him with enormous talent. He stuck with Oregon all through his process. Where he goes from here, where this takes him, is up to his coaches, his health and his character. It will be a fun journey to witness.
Though it's understandable for coaching and security reasons, it's a shame Oregon can't open practice. To watch Jett Washington and Kendre Harrison compete against one another, they could sell tickets. Instead, Duck fans will just have to wait until next fall.