Oregon Ducks News: Football recruiting news good, bad and promising

Oregon target at quarterback Matt Ponatoski won the Day 2 Pro Day competition at the Elite 11 Finals last night.

He's one of the top uncommitted prospects at QB in the country, a four-star from Moeller High in Cincinnati, Ohio who is also a baseball pitcher with a 97 mile-per-hour fastball. Ponatoski visits the Ducks this weekend, along with Bryson Beaver of Vista Murrieta in Murrieta, California.

Ponatoski outdueled several highly-touted passers to gain the award, finishing ahead of 5-stars Keisean Henderson, committed to Houston, and Dia Bell, committed to Texas. Scouts praised him for being "on time and accurate" with his throws.

Elite 11 is not football. It's a scouting combine in shorts, and the results and drills get sensationalized. Yet it's encouraging that the Ducks, without a quarterback commit in the 2026 class, are targeting two guys who rose in the high-pressure environment of being surrounded by a group of elite prospects.

Beaver and Ponatoski not only held their own, they stood out as top performers on Day 2. It increases the chances Oregon winds up with an excellent prospect at the position in the 2026 class.

Ponatoski, 6-1, 195, won Ohio State Gatorade Player of the Year honors last season, taking Moeller all the way to the state championship with a 14-2 record. He threw for 3,456 yards with 57 touchdowns and just three interceptions, completing 69.4 percent of his throws.

His two-sport athletic ability is impressive, but he could be gone in the Major League Baseball draft. Baseball American ranks him as the No. 16 high school prospect.

Brandon Arrington announcement today, likely to be another 2nd-place finish for Ducks

The five-star cornerback and California state champion in the 100 and 200 meters announces today at his school at 11:00 a.m. from the multi-cultural center at Mount Miguel High in Spring Valley, California.

Multiple predictions from the scouting services lean toward Texas A&M, making him another in a string of disappointments for the Ducks.

The Oregon class is talented but small so far. The Ducks have just eight commitments and rank No. 30 in the nation with 168 days until the opening of the early signing period.

There's good quality in the players they have committed. Kendre Harrison is an athletic marvel, a 6-6, 250 tight end who's a 20/15 scorer and two-time state champion in basketball. Tardarian Ball is an explosive running back and receiver from Texarkana, Texas. Messiah Hampton has good size at 6-1, 191, a receiver with great body control and ball skills.

On the defense the Ducks have picked up commitments from Tony Cumberland, a 6-5, 285 defensive lineman from Willamette High School in Eugene, and Tristan Phillips, an athletic linebacker from Ventura, California who has been a tremendous peer recruiter for them.

What's clear is that Dan Lanning and his staff are taking a wait-and-see approach in a volatile year in the college football talent marketplace, directing more resources to their current roster while being strategic and careful in their approach to recruiting.

Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons announces June 24th. A devout member of the LDS church, he's slated to go on a one-year mission before starting his college football career, making him a defacto 2027 prospect. He's down to Oregon and BYU.

The Ducks remain favorites for 6-5 Bishop Gorman safety Jett Washington, who has a final three of USC, Oregon and Alabama.

Five-star edge rusher Anthony Jones of Mobile, Alabama visited Oregon on June 13 and still has high interest. He's considering the Crimson Tide, Auburn and Texas A&M in addition to the Ducks.

Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho visits this weekend.

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