Oregon's record recruiting haul serves one goal

On the first day of the Early Signing Period, Oregon signed 18, waiting on three, and could land one more five-star.

Already it's the highest-ranked class in school history at No. 2 in the 247 Sports Composite. It includes three five-stars and a fourth will be signing today at his school, Reidsville, North Carolina tight end Kendre Harrison, a 6-7, 243-pound tight end who can throw it down on the basketball court.

Introducing the 2026 Ducks, Dan Lanning said,
"This class wasn't about signing as many guys as we possibly could; it was more about signing guys we thought could really make an impact."

It isn't about star ratings; it's about the players behind the star ratings

Recruiting rankings are just a way of keeping score. Though studies show stacking great classes correlates with winning at a high level, it's the culture and fit that make it work.

Now that the Progrum has built a winning roster, they find themselves free to focus on one simple, crucial question: "What do we need to win?"

They're not only landing great athletes, multi-sport stars, athletes from 11 different states, they're recruiting for specific roles, components of an elite team. Jett Washington is a rangy physical safety at 6-5, 205, a hitter and a defensive leader. Davon Benjamin is a elite ballhawk, a fly paper cover guy and playmaker.

Harrison is a freak athlete tight end, fluid and powerful. Immanuel Iheanacho a massive, road-grading tackle with a relentless work ethic, intelligence and nimble feet. These are foundational pieces, with the potential to become All-Americans and NFL first-round draft picks, but most importantly, championship football players.

The decision they're waiting on is Chris Henry Jr., the 6-5 receiver from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California. Henry oozes talent, but what separates him is that he's a different TYPE of receiver, the Megatron, the rangy, gifted, physical pass catcher who becomes such a weapon in extending drives, winning third down and getting touchdowns at the goal line.

Oregon has landed some great receivers over the years and have several very good ones on the team this year in Dakorien Moore, Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan, just to name three, but they're all smaller. Henry Jr. is the matchup nightmare, representing an entirely new dimension in the offense. With a quarterback like Dante Moore and the throws he makes, getting him a target like that makes the attack even more difficult to stop.

In Immanuel Iheanacho, Tommy Tofi and Koloi Keli, A'lique Terry has added three essential building blocks on the offensive line. Edge rushers Anthony "Tank" Jones and Prince Tavizon add to the staple of havoc-creating pass rushers, while Tony Cumberland is the steady, dependable athletic trench monster-- he's been committed to the Ducks for two years.

USC claimed the nation's No. 1 class, but theirs isn't built with this kind of targeting and planning. The Trojan's class is a Phyrric victory: They spent a fortune to bloat their roster with 35 incoming freshmen including 13 three-stars. There are 14 offensive linemen, six wide receivers and two tight ends, a paucity of immediate impact players. It's helter-skelter, Costco shopping, a cart full of toothpaste for two years and five pounds of mixed nuts.

The funny thing is, the deceptive class ranking has elevated expectations among the Trojan faithful, who are anticipating an immediate return to the days college football ran through The Coliseum. Overpaying without a cohesive strategy will only lead to frustration.

USC went in with a checkbook. The Ducks went in with a blueprint and a strategy. The proof comes in three years.

The most amazing thing about Oregon's class is that despite losing both offensive coordinators in the last two days before signing, they didn't lose a single recruit to a flip. That underscores the value of recruiting built on relationships and consistent communication.

In a month or so, the Ducks will attack the portal with the same precision. They'll land 10 to 12 players to fill specific roles and put the 2026 team over the top.