Portal wish list for the 2026 Oregon Ducks

In 2026, Oregon opens with Boise State in Autzen Stadium, followed by Oklahoma State and Portland State. In conference play they'll have road games at Illinois, at Michigan State, at USC and at Ohio State, though the order is not set. They host Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, UCLA and Washington.

For that gauntlet and the postseason to follow, they'll need reinforcements. This season four of the top five teams in the 247 Sports transfer portal rankings made the playoffs: No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 5 Oregon.

Interestingly, the first two official visitors from the portal to Oregon were Western Michigan long snapper RJ Todd and Nevada punter Bailey Ettridge. Ettridge has already signed. He's from Geelong, Australia, same town as current Oregon punter James Ferguson-Reynold.

With the Wolfpack this season Ettridge averaged 44.7 yards per kick and put 18 of 47 punts inside the 20 with just two touchbacks. He had a kick of over 50 yards in eight different games, a long of 62.

Dante Moore hasn't yet announced a decision, but the Ducks will lose Noah Whittington, Malik Benson, Emmanuel Pregnon, Alex Harkey and Isaiah World. On defense, Bryce Boettcher reaches his two roads converged in a yellow wood, deciding between the NFL or pro baseball. Jadon Canaday and Theran Johnson are done. So far, 13 players have announced transfers, the latest being running back Makhi Hughes, who has already signed with Houston.

Over the tenure of Dan Lanning and chief of operations Marshall Malchow, the program has made brilliant use of the portal. From a long list the standouts have included Christian Gonzalez, Bucky Irving, Tez Johnson, Derrick Harmon and Bo Nix. They've augmented top-level high school recruiting with almost surgical precision, picking up Pregnon, Benson, Dillon Thieneman, Canaday for this year's squad, Moore the year previous, all true difference-makers.

Despite having their hands full with a tough Indiana squad in the College Football Playoff semifinal, the crazed college football calendar requires that they do it again. There's just one portal window this year, from January 2nd to January 16, with extensions for players in the championship game and those who experience a head coaching change.

Another deadline looms. Underclassmen have until January 5 to declare for the draft, though players still competing in the CFP have a built-in extension to Friday, January 23.

That means the Oregon coaches will know soon (if they don't already know) if Moore, Kenyon Sadiq, Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, A'Mauri Washington and Dillon Thieneman are "running it back" for 2026 or have to be replaced, either by judicious portal acquistion or development.

Oregon's biggest needs in the portal fluid, uncertain and crucial

It's encouraging for Duck fans that there is not more noise around Oregon and the bidding for a transfer quarterback. If Dante Moore declares, expect the program to pivot to Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, a West Linn High grad like Payton Pritchard and Jackson Shelstad, 6-2, 205 and a 61.4 percent passer. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is also mulling a transfer after a rocky finish this season.

There's still a decent chance Moore returns for his junior season. At present he has 19 career college starts and could benefit from another year to fill out and gain experience.

1. Offensive tackle

Help is on the way in the 2026 recruiting class in terms of blue-chip tackles Immanuel Pregon and Tommy Tofi, but A'lique Terry needs some depth and protection for the offensive line, which loses five seniors. Though Terry has recruited some promising players from the high school ranks, expect the Ducks to add at least two linemen from the portal.

2. Linebacker

Jerry Mixon had a strong game against Texas Tech with four tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Bryce Boettcher did too with 12 tackles and a forced fumble, but he's done after this year.

One of the best available in the portal are Amare Campbell of Penn State, a 6-0, 230 masher from Manassas, Virginia. Campbell had a breakout season on a disappointing team after transferring from North Carolina, 103 tackles, three sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, a 64-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

3. Edge Rusher

The Ducks will be set if Uiagalelei and Tuioti come back, but if not, a player to watch is Florida edge rusher Jayden Woods, 6-3, 248 out of Mill Valley High in Shawnee, Kansas. As a freshman with the Gators he has three sacks and a forced fumble, 28 tackles.