Dan Lanning cites persistency and consistency as key to landing Elijah Rushing

In October, Dan Lanning and Oregon landed the biggest piece of their highly touted recruiting class when Elijah Rushing committed. The four-star EDGE made it official on National Signing Day, signing his Letter of Intent with the Ducks.

It wasn’t an easy road for Oregon to land Rushing, though. He committed to Arizona in July before eventually de-committing in early October. But Lanning and the Ducks continued their pursuit, and it culminated in a commitment on Oct. 29 and Wednesday’s signing.

Lanning told On3’s Andy Staples there were two keys to bringing Rushing to Oregon. It came down to staying diligent and not wavering in the desire for Rushing’s commitment.

“Persistency and consistency,” Lanning said. “We stayed consistent with him over time and recognized a guy that not only has the physical attributes and the character that we want in our program, but the eagerness to learn, the excitement to get better and better each day. I think this guy’s really excited about what he can become in this program.

“You see a talented player that has a ton of upside, is already performing at a really high level. But when you combine that with great coaching, that’s where the development takes place.”

How Dan Lanning, Oregon balance the transfer portal with high school recruiting

Elijah Rushing is the biggest piece of Oregon’s class. A product of Salpointe Catholic (AZ) High School, he came in as the No. 38 overall player from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the latest injection of talent to the roster, which will also have two high-profile transfers coming aboard.

Oregon landed Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore — the Nos. 5 and 6-ranked players in the transfer portal so far this cycle, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings — and hold the No. 6 overall recruiting class as of 6:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

Lanning sounds happy with the players making their way to Oregon ahead of the Ducks’ move to the Big Ten. But he also pointed out the balancing act the staff has to perform with the portal and high school recruiting.

“I’m really excited about the guys we have coming in,” Lanning said on Big Ten Network. “I think more than anything, people realize the success that our players have had since they’ve been here and since our staff’s been here. We’re always looking to add top-notch talent that can, again, add to our team.

“We’ve been really good in the portal so far and we’ve been really good in high school recruiting. I think when you have a great balance there, it gives you an opportunity to develop a great team.”