Why Oregon came out winners in spring transfer portal

The Oregon Ducks were the big winners in the spring transfer portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Since we’re through the spring window and finally able to see rosters take shape, for the most part, the Ducks clearly did the best job. A combination of transfers plus Dan Lanning’s elite high school recruiting, Oregon is set up for its first year in the Big Ten.

In fact, Nakos took it a step further, saying Oregon didn’t stop winning all offseason.

I’d say Oregon’s the biggest winner of the spring and winter window combined,” Nakos said on Andy Staples On3. “And the reason why I would say that is because they knew they needed a quarterback. They got Dillon Gabriel, one of the top three available in the winter. And then I mean, Dan Lanning has continued to recruit at Oregon at a really high level.

“So when you pair probably one of the better portal classes with a roster full of four and five stars, I mean, Oregon has so much depth heading into 2024. And I think that this season is, you and I have talked about so much already, is really going to show what roster construction is going to look like in the future because of the 12-team playoff and what it takes to make a run.”

Staples was a big fan of Oregon adding to the offensive line. With big boys like that, the Ducks certainly improved its talent in the trench to compete in the Big Ten.

“It felt like they kind of been building to this,” Staples said. “They probably had the best roster in the Pac-12 in the last two seasons, (although they) did not win it. Now they go into the Big Ten where Ohio State’s got the best roster, let’s be real about this. And then obviously Michigan’s is very good. But Oregon does look like they can compete and like you said it is a good mixture. Like their Offensive Tackles. You’ve got Josh Conerly who was Dan Lanning’s first big out of high school recruit when  he got hired. 

“And then you’ve got Ajani Cornelius, who’s kind of the classic transfer portal story of he was at Rhode Island, blew up. Now he’s played a season in Oregon. He’s got that experience under his belt too. And he’s clearly an NFL guy so yeah, I can’t wait to see what that roster looks like against the Ohio State’s and the Michigan’s.”