5-star WR Gatlin Bair commits to Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning: ‘That’s the guy you want to play for’ 

Michigan was the runner-up when Burley (Idaho) Burley Senior five-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair committed to Boise State on Aug. 5. However, Oregon was still in the mix when the 6-foot-1.5, 195-pound wideout made that decision. 

Eventually, Bair backed off his pledge to the Broncos and focused his recruitment on the Ducks and Wolverines. He started leaning towards Oregon following the departures of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and director of strength and conditioning Ben Herbert – who Bair called “one of the biggest draws to Michigan” – and gradually realized that he wanted to be in Eugene. As a result, Bair made that feeling official by announcing his commitment to Oregon and head coach Dan Lanning. 

“The stars started to align with Oregon after coach Lanning didn’t take the Texas A&M job,” Bair told On3. “That’s when the tide started to shift in my mind a little bit, along with (former Boise State head) coach (Andy) Avalos getting fired. One of my priorities is stability. Then, coach Lanning didn’t take the Alabama job and that’s when I was like, ‘Alright, he’s really not going anywhere…’ For my time there, he’s going to be at Oregon. Anything can happen, but I think he’s one of the most stable coaches in college football. He doesn’t want to be anywhere else. He’s really got my trust from that standpoint.” 

Bair believes Lanning can lead Oregon to a national championship 

Bair, who will take a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling, has visited the Ducks’ campus multiple times, including for an official visit on the weekend of June 17. According to Bair, Lanning and his staff never stopped recruiting him, even when he was committed to the Broncos. 

As Bair got to know Lanning more, the No. 1 player in Idaho was impressed by Oregon’s head man’s career as a coach in college football and how much he and his family enjoy being in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2024 On300 believes that Lanning is locked in on bringing a title to Oregon and is “attacking it like nobody else is.” 

“I don’t think there’s another coach in college football that has the ambition that he has,” said Bair, the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. “When you talk to him, you can tell that he wants it really bad. He wants to win a national championship really bad. I would say at some point in the next little while, Oregon is going to win a national championship because I don’t think anybody wants it as bad as him. He’s just got that look in his eye. He does a ton more than a lot of other head coaches do, which is super impressive. That’s the guy you want to play for.”

Bair also trusts in Oregon’s staff both on and off the field

During the 2023 season, Oregon had one of the top offenses in the country with wide receivers such as Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson. Their success, along with the chance to develop under Ducks co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Junior Adams, has Bair excited to play at Autzen Stadium on Saturdays. 

“Coach Adams has a track record of coaching really great receivers,” Bair said. “He coached a lot of those guys at Washington. He recruited Puka (Nacua). Coach Adams coached Cooper Kupp. He knows what he’s doing… That’s one of the biggest draws to Oregon, as well. It’s the player development for receivers and then, how well they utilize them.” 

Meanwhile, Bair – who is also a talented track athlete – was impressed by the Ducks’ commitment to strength and conditioning. He specifically cited the hire of director of speed and performance Kyle Bolton, who Bair got to know at TCU when he was serving as the Horned Frogs’ assistant director of football human performance. Bair has also interacted with head football strength and conditioning coach Wilson Love. 

“He’s one of my favorite coaches,” Bair said of Bolton. “I really liked TCU’s strength staff as well and he came from there, so I feel really confident in him.” 

“The more I talk to coach Love, the more I trust him,” he added. “The first time I sat with him, he was so energetic. He cares about the players a ton… We got on probably three or four Zooms and got to talk about training. The more I talked to him, the more I started to realize that he is an exceptional strength coach.”