Oregon flips 4-star TE Vander Ploog from Washington

Washington built strong relationships with Vander Ploog. He felt good when he was in Seattle. The four-star tight end out of Fullerton (Calif.) Troy committed to the Huskies in June, but Oregon offered in August, the Ducks got him on campus a couple of times this fall and the No. 218 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking has flipped his commitment.

“The staff is a huge reason,” Ploog told On3. “The connection that they have with each other and the players was a big part of my decision. The offense that they run is tight end heavy and I can see myself playing in it too. They are a Nike school, I grew up wearing strictly Nike so this seems to be a fit.”

In recent weeks, Oregon turned up the heat on Ploog too. He recently measured in at 6-7, 230-pounds on a visit in Eugene. They wanted him. He wants to be part of their program and he is excited about what he gets to be a part of.

“Coach Dan Lanning is incredibly smart and the way that he is running the program is something unmatched. The mentality he coaches with is something that is super unique and the atmosphere is crazy. After the Ohio State game, the expectations were really high, and even for Illinois they packed the stadium out.”

Ploog is looking for to learning from and playing for Drew Mehringer too.

“They are really big on using their tight ends in different ways and getting them the ball no matter what. They have faith that with my body type and their coaching and scheme we are able to do special things.”

Oregon is getting a playmaker in Ploog

“Vander Ploog is a prospect On3 has been higher than the industry on for the majority of the cycle,” On3’s Director of Scouting Charles Power said. “He’s one of the more productive pass-catching tight ends in the 2025 cycle with 28 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons.

“Ploog is a big target who primarily lines up as an outside wide receiver at the high school level. He’s a mismatch against smaller corners and shows the ability to go up and win jump balls. He’s also a good athlete at around 6-foot-6, 215 pounds. We see the athleticism on the basketball court, as well. Ploog will need to continue adding weight an strength to become a complete tight end, but the pass catching skill is advanced and points to mismatch ability at the college level.”