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Tuesday Ted Talk: The Summer of Dan is Approaching

by:Ted Leroux•05/06/25
Dan Lanning Washington
(Photo by: © Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Summer is a beautiful time of year, not only outside, but also on the Oregon recruiting trail under Dan Lanning. 

This spring has brought something that Oregon fans aren’t necessarily used to regardless of what time of year it is – multiple consecutive recruiting losses. Whether it’s been decommitments or losing out on the commitments of priority targets, it feels different – but what if it’s not different.  What if it’s just the calm before the summer storm again?

Oregon has signed back-to-back Top 5 classes, and believe it or not, spring was not the time where the Ducks made the dent. For example, last season saw every single one of Oregon’s top ten signees sign after May 10th, including 5 of them committed during the summer months of June, July and August. 

Although Jackson Cantwell is still technically on the board, I would be very surprised if he landed anywhere other than Georgia, which sets up the question – Can the 2025 “Summer of Dan” bring the same result as previous lucrative summers? I believe the answer is yes.

The first 2 reasons why I believe that are named Ryder Lyons and Immanuel Iheanacho. Oregon has been recruiting both of these prospects heavily for some time, but the emphasis on getting both of these 5-star players is only going to increase for the staff.

Following Immanuel’s recent visit to Oregon he named the Ducks as his leader. In addition to that, 3 On3 industry experts logged predictions for Oregon to land Ryder Lyons. These 2 are building blocks that could kick off a sizzling summer, and when we talk about the kickoff to summer, keep two dates in mind – June 13th & June 20th. 

June 13th already features Messiah Hampton and Tommy Tofi coming onto campus, and with Ryder Lyons having a June 20th visit to USC, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the 5-Star Folsom, CA quarterback end up in Eugene on that particular weekend. Speaking of June 20th, this date will see big time targets like Brandon Arrington, Immanuel Iheanacho, Jireh Edwards, and Jalen Lott all on campus for official visits.

That may seem like a lot of elite level prospects, but really it’s only just the beginning. Defensive backs Davon Benjamin and Jett Washington are Top 40 players that seem like Duck leans, Top 50 Sierra Canyon EDGE Richard Wesley has a Steve Wiltfong prediction logged to Oregon, Top 100 OT Kelvin Obot has the Ducks in his final 5 and Wilftong has described Oregon as “the front runner in much of Obot’s process”. 

Keep in mind, Oregon sealing the deal is going to be very difficult in a handful of these battles, but the fact of the matter is simple, there is plenty of food left on the table. There may be a few big turkey legs off of Oregon’s recruiting plate, but there are plenty more options to have the Ducks quacking when it really matters – December.

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