Tracking Oregon’s biggest recruiting losses in the 2026 cycle so far

First as an assistant at Georgia and then as the head coach at Oregon, Dan Lanning has developed a reputation as one of the most dynamic recruiters in the country — someone capable of going into any room, anywhere, and convincing top-tier talent to follow him. And that reputation wasn't unearned: The Ducks have ranked in the top 10 in the final 247Sports team composite in each of his three full seasons in Eugene, including two top-five finishes in 2024 and 2025.

Lately, though, it's taken a bit of a hit, as one blue-chip recruit ... after another ... after another has spurned Oregon for another program. The most recent blow came on Tuesday, when five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons committed to BYU over the Ducks.

Admittedly, Lyons is a bit of a unique case; he's set to take an LDS mission after graduating high school, and he has several family members who have attended BYU. Falling short in a situation like this is certainly understandable.

But the reality is that this isn't an isolated incident, at least not in the most current recruiting cycle. It's still early, but 247 has Oregon ranked 34th in the country in their 2026 team rankings, with just nine players committed as of this writing. And to make matters worse, plenty of blue-chip talent has already told the Ducks thanks but no thanks.

Ryder Lyons is just the latest big recruiting whiff for Oregon in the 2026 cycle

You could build a pretty solid depth chart just from all the four- and five-star recruits that have either flipped from or just flat rejected Oregon in this cycle. Take a look at the list:

*Denotes recruits who flipped from an Oregon commitment

It's particularly problematic at the quarterback position. The Ducks don't currently have a QB commit in the class of 2026, and Lanning has now swung and missed on three of his top targets under center. Jonas Williams flipped from Oregon to USC back in February, and it seemed like the Ducks were trending in the right direction for No. 3 QB Jared Curtis before he eventually wound up with Georgia. While the cupboard isn't exactly bare — Austin Novosad and Akili Smith Jr. are both four-star recruits behind presumed starter (and former all-world recruit himself) Dante Moore — Lanning needs to add another passer to the roster if he wants to avoid the potential for a desperate situation a year or two from now.

And that's just the beginning of the trouble. Many of Oregon's recruiting losses so far in this cycle have come in the trenches, where Lanning has been most effective in establishing his program's identity. Of the six blue-chip recruits currently committed to the Ducks, only one plays along either line of scrimmage. And while there are mitigating factors in most if not all of these cases, taken together it's fair to wonder whether this constitutes a trend.

Should Oregon fans be concerned long-term about Dan Lanning's recruiting?

To be abundantly clear: We're not even in July yet. National signing day is still months away, and there's eons of time for Lanning and the Ducks to make up ground. Oregon is in great position for multiple big-time players, most importantly five-star o-lineman Immanuel Iheanacho. It's entirely possible that we look back at this a year from now and laugh at how short-sighted we were.

Still, there are larger reasons to wonder whether the Ducks' place in the sport's recruiting pecking order has been dinged a bit. The fact that Oregon has lost three different recruiting battles to USC in recent months is certainly eye-opening, given the overhaul that Lincoln Riley (and the institution at large) made to the Trojans' recruiting infrastructure this past offseason. It's not a coincidence that Lanning's surge out west coincided with a fallow period for SC, and a reemergence there could eat into the Ducks' advantage in California.

There's also the simple fact that the advent of NIL means the Phil Knight factor doesn't loom quite as large as it once did. There are plenty of boosters all around the country (many of whom, as we saw in the Bryce Underwood recruitment, work for or even run Fortune 500 companies) who are ready and willing to fire the money cannon at a recruit for the sake of their favorite school, and the perks that came with committing to Oregon aren't quite as unique as they once were.

The fact that the Ducks are still taking such big swings, and getting themselves deep into consideration for recruits in all parts of the country, is a sign of their relative strength. And the product on the field doesn't figure to hurt their case any time soon. But this is the most adversity we've seen Lanning face during his time as a head coach, and it'll be fascinating to see how he responds.