5 Tobias Merriweather transfer destinations that could unlock Top 100 recruit's potential
By John Buhler
3. Oregon Ducks were tied to Tobias Merriweather out of high school
Oregon feels like a fairly strong dark horse to land Merriweather in the transfer portal. He was recruited by the Ducks out of high school, but keep in mind that Oregon was in the midst of a coaching change at the helm when Merriweather was coming out. Dan Lanning may be a defensive-minded head coach, but he knows offense, as illustrated by his two great coordinator hires of note.
Lanning did phenomenal things with Kenny Dillingham as his offensive coordinator last year before the Phoenix area native took over his alma mater's program at Arizona State. Without skipping a beat, Lanning then hired former UTSA offensive coordinator Will Stein, who has flourished with Bo Nix as the Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the final Pac-12 Championship Game ever on Friday night.
What makes Oregon not the favorite to land him has everything to do with the Ducks' quarterback room next year. Nix has been sensational for the Ducks the last two years, but he will be turning pro, as this is his last season of collegiate eligibility. Oregon may dip into the transfer portal again, but the uncertainty at the position group makes it challenging to see the Ducks landing him out of the portal.
Regardless, I still do consider Oregon a decent candidate to land Merriweather because of Lanning.