CFB recruiting news: Oregon skirts WRU with 5-star, Mizzou rolls, LSU addresses issue

Always be 'crootin'. If you're not, then somebody else is. In a never-ending arms race, do you have the dudes or not to withstand the brutal road to glory that is major college football? For Power Two head coaches like Dan Lanning, Eliah Drinkwitz and Brian Kelly, recruiting is all the rage for them and has never been more paramount. It is why Oregon, Missouri and LSU were winners on the Fourth of July.

Although Lanning has the best team entering the 2024 college football season, it would not shock me if Missouri and LSU made it into the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as at-large teams this season. The SEC is incredibly top-heavy, but we could be looking at upwards of five or six teams making it into the expanded postseason format for this year. You have to like where they are trending.

Right now, these moves being made in recruitment are all about sustaining winning beyond 2024. Oregon, Missouri and LSU all picked up notable names in the 2025 recruiting cycle over the Fourth of July. They are not the only programs to have landed players of note on this past national holiday, but what Lanning, Drinkwitz and Kelly were able to accomplish certainly moved the needle. Great job, y'all!

Let's start with Oregon outmaneuvering the likes of Ohio State and Texas to land a top-tier five-star.

Oregon Ducks land No. 1 wide receiver in 2025 cycle in Dakorien Moore

What a huge get for the Ducks! Oregon secured the five-star commitment from Dakorien Moore. According to the 247Sports Composite, Moore is the No. 1 player from Texas, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 3 overall prospect for this cycle. The Duncanville, Texas native picked the Ducks over Texas, LSU and Ohio State, with the former being the biggest loser in all of this.

Here is the graphic from On3's Hayes Fawcett letting everyone know that Moore is Oregon-bound.

Even though Lanning is a defensive-minded head coach, his Ducks have been defined by their explosive offense over the last two years. Although Kenny Dillingham only lasted a year before taking over at his alma mater of Arizona State, Will Stein returns with a ton of promise as a second-year offensive coordinator. Moore may not play for Stein, who could be a Power Four head coach in 2025.

Overall, we have to recognize Oregon has leveled up as a recruiting power in the dawn of NIL. All that Phil Knight Nike money is paying the Ducks out in dividends. Despite not having a ton of talent in-state, Oregon has the right financial backing and the right face of the program in Lanning to compete in recruitment on a national level. As long as Lanning stays, Oregon shall be a West Coast behemoth.

Lanning landing Moore gives him even more firepower entering his third year at the helm in Eugene.

Missouri Tigers pick up former Ohio State WR commit Jayvan Boggs

For as big as it was for Oregon to land Dakorien Moore on the Fourth of July, the same thing can be said about Missouri gaining Jayvan Boggs' four-star commitment at wide receiver. According to the 247Sports Composite, Boggs is the No. 24 wide receiver in this class, the No. 29 player from Florida and the No. 211 prospect in this class. The Cocoa, Florida native had been committed to Ohio State.

Boggs picked Mizzou over Georgia, USC and UCF. Here is the graphic from On3 to show us what's up.

Although the St. Louis area is full of talent, Missouri has to go about recruiting its players in a different manner. It may not have the brand of say Oregon on a national scope, but just like Dan Lanning, Eliah Drinkwitz has the right feel to be the one to return Mizzou football to glory. The Tigers getting guys that teams like Georgia, Ohio State and USC want is a huge deal. Boggs could play early in two years.

While I remain skeptical of Missouri's ability to ever get on Oregon's level, the Tigers can be a 10-win program under Drinkwitz's watch going forward. SEC expansion has done away with antiquated divisions, meaning Missouri won't have to play Georgia every year going forward. As long as Drinkwitz finds ways to win the games he should, he can be every bit as successful as Gary Pinkel once was.

Getting Boggs' commitment at this stage of the cycle is huge, as so many other teams wanted him.

LSU Tigers get beefier in the trenches with 4-star DL Zion Williams

Not to be confused with New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson, but Louisiana just got a whole lot beefier. The LSU Tigers landed the four-star commitment of defensive tackle Zion Williams. According to the 247Sports Composite, Williams is the No. 33 defensive lineman in his class, the No. 43 player from Texas and the No. 298 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Good get for LSU.

Here is a video Williams released over on X from the Fourth of July announcing his commitment.

The Lufkin, Texas native took official visits to Arkansas, Texas A&M and TCU as well as to LSU. While all four programs could have used him, LSU is in the best spot of all four by a considerable margin. Brian Kelly has the Tigers on the cusp of playoff contention, while Arkansas, Texas A&M and TCU all struggled massively last season. The Hogs and the Horned Frogs were not even bowl-eligible teams.

Overall, this is exactly why Kelly left Notre Dame to come to LSU this late into his coaching career. He wants to win, and he wants to win big. While he is a hall-of-fame-level coach already, there was always a ceiling with what he could do at Notre Dame. LSU has just as rich of a football tradition, but this job does not have anywhere close to the amount of restrictions in place in South Bend. They have none.

If LSU can get nastier on defense, we may see Kelly win a national championship before he retires.