Latest news with #OhioGatoradePlayeroftheYear
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What's next for Oregon Football at QB position after 5-star Ryder Lyons' announcement?
On Tuesday morning, the Oregon Ducks saw the second 5-star quarterback in the 2026 class list them as a finalist in their recruitment, and then chose another school in the end. Earlier this spring, it was 5-star Jared Curtis who chose the Georgia Bulldogs over the Ducks, while Tuesday saw 5-star Ryder Lyons choose the BYU Cougars over Oregon. While unfortunate and somewhat frustrating for fans, it's admittedly not the end of the world. Lyons may be in the 2026 class, but because of a post-high school LDS mission, he won't be enrolling until 2027. Still, losing Lyons means that the Ducks need to land another passer in the 2026 class to keep their QB room full and stocked with talent. There are a couple of names on the board, and a broader conversation to be had about what the future of recruiting for the position looks like. Let's start with some names to know in the immediate future. 4-star QB Bryson Beaver Oregon was in early on former Boise State Broncos commit Bryson Beaver, who opened up his recruitment a couple of weeks ago after receiving an Oregon offer, and has since seen his recruitment blow up. In that time, Beaver has received multiple offers from SEC schools like Ole Miss, LSU, and Auburn, and has been named one of the top players at the Elite 11 Finals. While Oregon may have been in on him early, it's looking like landing him may be more difficult than originally anticipated. The Ducks are still the leader in the clubhouse to get Beaver at the moment, but his recruitment could go on a couple more months and into the season, so it's one to keep tabs on. 4-star Matt Ponatoski Another name to know is Matt Ponatoski, a 4-star recruit out of Ohio who is just as good, if not better, at baseball than he is football. Earlier this year, Ponatoski accomplished a rare feat, winning the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year for both football and baseball, which is something that has been done in two sports by only three players in the last 40 years: Ponatoski, Randy Moss, and Matt Bauer. While there is an expectation that Ponatoski will announce his commitment between Oregon and the Kentucky Wildcats later this week, questions remain about his future. As such a highly-touted baseball prospect, a future exists where he gets drafted highly in the MLB draft this year, and doesn't end up playing any college football, choosing to go straight to the minor leagues out of high school. Because of this he may be viewed as a riskier QB prospect than Beaver for the Ducks' case. The Future of Oregon QBs While it is currently up in the air who Oregon is going to get at QB in this class, there should be some confidence that Dan Lanning and Will Stein will secure somebody before all is said and done. Where they fit into the future plans is a different question. Either Dante Moore or Austin Novosad will be the starting QB in 2025, and it's fair to assume that the QB1 this season will stay on as the QB1 in 2026 as well. Then in 2027, the job is open once again for anyone to grab. So who will that be? Your answer depends entirely on your confidence level in the guys currently in the room. It could be Luke Moga or Akili Smith Jr., both of whom came to Oregon as solid recruits with a plan to develop in the system. It could be Beaver, Ponatoski, or an unnamed QB in the 2026 class who sits for a year in 2026 and then beats at the others for the starting job in 2027. It also could be that Oregon chooses to go back into the transfer portal for a year and get their passer that way, hoping that a QB they get in the 2027 class can develop behind them and take over down the road. No matter what happens, it's become entirely clear that the Ducks have a lot of talented individuals in the QB room, and a great track record of developing those players into stars. Whoever ends up stepping in as the QB1 in 2025, 2026, 2027, and beyond should garner the utmost confidence from the fanbase as Lanning and Stein build this program out into the future. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- General
- USA Today
Oregon Football QB target Matt Ponatoski joins Randy Moss with rare accomplishment
Oregon Football QB target Matt Ponatoski joins Randy Moss with rare accomplishment Dan Lanning has demonstrated a trend of recruiting dual-sport athletes over the past few years and utilizing players who specialize in sports other than football for the Oregon Ducks. We've seen this most notably with linebacker Bryce Boettcher, who was drafted by the Houston Astros last year, and 5-star tight end commit Kendre Harrison is another example, excelling in both football and basketball. It appears that the Ducks are after another elite dual-sport athlete in 4-star QB Matt Ponatoski. On Tuesday, it was announced that Ponatoski accomplished a rare feat, winning the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year for both football and baseball. According to WCPO's Mike Dyer, Ponatoski is one of only three players to ever accomplish this in the 40 years that Gatorade has been giving out the awards, joining Randy Moss (football and basketball) and Matt Bauer (football and baseball). Last week it was announced that Ponatoski — the No. 293 player and No. 22 QB in the class — will take an official visit to Oregon on June 20. That will be a massive weekend for the Ducks, with 5-star OT Immanuel Iheanacho, 5-star TE Mark Bowman, 5-star TE Kendre Harrison, and 5-star ATH Jalen Lott all in town as well. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State commit Marcus Johnson named Mr. Basketball and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year
Ohio State commit Marcus Johnson named Mr. Basketball and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year Ohio State basketball commit, Marcus Johnson was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio and Gatorade Player of the Year in the state on Thursday. Out of Garfield Heights in Cleveland, Johnson is rated as the No. 29 player and 6th point guard in the class of 2026 according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He committed to the Buckeyes last April over teams like Alabama, Villanova, and Illinois. Johnson's Garfield Heights team made it all the way to the Division III State Final Four this past season but lost to Louisville in heartbreaking fashion, 49-48 in the state semifinal. He averaged 23 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2 steals per game during the 2024-2025 campaign for the Bulldogs. Johnson is the cousin of current Ohio State guard, Meechie Johnson Jr., but the older Johnson left the team in the midst of the season for personal reasons. His return and future is still unknown, so it's still up in the air if there will be a family connection on the court in the near future. Johnson is in the class of 2026 but contemplating a reclassification to graduate in the class of 2025 and join the OSU program a year early. We'll stay on top of that situation as information is made available.
