Latest news with #OregonFootball
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oregon Football: 2025 Ducks Season Preview and Prediction
Oregon Football: 2025 Ducks Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. An unbeaten run to the Big Ten title as first-year members of the league came crashing back to earth for Oregon with its lopsided College Football Playoff loss to a highly motivated, exceptionally talented Ohio State team. Given the loss of so many experienced contributors, the ceiling doesn't feel as high for this Oregon team as the 2024 group, but conference title contention and a playoff berth are the new standard for the Ducks under coach Dan Lanning. Advertisement [Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.] More Big Ten team previews: Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State Purdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | Wisconsin Previewing Oregon's Offense for 2025 After three years featuring a high-profile portal addition at quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks are expected to hand the keys to their offense to sophomore Dante Moore. He shared starting duties at UCLA in 2023 and then transferred to the school he originally committed to out of high school — Oregon. His physical gifts have never been questioned, and after a mental reset while redshirting last year, Moore has been drawing rave reviews from his new teammates. Advertisement He'll have a ton of weapons around him, including the top running back in the portal, Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes, who rushed for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns last season; a breakout star in tight end Kenyon Sadiq; and a receiver room led by dynamic freshman Dakorien Moore after Evan Stewart was lost indefinitely due to an offseason injury. A key will be getting an offensive line featuring four new starters to jell quickly, but all the newcomers are seniors. Related: Big Ten Predictions for 2025 Oregon QB Dante Moore | Ben Lonergan-Imagn Images Previewing Oregon's Defense for 2025 A school known for its offensive prowess has seen its defense begin to even the scales under head coach Dan Lanning. Given the losses on that side of the ball this offseason, that trend will be tested, as Oregon moves on without the likes of defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, linebacker Jeffrey Bassa and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. Advertisement The strength this season is on the edge, where Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti should form one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the country. Up the middle, the Ducks will need guys like Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington and Devon Jackson to come into their own as full-time contributors. The secondary is filled with new faces, led by Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman, but Oregon has been outstanding in recent years at integrating newcomers on the back end without a hitch. Oregon coach Dan Lanning | Ben Lonergan-Imagn Images Previewing Oregon's Specialists for 2025 Kicker Atticus Sappington and punter Ross James both are back in the fold, as is kickoff returner Noah Whittington. Gary Bryant Jr. will look to step into the shoes of punt returner Tez Johnson and also help replace him as a slot receiver along with the freshman Moore. Advertisement National Ranking: 9 More Big Ten team previews: Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State Purdue | Rutgers | UCLA | USC | Washington | Wisconsin Related: Big Ten Football 2025 Predictions Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2025 Related: College Football Top 136 Team Rankings for 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oregon secures Kobe Bryant's 5-star nephew commitment
The post Oregon secures Kobe Bryant's 5-star nephew commitment appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oregon football is adding its own 'Mamba Mentality' to Eugene for the 2026 class. The Ducks landed the five-star nephew of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Advertisement Oregon received a massive verbal commitment from Jett Washington Thursday — one of the nation's most coveted prospects. Washington narrowed his list down to Oregon, Alabama and USC nearly 24 hours before his decision. He became the latest high-profile recruit from national prep powerhouse Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. Washington gives the Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning a towering 6-foot-5 defensive back moving forward. He's the older son of Sharia Washington, one of Bryant's older sisters. Many colleges took a liking to Washington's game on the college football recruiting trail. Hence why 33 different universities offered the state of Nevada's top overall prospect. But he hands Lanning and the Big Ten champs a massive recruiting win. How did Oregon win over Kobe Bryant's nephew? Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images National recruiting analyst for 247Sports Blair Angulo got the chance to chat with Washington after his verbal commitment. How did Lanning and the Ducks win over the safety and linebacker? Turns out Washington cultivated his partnership with Oregon during one of its biggest wins of the 2024 regular season. Advertisement 'I've built a great relationship with them,' Washington told 247Sports. 'I went up there for the Ohio State game last season, and it's a place I could see myself at. My relationship with the coaches has been big.' Washington then articulated the scenery he experienced at Autzen Stadium. 'When you're there, you feel the energy,' Washington said. 'It's everywhere inside that building and just being around coach Dan Lanning, he's a defensive head coach and always involved in the defense, so you know you're going to get development.' Angulo adds Washington will be in a 'versatile role' in Eugene and not limited to safety. Advertisement 'There are talks of him being able to play boundary safety, hold over-the-top responsibilities, but he's also got a chance to be a major contributor in and around the box,' Angulo wrote. Oregon has ignited its June recruiting period. Four-star defensive lineman Cam Pritchett chose the Ducks over Tennessee and Clemson on June 2. Another four-star boosted the class 12 days later in wide receiver Messiah Hampton — New York's top prospect. The Ducks may not be through with landing five-stars. Quarterback Ryder Lyons makes his commitment June 24 with Oregon in the running. Related: Michigan football picks up prediction to land 4-star DB Related: Michigan football rumors: Why Bryce Underwood is 'clear favorite' to be starting QB
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oregon football way-too-early bold predictions for 2025 season
The post Oregon football way-too-early bold predictions for 2025 season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oregon football will have every Big Ten team gunning for the Ducks this fall. Including the defending national champion Ohio State. Advertisement The Ducks stood alone as the conference champion. All after officially joining the Big Ten last season. Oregon will attempt to dethrone OSU. But 17 conference foes want to snatch the top of the conference. Oregon walks into a much-hyped 2025 campaign. Featuring a loaded defense and a prized former five-star set to take over for Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks are even energizing fans with their recruiting results for the 2026 class. Including landing the prized nephew of the late Kobe Bryant, safety Jett Washington. Will this lead into a long-awaited national championship crown coming back to Eugene? Time to sort through the way-too-early predictions for the Ducks. Advertisement Dante Moore will become better than Dillon Gabriel Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images That's not hyperbole. Moore possesses more intriguing skills than his predecessor. And Gabriel established himself as a Heisman Trophy finalist in Eugene. Like Gabriel, Moore is another prized transfer. Though he came from Big Ten rival and former Pac-12 foe UCLA. The former five-star watched and learned from the decorated Gabriel. Oregon will unleash Moore. Offensive coordinator Will Stein will orchestrate mismatches using Moore's strong arm and athleticism. Stein is additionally known for giving his QBs freedom — the freedom to adjust at the line of scrimmage based on defensive looks. Advertisement But Stein runs a zone read and RPO offense that emphasizes quick strikes. Tailored made already for Moore. He once drew comparisons to Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott out of high school. Moore brings potential to follow Gabriel, Bo Nix and Justin Herbert as the next best Ducks QB. Oregon will turn to prized freshman early Moore isn't the only intriguing new starter. Oregon landed a prized newcomer on the college football recruiting trail who likely won't stand on the sidelines much. Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore will shark his way up the roster and play. Oregon must find its Tez Johnson replacement right away. And Moore is perfect to fill that void. Advertisement He's described as a RAC (run after catch) demon in his scouting report by 247Sports. Moore originally appeared to be heading to LSU in 2023. Yet Dan Lanning and the Ducks coaching staff managed to pull off the massive flip on Fourth of July of last year. Now the Ducks will aim to create new offensive fireworks from the speedy Duncanville WR. Moore will attempt to go deep right away with the cat-quick wideout. This edge rusher will garner NFL hype Oregon gets blessed with more than one season of Moore and Moore at QB/WR, respectively. But one talented defender will garner NFL hype and eventually place his name into the 2026 ringer. Advertisement Matayo Uiagalelei plastered quarterbacks to the ground with 10.5 sacks. That production plastered his name onto NFL Draft boards. Uiagalelei will do more than win over teams with his pass rushing. He's big and versatile enough to line up in multiple defensive line spots. The powerful 6-foot-5, 270-pounder will command top 10 attention if he improves his run defense. But he brings the tools and versatility to draw NFL personnel in to Eugene this fall. Oregon will be in Big Ten title mix, but won't repeat The conference will take the Ducks more seriously this time around. That includes the other former Pac-12 teams that crossed over. Advertisement Oregon brings enough returning talent to stay in the mix for the conference title. But Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan are three anticipated to pursue a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship. USC is rising as a dark horse Big Ten contender following an aggressive offseason of changes. The Ducks jump to 4-0 before the Nittany Lions trip them up. Oregon rebounds the following week by hosting Indiana. The Nov. 22 home contest against USC will come with conference title game/college football playoff implications. Oregon's ceiling is 10-2, still good enough to earn a postseason bid. They just enter a more competitive Big Ten this time around for the fall. Related: North Carolina football way-too-early bold predictions for 2025 season Related: 2026 WR chooses Alabama Crimson Tide over Penn State, Notre Dame
Reuters
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Oregon lands top prep safety, nephew of Kobe Bryant
June 20 - Oregon landed a commitment from five-star safety Jett Washington, a nephew of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant. Washington ranks as the No. 2 safety and No. 18 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class by 247 Sports. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect posted five interceptions and 38 tackles as a junior at Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman in 2024. Washington chose coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks after also paying visits to Southern California and Alabama. "I loved the way they treated me out there," Washington told ESPN. "My relationship with them has been going the right way ever since I started talking to them." Like his famous uncle, Washington also plays basketball and helped Bishop Gorman win the Nevada Class 5A state title this season. --Field Level Media
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5-star QB Ryder Lyons sets commitment date with Oregon Football among favorites
5-star QB Ryder Lyons sets commitment date with Oregon Football among favorites BREAKING: Five-Star QB Ryder Lyons will announce his Commitment on June 24th, he tells me for @on3recruits He's the Top Uncommitted QB in the 2026 Classhttps:// — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 19, 2025 The following week is going to be a busy one for Oregon Duck fans who follow high school recruiting. There are some high-profile prospects for whom the Ducks are in a good position to come off the board, and on Wednesday night, one of the most impactful players announced that he's joining the group set to announce his commitment in the coming days. That player is 5-star quarterback Ryder Lyons, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 13 player and No. 4 QB in the 2026 class. On Wednesday, Lyons announced that he will officially make his commitment on Tuesday, June 24, following his official visit to the BYU Cougars. Lyons took his visit to Oregon last week, and with his commitment reportedly coming down to the Ducks and Cougars, it makes sense that he wants to make his decision after this weekend. While Oregon is seen as a strong contender to land Lyons, based on their track record of developing QBs, the offensive system, and his relationship with offensive coordinator Will Stein, BYU is a huge threat here. Several reports show that the Cougars have offered a massive NIL deal for Lyons, who has strong ties to the morman community and is expected to take an LDS mission out of high school, delaying his freshman year until 2027. Ultimately, it's likely going to come down to which matters more for Lyons; a huge lump sum of money, or the opportunity to play for and be developed by the Ducks. Ultimately, we will find out next week where the 5-star is going to end up. 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.
