Published Dec 7, 2024
National Signing Day Team Spotlight: No. 1 Oregon
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

National Signing Day has come and gone and while the 2025 class is not finished since there is a late signing period in February as well, most of the action happened this week.

Rivals is breaking down each Top 25 recruiting class and we start today with No. 1 Oregon.

MORE DUCKS: Oregon's 2025 recruiting class

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WHAT WENT RIGHT ...

What didn’t go right? Oregon not only had a phenomenal class throughout the recruiting cycle but the Ducks finished incredibly well by flipping in-state, four-star OL Zac Stascausky from Washington, flipping four-star linebacker Gavin Nix from Miami and maybe most importantly flipping four-star quarterback Jaron Sagapolutele from Cal.

The Ducks also added four-star DE Tobi Haastrup, who has a massively high ceiling, and flipped back four-star brick wall offensive lineman Alai Kalaniuvalu, who was pledged to Oregon then flipped to BYU only to flip back to the Ducks.

But the biggest win of signing day – and slightly unexpected – came when five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord flipped from Ohio State and not to Auburn but to Oregon.

It was a monumental finish for the Ducks, who could finish as the first No. 1 team from the northern part of the country in Rivals history.

WHAT WENT WRONG ...

As strong as Oregon’s class is, the Ducks could have had an even bigger finish if everything fell their way. In the end, it came down to USC and LSU for five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart but the Ducks were one of the favorites for a long time.

Oregon was also looking for an elite tight end for the cherry on top but didn’t land Linkon Cure, who stuck with Kansas State, nor Andrew Olesh, who flipped from Michigan to Penn State.

Still, there was good news at the tight end spot in Oregon’s top class as the Ducks flipped four-star Vander Ploog from Washington late in the process.

PARTING PREDICTION ...

Prediction: Coach Dan Lanning will turn Oregon into Georgia 2.0.

This class is a monster step in that direction. On every level on both sides of the ball, the Ducks are bringing in elite talent as Sagapolutele could be a lefty Marcus Mariota. The best receiver in the class by far, Dakorien Moore, signed with the Ducks. Two stone-walling offensive linemen Douglas Utu and Kalaniuvalu join the team. On the back end Offord and fellow five-star Trey McNutt are elite.

Lanning coached at Georgia and he coached at Alabama. He knows the blueprint and he’s executing it in Eugene.