Predicting Oregon's 2026 Recruiting Class: Who Will The Ducks Sign?

RECRUITING FOOTBALL

4/3/20255 min read

Oregon finished the 2025 cycle with a top-5 recruiting class and the highest average rating per commit. While the class was a bit small, with just 19 signees, the Ducks still boasted the nation’s top average rating per player. Looking ahead to 2026, Oregon’s class is expected to be a little larger — and it has the potential to be even better than 2025. Here are my predictions for how Oregon’s 2026 class will finish. I have no idea how accurate this will be, but I thought it would be a fun exercise. Come signing day, I might look back at this and see just how far off I was.

Quarterbacks

5-star Jared Curtis

Reasoning: Oregon has been the team with the momentum for a while now, but Georgia still remains a threat. There isn’t much more behind this pick — Oregon has a great shot to land him, and I'm counting on the staff's ability to close. If Oregon does miss on him, I expect them to land Ryder Lyons.

Running Backs

4-stars Tradarian Ball and TJ Hodges

Reasoning: Tradarian Ball has already shut his recruitment down, so I think that's enough reasoning for him. As for Hodges, I'm taking a little leap of faith. He will take an OV with Oregon June 20–22, so the Ducks get the last OV before he likely announces. Also, we know Oregon has been recruiting Deshonne Redeaux, but he looks USC-bound. Rashaad Samples will try to sign two RBs, and I think Hodges is the best bet of the options still on the table.

Wide Receivers

4-stars Messiah Hampton, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, and Jalen Lott

Reasoning: Oregon is still the team to beat for Lott, so there's that. Oregon had been the clear leader for Dixon-Wyatt, but Ohio State is making things interesting after a recent visit. I still like the Ducks to get it done. He is expected back this spring, and then Oregon gets the final OV. For Hampton, the Ross Douglas hire instantly catapulted the Ducks into his top three. He was (and still might be) on campus yesterday, and he has an OV scheduled for June 13–15, although the date could change. It's still a little early in his recruitment, but Oregon has more than a legit chance to land him.

Tight Ends

5-star Kendre Harrison

Reasoning: Well, Kendre has already shut his recruitment down, so he's locked in. I thought about adding Mark Bowman or Brock Harris, but I think Oregon is sitting third at best for both. Harris is committing on April 7th, but I'm not expecting Oregon. It sounds like Oregon hasn't been pushing too hard for him. As for Bowman, Oregon has a real shot with him, but with Kendre being committed, I don't think Oregon will ultimately land Bowman.

Offensive Line

Tackles: 5-stars Kodi Greene and Jackson Cantwell

Interior: 4-stars Tommy Tofi and Kannon Smith

Reasoning: Kodi Greene is still taking visits, but I expect him to ultimately stick with the Ducks. There’s also a very high chance that Oregon lands either Jackson Cantwell or Immanuel Iheanacho — and as of now, my money is on Cantwell. He’s only visited once, but it did wonders, and he will return for his OV June 20–22. As for the interior, Oregon has been the team to beat for Tofi for a long time, and with Smith, his recent visit seemed to significantly help Oregon. Grant Wise committed to Clemson, and Oregon could now be shifting to Smith. I don’t think Oregon leads for him yet, but I think they can get it done.

Defensive Line

4-stars Tony Cumberland and Viliami Moala, 3-star Nemyah Telona

Reasoning: After Tom Tom and Mulitalo decommitted, Oregon has some work to do with its defensive line class. Cumberland and Moala have both transferred to play their high school ball in Oregon, so seeing either of them decommit would be a major shock. As for Telona, Oregon will be tough to beat as long as they push for him. Landing these three would still make for a solid class, but there's room for another top guy. Deuce Geralds would be an incredible get, but he hasn’t even been on campus yet, so it’s hard to tell where the Ducks stand. We’ll see how this plays out — do not count out Tom Tom coming back if USC has a down year again.

Edge Rusher

4-stars Derek Colman-Brusa, Calvin Thomas, and 3-star Dutch Horisk

Reasoning: Oregon has been the team leading the pack for Colman-Brusa for a long time now, and Horisk is already committed and is back in town this weekend. As for Thomas, he's a name we haven't heard much about. Oregon quickly jumped up his list after offering him last month, and he plans to visit this spring. The bigger reason I added him is because, in this projection, I have the Ducks missing out on both Talanoa Ili and Richard Wesley. You might think I'm crazy, but I'm starting to like the way it's shaping up for USC and Ili. As for Wesley, I was VERY close to adding him in this prediction, but I think, at the end of the day, with the other recruits I have listed in this class, it would cost a lot of NIL that I believe Oregon might use elsewhere. But as of now, Oregon is at worst No. 2 in his recruitment. Because of that, this is the pick I'm least confident in.

Linebackers

4-stars Tristan Phillips and Kenneth Goodwin

Reasoning: Phillips is already committed and has shown no signs of flipping. As for Goodwin, he's more of an educated guess. I expect Oregon to sign two linebackers, and out of Tyler Atkinson, Nick Abrams, and Kenneth Goodwin, I think Goodwin is the most likely — although I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being Abrams. Georgia is the team to beat for Goodwin, but Oregon will get him on campus again later this month. Oregon is in the top 2–3 for Atkinson, but beating out Georgia will be very tough at the end of the day. He is expected to take an OV with the Ducks, though, so it’s still possible.

Cornerbacks

5-star Elbert Hill and 4-star Khary Adams

Reasoning: This is probably the hardest position to predict. Oregon is in a battle to land Hill, but Oregon still might have the edge for him. Alabama, Ohio State, and USC are very much big threats in that recruitment, but I have faith Oregon can go into Ohio and pull this off, like they did with Trey McNutt last cycle. As for Adams, I don't beleive he's been on campus yet, but that will change as he will be in Eugene later this month and then again for his OV from June 20-22. This is another one where i'm taking a leap of faith, but Oregon seems to already be inside his top-3, and he hasnt even visited yet. I think the Ducks have a good shot to pull this off.

Safeties

5-star Jett Washington and 4-stars Xavier Lherisse and Davon Benjamin

Reasoning: Lherisse is already committed and hasn’t shown any signs of flipping. I very nearly put Jireh Edwards here instead of Washington, but Oregon seems to be surging in Washington’s recruitment. He will take an OV and will likely make it out this spring too, and I think the Ducks have a good shot to land him. As for Benjamin, USC is making this very interesting, and it wouldn’t be totally surprising to see him commit to USC — but he has the best relationships with Oregon, and the Ducks have had their foot on the gas for a very long time. There’s definitely a world where Oregon lands Jireh Edwards and misses out on someone else on this list, but for now, this is my prediction.

Class Size: 24