Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have landed a major announcement from a five-star recruit.
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have put together and incredible recruiting class for 2026, and they are already making inroads on 2027.
Oregon has been pursuing five-star edge rusher Anthony Sweeney, and with Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti both set to leave the Ducks for the NFL after next season, Lanning could definitely use some reinforcements at the position.
Well, Oregon received some good news on that front this week, as Sweeney revealed that the Ducks are one of the top 12 teams he is considering, via Hayes Fawcett of On 3. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas Tech were among the others.
Sweeney is the third-ranked edge rusher and the 18th-ranked player nationally in the class of 2027, via 247 Sports' composite rankings. He is also the top-ranked player in the state of Maryland.
Should the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Sweeney — who had received 40 offers in total — commit to Oregon, it would mark the Ducks' second edge rusher commit of the 2027 class, as Sam Ngata recently made his decision to head to Eugene.
Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning. Credit: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Sweeney does not have a commitment date set at the current point in time, so he certainly has a long way to go before finalizing anything. But the fact that Oregon is one of his favorites is obviously a great sign.
The Ducks have registered back-to-back 13-win campaigns, but were routed in the College Football Playoff both seasons. Last year, Oregon was blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and earlier this month, the Ducks were eviscerated by Indiana in the Peach Bowl.
In spite of the embarrassing CFP losses, Lanning has done a tremendous job since taking over at Oregon in 2022, having gone 48-8 thus far. He has frequently landed top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, and he has also been elite in roster-building as a whole.
With Dante Moore deciding to forego the NFL Draft to return to the Ducks in 2026, next year could finally be the year Oregon gets over the hump.
Of course, the Ducks will face some stiff competition, especially a Big Ten that includes some powerhouse schools. But Oregon has been able to prove it was not merely a product of the former Pac-12.