With a star QB returning, championship dreams loom, but a low newcomer ranking and massive roster turnover cast doubt on Oregon's 2026 title hopes.
Oregon quickly became one of the favorites to win the 2026 College Football Playoff national championship following quarterback Dante Moore's announcement that he would return for another season in Eugene.
Moore was expected to be the second quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, only behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in April.
Quarterback is the most important position in football, so having Moore certainly increases the chances of the Ducks returning to the CFP for a third consecutive season.
However, as was evidenced in Oregon's losses to Indiana last season, it takes a roster to win big games.
ESPN's Craig Hubert and Billy Tucker recently ranked Oregon as having the No. 10 newcomer class before the 2026 season.
Here's who they have as the key incoming players for Oregon.
Top Oregon recruits:
- OT Immanuel Iheanacho
- TE‑Y Kendre' Harrison
- RB Tradarian Ball
- WR Jalen Lott
- S Jett Washington
Top Ducks Transfers:
- QB Dylan Raiola
- S Koi Perich
- TE‑H Andrew Olesh
- DT D'Antre Robinson
When speaking to reporters about the 2026 class in December, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning argued that his coaching staff attempts to bring in freshman recruits who can contribute early in their career.
"But you're always looking for guys that can go make an impact," Lanning said, via 247Sports. "That by no means means 100 percent of the players that come here are gonna go make an immediate impact. I think that's really hard to do, especially at a good program.
"But when you go sign players and you develop players and you grow them to be really talented guys that are really important parts of your team--the goal next year is to go find players that are better than them and make the competition on the team even better and stronger."
How those freshman contribute will be a key factor in how far the Ducks go in the upcoming season.
ESPN is ranking Oregon's newcomers rather low for a program that has national championship ambitions in 2026.
While the Ducks have key talent like Moore returning, the program is set to have approximately 10 players drafted in April, and more could join league teams for OTAs as undrafted free agents.
That's a lot of turnover for Oregon. Development with two new coordinators will be key.