no doubt that the program owes an enormous thank you to Uncle Phil for his generosity. From what I've been told though, Oregon is absolutely not at the level of the highest paying of NIL schools and further that they suppliment what money's their big donors put in with one of the largest networks of small donors of any program. Their alumni are especially engaged. What that means is that top recruits are choosing Oregon now more then ever not because they're taking the most money they're offered but because they can get a competitive offer while going to Oregon instead of the traditional blue blood schools. STOMP
Coaching Coaching Coaching. There are a lot of teams who will offer recruits money, but who they choose always comes down to the coaches. Mark Helfrich was a smart guy and a decent coach. He got them to the Championship game. But does anyone in their right mind think the top recruits would be lining up to come to Oregon if he was still the HC....regardless of Phil's money?
given the choice and all important things (like $$$ & coaching) being relatively equal, would you rather live in Eugene or Tuscaloosa or Ann Arbor or Columbus Ohio or etc? Oregon has had some great coaches in the past, but none of them were able to recruit like this. I like Lanning & his staff plenty & recognize that they are a draw, but the NIL era has changed the landscape for Oregon helping to make them a viable option. What they haven't done is outright buy recruits with absurd sums like USC, Michigan & Tennessee have done with recent high level prospects STOMP
I think social media weighs in here as well. The extended reach helps Oregon (as a marketing school) be more successful than otherwise.
I agree. That was my point. The top schools you mentioned (and many more) all have big NIL budgets. Hell even BYU does. The difference is players want to play for Dan and his staff. They are the difference makers.
Just the whole Nike thing aside from Phil Knight helps a lot. Young athletes love having access to all the dope Nike gear that they do. I know as an 18 year old I would’ve loved having access to all the Nike swag. I mean when your coach shows up to recruit you and he’s wearing vintage special release Jordan’s in Ducks colors there’s something cool about that.
True, but they have had that advantage for quite a while now. Not saying that we have not had some good recruiting classes in the past, but Dan has taken it to another level.
You seemed to have missed my point. With schools now on more equal footing financially as far as paying players, securing a bag isn't such a primary concern for top recruits so other factors became more important. While great coaching is certainly one of the top factors, quality of life is another that is very important. Some kids like rolling hills & rivers, mountains & the beach, lack of sweltering humidity, lack of chiggers & (as Phatguysrule alluded to) the cool social media school. Dan doesn't get the credit for life in Eugene being a lot more appealing to some kids (& their parents) then Tuscaloosa or East LA. STOMP
At what point does a team just go all in on freshman and redshirt freshman who produce and practically ignore HS recruiting? Maybe a sprinkle of juniors and seniors that produce as well? if I’m SMU, I’m probably not out recruiting BAMA, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon for five stars but I could just overpay for everyone if I’m not spending money on unproven talent
Like the Alabama CB who entered the portal why spend money on a hs sr instead of offering that guy 2x the money?
are you aware of how HS recruiting just went for the Ducks? Doesn't sound like it, but if so take a wild guess where the following class 2026 is currently ranked... As far as the portal, yes the Ducks have a bunch of transfers starting and in their current rotation, but this is just season 3 for Lanning. The first cycle he had to scramble to hold onto some of Mario's class & assemble his own + a bunch of guys left via the portal... which what happens when there is a coaching change. Two of Mario's guys that flipped to other programs are now Juniors who are projected at the top of the next draft... pretty sure they'd be front line stars on this team like the one he held onto (Conerly). The next class (2023) brought a bunch of guys starring, starting and in the rotation, but the team needed it's ranks to be supplemented via the portal because of all this attrition to the roster's HS input of talent. Pretty sure with the influx of his guys in the last few classes has them being more and more judicious with who they add in the portal. STOMP
World starts his Oregon visit tonight. The Left Tackle is from the same San Diego HS as 2025 signee Akili Smith. He made All-Mountain West Honorable Mention the previous 2 seasons. He's got one year of eligibility left so he's looking to raise his draft status in a high profile situation where he can play immediately. That Oregon is in his final 3 seems a pretty clear indication that 3rd team All American LT Josh Conerly is going to declare for the draft following this season STOMP
I think something got lost in translation because none of this has anything to do with what I was saying. I'm curious if the day will come when teams, that CANNOT recruit like Oregon, but who have money just say f*ck these HS seniors. Let's blow ALL our money on freshman and redshirt freshman at other schools who produce with ridiculous offers that get sent through 'backchannels'. *Which is what it appears happened with the BAMA CB*
I responded to the comment of thats exactly whats happened here LOL after you laid out the prospect of a team foregoing HS recruiting (for the most part) and going full in on the portal. I think I understood your point and tried to cast a wide net including context of the Ducks situation post Mario. Despite Oregon's recent success in the portal, I think the coaches know how lucky they've been hitting one transfer after another out of the park that seamlessly filled their team's specific needs. Pretty sure they see this as a risky business model and that focusing on attaining the kids in it for the long haul is the safer bet to attaining a quality player at a position. Transfers tend to be guys who are either high profile guys who weren't working out or didn't like their situation for whatever reason or guys who have exceeded their initial HS recruit expectations and are looking for a bigger stage/more NIL. For the most part Oregon has focused on the later & I expect their success in this market to become much more competitive. Teams that turn their focus primarily on the portal will be short term boom or bust with a bust likely meaning coaches looking for new jobs. STOMP
