Oregon
BREAKING: Oregon Ducks land commitment from elite QB
Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East On300 quarterback Jonas Williams announced his commitment to Oregon on Saturday.
The blue-chip 2026 passer chose to play for head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks over his other finalists in Alabama, LSU and Ohio State.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein led the charge in recruiting the four-star Williams who becomes commit No. 3 for Oregon in the class. The On3 Industry tabs Williams as the nation’s No. 9 quarterback and No. 92 prospect overall.
Williams talks about his decision
Williams visited Oregon twice, hitting camp in June and returning for Saturday Night Live this past weekend.
“Oregon has been my dream school for awhile,” Williams said. “A lot of people talk highly of Oregon and it definitely lived up to that standard. When I got there I really liked Coach Stein and how he teaches. That’s really important. I’m going to spend a lot of time with him the next four years of my life.”
The 6-foot-1 1/2, 200-pound Williams gave Lanning and Stein his pledge on Tuesday.
“I really like Coach Lanning,” Williams said. “He’s one of the most humble head coaches I’ve met. The whole coaching staff has a sense of integrity to them. I feel comfortable with them and can trust them.”
Williams called Stein and told him he was coming and five minutes later he was on with Lanning.
“It shows how much Oregon loves their players and pours into their players and it speaks volumes to a recruit,” Williams said.
With Williams and fellow touted quarterback Faizon Brandon committing on Saturday, nine of the Top 10 ranked passers have declared.
“I didn’t feel sped up,” Williams said. “I think I took my time with it. I went on the visits I needed to go on. There was nothing more I needed to see.
“When I went to Oregon the first time in June I was like I want commit. That’s why I went back down this past weekend. I was like this is where I want to be.”
Oregon stacking terrific recruiting classes
Oregon signed On3’s No. 3 ranked class in 2024. They have On3’s No. 5 ranked class at this point in 2025. With guys like Williams in the fold they’ll make a run at an elite class in 2026 as well.
“Oregon has been on a roll recently with the 2025 class getting Dakorien Moore and guys like that,” Williams said. “That’s more intriguing for a quarterback to see the type of wide receivers they have. I’m going to be throwing to weapons. A lot of people say the best receivers are at Ohio State or Alabama but Oregon is up there too.
“I also think the position for me coming in will be good. I think I fit in well with the players. I’ve been around the players a bit. I think it’s a good fit for me.”
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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