The Oregon Ducks have lost a recruiting battle to a former Pac-12 Conference foe now in the Big 12.

Four-star offensive tackle Aaron Dunn made his decision on 247Sports LIVE. The Spanish Fork, Utah, product picked the Utah Utes over his other home state school in the BYU Cougars as well as the Big Ten Conference schools of Oregon, UCLA, and USC. Only three hats made the table for his announcement: Oregon, Utah, and USC.

“Staying close to home was definitely important for me,” Dunn said. “Coach (Kyle) Whittingham, coach (Jazz) Harding, they did a good job at recruiting me, making me feel part of their family. The players out there… its really a special group of guys. I feel like I bonded them really well.”

Dunn is ranked as the No. 20 offensive tackle in the country and No. 2 player in Utah by the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked as the 193rd best player in the country.

247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks described Dunn as a “tall, athletic” prospect with “elite height” at 6-7, 290 pounds.

“Possesses ample bulking capacity as desired,” Brooks said. “Narrower through the torso, but long-armed to allow for high pass-pro upside. Shows relatively good knee-bending ability and generally does not get caught off balance.”

Without the addition of Dunn, Oregon sits at 15 commits for the class of 2025. That’s good for a 247Sports ranking of No. 7 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference. The class includes a pair of offensive tackles: four-star Alai Kalaniuvalu out of Las Vegas, Nevada, and three-star Demetri Manning out of Bellevue, Washington.

When Nick Saban announced his retirement from Alabama, it didn’t take long for Oregon coach Dan Lanning to emerge on a short list of potential replacements.

But the Ducks football coach says he didn’t even consider the job.

“It was never a part of our thought process,” Lanning said on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“I’ve got so much respect for Coach Saban,” he added. “And you’re right: the reason I’m talking about this process is because I learned that from him. So unbelievable job that he did there. But there’s so much to take care of here at Oregon. That’s always been our focus.”

Back during the rush to find Saban’s replacement, some creative “reporting” even claimed that Lanning was in Tuscaloosa to interview for the Crimson Tide job.

But it turns out, he was actually at home watching a “Jason Bourne” film with his family.

Lanning earned a national reputation as the defensive coordinator at Georgia during its historic 2021 national championship run, and has led Oregon to a 22-5 mark in two seasons.

Now the Ducks head into the Big Ten as contenders for the conference’s title this year, and are a heavy favorite to make the expanded College Football Playoff.

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Oregon State baseball landed a prominent transfer Wednesday as multiple media outlets report that Washington middle infielder Aiva Arquette is headed to Corvallis.

OSU won a recruiting battle over Mississippi State for Arquette, considered by Baseball America as the top available transfer in the portal this summer.

As a sophomore, Arquette hit .322, with 12 home runs, 14 doubles and 36 runs batted in. The 6-foot-4 Arquette, who grew up in Kailua, Hawaii, can play shortstop or second base. Arquette was all-Pac-12 this past season, as well as one of nine players to make the all-defensive team.

Arquette played this summer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he made the all-star team.

Future Star Series considers Arquette No. 12 among college baseball prospects for the 2025 MLB draft. The Beavers could have two MLB first round draft picks among their infielders next season in Arquette and third baseman Trent Caraway.

Oregon State is coming off a Super Regional appearance, where it lost to Kentucky in a best-of-three series. The Beavers, winners of the 2006, 2007 and 2018 College World Series, will play an independent schedule during the 2025 season due to the breakup of the Pac-12.

–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.

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