Oregon
Oregon Ducks Address Biggest Need Through Recruiting Class
The Oregon Ducks made key signings through the 2026 recruiting class, and Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the program secured five five-star picks.
One of the biggest position needs that the Ducks addressed through recruiting is safety. According to Rivals’ rankings, seven safeties are featured in the top 100 recruits, and the Oregon Ducks made a big splash in recruiting the position.
Oregon Adds Elite Safeties Through Recruiting
One of the biggest signings for the Oregon Ducks is five-star safety Jett Washington. Washington is the No. 22 recruit in the nation, the No. 2 safety, and the No. 1 player from Nevada, per Rivals. While the Ducks signed several elite recruits, Washington could prove to be the most important signing for Oregon.
Washington is a natural athlete, and after choosing between USC, Alabama, and Oregon, the five-star recruit will find himself in Eugene in 2026. Athleticism runs in Washington’s family, as he is the nephew of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and he can be an immediate difference maker on defense in 2026.
“I think the options are limitless when you see a player of Jett’s ability. He’s got great ball instincts, he can attack. He’s a physical hitter. You look at a lot of things that we were able to do with Dillon this year, Dillon Thieneman on his stack position, I think Jett translates to a lot of that stuff really well as well,” Lanning said of Washington.
The Oregon Ducks also signed four-star safety Devin Jackson, another top 100 recruit. According to the Rivals’ Industry Rankings, Jackson is the No. 68 recruit in the nation, the No. 5 safety, and the No. 9 player from Florida. Despite efforts from the Florida Gators and several other top programs, the effort the Oregon Ducks put in landed them another elite safety in 2026.
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Despite not being rated in the top 100, the Ducks also signed four-star safety Xavier Lherisse. Oregon has a strong history of developing players on both sides of the ball, and Lhresse has a high ceiling. With the Ducks, he could break out on the defense and become a top safety over time.
Why Recruiting At Safety Was Important For Oregon
The Oregon Ducks are earning a valuable addition at safety, which could be critical for the Ducks in 2026. After Oregon’s success in 2025, the team could be losing key defensive back depth.
One significant player who could be leaving the team after the season is safety Dillon Thieneman. He could return to the team next year, but with the season he had, Thieneman could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Ducks safety Solomon Davis announced his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, and although Davis played primarily on the special teams, that is still another player set to leave the team ahead of 2026. Whether the incoming recruits are ready to play right away or not, the team needed to add depth at the position, and the Ducks landed elite talent in doing so.
Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon has had a top defense this season and has done well at stopping the pass. The defense allowed just 5.36 yards per attempt and 144.1 yards per game in the air.
Despite Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi becoming the head coach of the Cal Bears, the Ducks’ defense has the same amount of potential. Notably, defensive backs coach Chris Hampton is expected to be promoted to defensive coordinator.
Not only is Oregon hiring in-house, but it is the coach who recruited the elite safeties. Hampton will set up the incoming athletes for much success, keeping Oregon as a national title contender.
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The quarterback position is one that the Oregon Ducks are constantly trying to stay ahead of. Five of their last seven starters have gone on to start at the next level, and they are expected to make it six of their last eight next year when Dante Moore enters the draft.
The Ducks were thought to have his replacement locked down in 2026 recruit Bryson Beaver, but he decided to enter the transfer portal after Moore announced his return. Time will tell if he made the right decision, because the guy who would have been his mentor used the 2024 season to learn behind Dillon Gabriel, and we see how well that worked out for him.
However, patience is a lost art in college football today, and Beaver wants to go to a school where he has a chance to play. It was revealed earlier today that he has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for next season.
Georgia has been one of the premier college programs for what seems like forever, but they haven’t always developed great quarterbacks. The last NFL starter they produced was Matthew Stafford 18 years ago, so this is a bit of a puzzling decision for Beaver. It will be a difficult replacement for the Ducks to make, but luckily they have more than a year to secure the future of the position.
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EUGENE — Oregon’s season is going from bad to worse as it is now without its two leading scorers amid the toughest stretch of the year.
Center Nate Bittle is expected to be out for approximately a month with a foot injury and point guard Jackson Shelstad will miss a fifth straight game due to a right hand injury.
It leaves the Ducks (8-9, 1-5 Big Ten) severely compromised entering Saturday’s game with No. 4 Michigan (15-1, 5-1).
“We’ve had some guys that wanted to play more, so here’s their opportunity,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We’ll see how they handle that opportunity.”
Altman said Bittle, who is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 blocks, injured his foot on UO’s second offensive possession at Nebraska on Tuesday and tried to play through it. Medical tests on Thursday didn’t show any broken bones, Altman said, but Bittle is out “probably a month, maybe more.”
“In his last year and obviously he’s been the guy we’ve been going through,” Altman said. “Tough break for him and feeling sorry for ourself, it’s a tough break for our team.”
Shelstad is averaging 15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists — all career-highs — despite career-low shooting 39.1% from the field, including 31.4% from three. He re-aggravated a preseason right hand injury, which required surgery, and has not played since the Dec. 28 win over Omaha.
“He can’t get it feeling right,” Altman said. “It’s his right hand so dribbling and shooting have been a problem.”
Amid a three-game losing streak and with two more ranked opponents upcoming, Oregon’s struggles won’t become any easier to manage around. It hasn’t been a strong team offensively even with Bittle and Shelstad; without them, the offensive sets UO can run are cut “drastically” as the center position is no longer a perimeter shooting threat and ball handling suffers.
“It’s frustrating for the players,” Altman said. “They came here to win. They looked at 15 years of winning some games and they came here to win. It’s tough on the new guys. It’s tough on the vets that are here. It’s really tough for Jackson and Nate; they’re a big part of what we’ve done here.”
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A 6.0 magnitude struck off the Oregon coast on Thursday night.
No tsunami was expected, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning system.
The earthquake occurred just before3 7:30 p.m. on the Blanco Fracture Zone, about 180 miles west of Bandon, which often experiences earthquakes.
The quake happened at about a depth of six miles.
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