Oregon
Oregon Ducks Top-5 In Recruiting Rankings After 5-Star Richard Wesley Commitment
The Oregon Ducks have missed out on some big recruits from the class of 2026, but their luck turned around with a commitment from five-star defensive lineman Richard Wesley. With the commitment from Wesley, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks are back in the top-five in On3’s class of 2026 recruiting rankings.
The Oregon Ducks have now reached eight commitments, which feature two five-star recruits and four four-stars. Per On3, the Ducks rank No. 5 in the Nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten. The two schools in the conference that remain higher than Lanning and the Ducks are the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 1 USC Trojans.
The move to No. 5 in the country was up three spots from where the team previously was. Oregon jumped Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M in the team rankings. Oregon now sits behind No. 1 USC, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Notre Dame.
Per the On3 Industry Rankings, Wesley is the No. 25 recruit in the country, the No. 4 edge, and the No. 6 player from California. After a recruiting drought for the Ducks, this was a crucial pickup and could turn the momentum back in Oregon’s favor.
Wesley visited Oregon for the spring game and it was what pushed Oregon up on his list, leading to the commitment. Leading up to his commitment, Wesley talked to 247Sports about what stands out about Oregon.
“Watching their spring game, I finally watched the work they’ve been putting in,” Wesley said. “It was really great seeing it translate on the field. Some players had a big game — all the defensive ends were eating. It was great to see my position group scale up.”
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“Oregon recruits me harder than everybody else. They always preach that they’ve got coach Lanning. …. They have let me know the Oregon track record. They don’t have to say much; the proof is out with them defensively,” Wesley said.
Oregon is recruiting an elite group of players across the defensive line. The Ducks are now up to three defensive linemen from the class of 2026.
Wesley joins four-star defensive lineman Tony Cumberland who committed in 2023. Cumberland is the No. 1 recruit from Arizona and the No. 8 defensive lineman, per On3. The Trojans have also landed a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Viliami Moala. Moala is an in-state recruit, the No. 3 player from Oregon.
Aside from the defensive line, four-star linebacker Tristan Phillips committed to Oregon on Dec. 7. Phillips is the No. 13 linebacker in the class and the No. 21 recruit from California. Four-star safety Xavier Lherisse committed on Feb. 26 as the No. 34 safety and the No. 49 recruit from Florida.
In addition to Wesley, tight end Kendre Harrison is the other five-star commitment. Harrison is the No. 1 tight end, the No. 3 player from North Carolina, and the No. 21 overall recruit regardless of position. The only other offensive player Oregon has recruited is four-star running back Tradarian Ball. Ball is the No. 59 recruit in the Nation, the No. 5 running back, and then No. 9 player from Texas.
While the Oregon Ducks have missed out on major recruits like five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, a commitment from Wesley and boosted the program back up the recruiting rankings. Wesley could be the start of the recruiting momentum Lanning and the Ducks needed.
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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