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.

Five-star defensive end Richard Wesley, the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300, announced his commitment to Oregon on Saturday night.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound pass rusher from Chatsworth, California, is ESPN’s third-ranked defensive end in the 2026 class. Wesley, who visited the Ducks last month, lands with Oregon as the program’s second five-star pledge in the cycle over Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC following trips to see each program earlier this spring.

A former top recruit in the 2027 cycle, Wesley reclassified into the class of 2026 in March and immediately emerged as one of the top defensive prospects in the latest cycle. He first burst onto the recruiting scene after tallying 55 tackles and 10 sacks in his freshman season at Sierra Canyon in 2023. As a sophomore last fall, Wesley totaled 44 tackles with nine sacks and four forced fumbles.

Wesley joins the Ducks as the program’s fifth ESPN 300 pledge in the 2026 class alongside fellow five-star Kendre’ Harrison, ESPN’s No. 1 tight end prospect in the cycle. Wesley now stands as the highest-ranked member of Oregon’s incoming defensive class, which also includes top-300 defensive tackle Tony Cumberland and Viliami Moala and three-star prospects Xavier Lherisse, Dutch Horisk and Tristan Phillips.

Wesley’s pledge follows a rash of exits from the Ducks’ 2026 class in recent months, headlined by the decommitments of ESPN 300 prospects Kodi Greene, Tomuhini Topui, Bott Multitalo and Jonas Williams.

Wesley entertained interest from a series of top programs upon his reclassification earlier this year. He told ESPN last month that no program was pushing harder in his recruitment than Oregon with coach Dan Lanning and defensive line coach Tony Tuioti heavily in Wesley’s process. Wesley’s commitment comes just weeks after his most recent visit with the Ducks for the program’s April 27 spring game.

“I’d never gotten up there for a game environment,” he told ESPN following the visit. “It was great to see what the coaching staff was always talking about. It was proof to me that they were serious about everything they were talking about.”

Wesley’s pledge marks the fourth commitment among ESPN’s top 10 defensive ends in the 2026 class. No. 2 overall prospect Zion Elee remains committed to Maryland months after his Dec. 2024 pledge to the in-state Terrapins. Wesley follows Rodney Dunham (Notre Dame) and Jordan Carter (Texas A&M) among the other elite defensive end commits in the cycle.

EUGENE — Pat Kilkenny is synonymous with Oregon baseball. The former UO athletic director’s name is literally on the stadium.

Kilkenny was instrumental in restoring the baseball program after a 27-year hiatus and credits his father, Bob, with instilling a work ethic and love of sports.

Bob Kilkenny was a wheat farmer from Heppner and though he briefly attended UO, his five children — Russell, Patrick, Kelly, John, and Kevin — each became Ducks.

In August 2008, Bob Kilkenny was aboard a John Deere excavator for the ground breaking of PK Park. Bob passed in May 2016, but now he too will forever be tied to the program, which officially dedicated Bob Kilkenny Field at PK Park before Friday’s series opener against Washington.

“My dad was there every of the way,” Pat Kilkenny said. “Look where we are now; we have college baseball fans in Eugene. Those didn’t really exist before. … It never gets old making your dad proud.”

A logo featuring five blades of wheat — symbolizing each of Bob’s children — is on the outfield fence and behind home plate. The Ducks are wearing the logo on their helmets for the weekend series and each base at PK Park features the logo as well.

No. 5 Oregon won Friday’s game 5-0 in front of 3,866, including the entire Kilkenny family, who took part in a pregame ceremony.

“To have the whole family here, we gave the game ball to Pat obviously, in honor of Bob and what the family wanted to do for that great legacy,” Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski said.

The field dedication was the latest fundraising effort headed by Diamond Ducks, the business backed by UO donors supporting the baseball program fund additional scholarships and name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for players.

“To do something to honor somebody that cared a lot, that mattered a lot and raise some money doing it too,” Pat Kilkenny said. “We had an opportunity to offer more scholarships, which I think gives our baseball program a real opportunity to be on the national stage for a long time. I think we’re giving our coaches a chance and our fans, people that are showing up and showing support.

“It’s not about one or two or three people providing resources, it becomes about big community involvement. I think some of us get too much credit. It’s a lot more fun when everybody takes ownership and everybody takes pride in it. It’s not always just about money. How about just coming out to the ballpark and having a good night and supporting the team because winning at home with a full crowd is a lot easier.”