For the Oregon Ducks fans, the 2024 season has been too special. Even though they could not bring the Natty home, they witnessed some of the best moments. Thanks to their head coach, Dan Lanning. The Ducks achieved their first undefeated regular season since 2010 following a 49–21 win against rival Washington. It also marked the first time in program history that the Ducks reached a 13–0 record. In the recruiting trail, too, Lanning came off as THE PRO. The Ducks’ 2024 recruiting class ranked as the best in the Big Ten and No. 3 in the nation. But the 2025 season has already started to show Lanning some tough times. Their hot target, 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis, has shut his doors to Oregon. So is the head coach sitting idle and crying over the loss? Absolutely not. He is now counting on 4,200-yard quarterback to end the drought.
Let’s recap our memory on how brilliant a recruiter Lanning is. From 2022-2024, he added two five-star commits and 51 four-star recruits to Oregon’s ranks. And in no time, Oregon leaped from being ranked as a No.13 recruit class to a No. 3 recruit class over three years. The Ducks have lost 13 players to the portal. Out of these 13, two were rated as four-star transfers. However, still then, with their 2025 recruiting class, Lanning once again improved on their past recruiting years with a No. 4 national ranking. The squad consists of three 5-star athletes and fifteen 4-star recruits. Just when Lanning must have thought that things were falling into place, he got landed with a big blow. Courtesy? Former Georgia quarterback Curtis.
Credit: Imago
The quarterback had cut ties with Kirby Smart’s squad. Back in October, he said, “My interest in Oregon is above the others right now. It’s my relationship with Coach Stein and Coach Lanning. It’s great, and we had a great time when we went up there.” However, Curtis changed his mind and re-committed to the Bulldogs. But the clock is ticking off for Lanning. On the May 7th episode of the On3 podcast, host Josh Newberg shared, “Two days ago, Jared Curtis’ off the board. Oregon extends a new offer today at the quarterback position.” So, who is the new one to have caught Lanning’s attention? It’s none other than the Archbishop Moeller High School quarterback Matt Ponatoski, who was named the winner of Ohio’s Mr. Football. On the Ponatoski situation, ScoopDuck.com analyst Max Torres had some updates.
He shared that Lanning and co. are now desperate to oomph up their players’ roster and their offensive coordinator, Will Stein, has been on the road. He met with some top prospects like Immanuel Iheanacho. However, their focus shifted to Ponatoski as Torres noted, “This was one of those offers that kind of raises your eyebrows a little bit because you just had the predictions coming in for Ryder Lyons.” But when it comes to Ponatoski, Lanning still can’t be sure since he has a Michigan trip lined up. However, the analyst is sure, “I don’t think Oregon wants to walk away completely empty-handed at quarterback in 2026. They want to have a guy that they can bring in and and add to the roster and this offer on Wednesday is a really really gifted quarterback.” What makes Lanning and co. chase the quarterback so bad?
Ponatoski, who previously committed to Missouri, is also a really gifted baseball player. He has been ranked as the top 10 quarterbacks in the rankings, one of the top uncommitted guys on the board. His numbers do all the talking. Torres brought forward the stats. “4,200 passing yards as a junior 58 touchdowns against just three interceptions.” The Mr. Ohio Gatorade player also shared the gridiron wth Tavien St. Clair. Now, will he be the solution to the lingering problems in Lanning’s squad?
A recruiting freeze in Dan Lanning’s Oregon
At the moment, the Oregon head coach has hit the PAUSE button when it comes to the recruiting trail. Lanning last recruited on February 26, when they got that 4-star safety, Xavier Lherrise, from Florida. Apparently it looked like the bad times were finally going to end soon in Eugene. It came from the Oregon insider Torres. On May 3rd, On3 Recruits came up with a tweet. It read, “Oregon insider @mtorressports has logged an expert prediction for the Ducks to land a Top-100 prospect nearing a decision.”
Now, who was supposed to be the game-changer for Lanning? That’s none other than 4-star wideout Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. The 6-foot-1, 80-pounder from Mater Dei chose to board the Ohio State Buckeyes’ bus on May 4. There too, Lanning got hit by a big blow. If you think that Curtis and Dixon-Wyatt are the only two players to not count on Oregon, hold on! The list is pretty long and includes offensive tackle Kodi Greene, Tomuhini Topui, Bott Mulitalo II, and quarterback Jonas Williams.
So, Dan Lanning had hit a ‘move on’ mode. That’s why he came up with a Hail Mary move by counting on the two-sport prospect, who is also a legit MLB option, Matt Ponatoski. Amidst these uncertainties, Lanning can count on his loyal one. That’s none other than his receiver Dakorien Moore. He went viral with his insane one-handed catch that went for a 75-yard touchdown in the all-star game and landed straight in J.D. PicKell’s good books. The analyst said, “Bottom line: If this is what Dakorien Moore is going to be for Oregon, if we get more of that from him in the fall and he ends up being a guy that’s right away ready to rock and roll, that’s huge for Oregon, dude.” Now it’s Lanning’s turn to summon some recruiting magic. Once again.
The post After Jared Curtis Blow, Dan Lanning Turns to 4,200-YD QB to End Oregon’s Recruiting Drought appeared first on EssentiallySports.
