Wednesday marked National Early Signing Day, where Oregon football saw the bulk of its Class of 2024 athletes put pen to paper on their National Letter of Intent. For the Ducks, it was a historically successful occasion — by day’s end, they emerged with the nation’s No. 3 2024 recruiting class (best in Oregon history) according to ESPN and several prospects who can compete for a spot on the roster next season. As Mighty Oregon’s first games in the Big Ten draw closer, we’re here to break down the Class of ‘24 for you.

5-Star Signees Deliver

The Ducks’ two marquee signings, 5-star recruits Aydin Breland and Elijah Rushing, both joined the program on Wednesday. They’ll be defensive stalwarts for an Oregon team that will look to maximize its potential in the Big Ten next season — the Ducks were No. 22 nationally in total defense and third in the Pac-12 last season. Breland, an interior defensive lineman, will combine with Rushing, an edge rusher, to bring the pressure. 

The Emerald has more information on Breland and Rushing available, including quotes and statistics, at the links above. The two double last year’s 5-star class roster, which only included wide receiver Jurrion Dickey. The two 5-stars will be real pieces of the roster next year, which could lose players across the defensive line and will look to reinforce what was built in the Pac-12. 

Depth In The Trenches

Breland headlines a group that looks to dominate the trenches on both sides of that ball. A bevy of four and 3-star recruits will bring their talents to Eugene, including 4-star offensive linemen Jac’Quawn McRoy (6’8’’) and Fox Crader (6’6’’), who are joined by 3-star linemen Trent Ferguson (6’7’’) and Devin Brooks (6’4’’). Those four will bring a wealth of talent to the group that remains a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the best offensive line in college football. They’ll be coached by the National Offensive Line Coach of the Year, A’Lique Terry, too.

Head Coach Dan Lanning touched on McRoy in his press conference at day’s end, where he told GoDucks, “[He’s] a fun one — he’s got a great personality! That’s a great example of a guy who, from afar, Oregon was always his dream school and actually started to court us before we started to court him, but you watch the film and he stands out.”

On the other side of the ball, defensive line coach Tony Tuioti will be working with 4-star recruits Tionne Gray (6’6’’) and Xadavien Sims (6’3’’), as well as likely pulling in 4-star prospect Jericho Johnson, who is still unannounced but is projected to join Gray, Sims and Breland in Eugene by 247Sports. Last year’s group held teams to just 3.3 yards per carry, good for 18th in the nation. Dominant defensive end Brandon Dorlus (five sacks in 2023) is undecided but could likely declare for the NFL Draft after a career year for the Ducks.

Flipping for Joy

Oregon flipped two players — 4-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan, who had been committed to Ohio State since August 2023, and 4-star receiver Ryan Pellum, previously committed to USC. McClellan, who has a standing invite to the Under Armour All-America Game, could be a key piece for the Ducks after Troy Franklin unsurprisingly declared for the NFL Draft. Pellum is also on the roster for the All-America Game, as well as the Polynesian Bowl in January 2024.

None of Oregon’s commits entering the day flipped to other schools, either, something that Dan Lanning told GoDucks, “…speaks to the consistency of our approach — ultimately, you want to focus on the guys you get, not the guys you don’t. We did a good job of identifying targets that fit our needs and what we were looking for, but also [that] fit our values of what we want in this program.”

Those flips are vital not only because of the players’ value, but because they’ve been lured away from Big Ten rivals and likely competitors over the next decade. For Oregon to draw players away from schools of the stature of Ohio State and USC is a great sign that it’ll be able to compete with them for players down the line.

It also reinforces the school’s faith in Lanning, who, despite sitting at 1-4 against rivals Washington and Oregon State, has outdone himself as a recruiter. who has as of yet struggled to win the ‘big game’ but has outdone himself as a recruiter. This, just his third year in Eugene, saw Oregon’s best-ever incoming recruiting class. That means something. 

Finding Skill Players

Oregon’s explosive offense in 2023 benefited its players hugely: many of those skill players will depart for the NFL Draft in April, including Bo Nix, Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin. That’s production that has to be replaced, and while Nix has been all-but-replaced in the transfer portal with Oregon’s acquisition of former Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel and Bruins signal caller Dante Moore, the other two slots are less defined.

At QB, Gabriel and Moore look locked in to be the starters for the next few years (Gabriel has a sole year of eligibility remaining, and is expected to start in 2024, but Moore has three years left and could start after Gabriel’s departure), but Oregon did pick up the No. 60 quarterback in the Class of 2024: Luke Moga. Moga will enter a stacked quarterback room that includes the starters alongside second-year Austin Novosad, who only saw time last year in the Week 1 blowout of Portland State.

The Ducks picked up just one Class of ‘24 back, 3-star prospect Da’Juan Riggs, but retains much of the group that backed up Irving in 2023. Jordan James will see increased workload alongside Noah Whittington, who spent all but four games on the sideline last year after suffering an ankle injury in Week 4 against Colorado. The two veteran options are joined by a few rising sophomores, including Jayden Limar.

James was the most-used of that group last year, but who amongst them is still yet to be determined. Much of their success came in conjunction with a historically great offensive line — the full extent of which will not return — and it’ll be up to running backs coach Carlos Locklyn to prove that they can succeed in a new division without the same line that benefited them in 2023.

Out wide, it seems increasingly likely that Tez Johnson will return the primary target in a system that saw Troy Franklin break school records last season on his way to the NFL Draft. In 2024, it could be Johnson who steps in as WR1 in Franklin’s wake, and he’ll be backed up by a cast of able receivers who receive some of their first real opportunities in the Big Ten.

Kris Hutson, Gary Bryant Jr. and Traeshon Holden will all return for big minutes in the system — they combined for 59 receptions and 771 receiving yards last season — but will be faced with 4-star prospects Pellum, McClellan and Dillon Gresham, and 3-star receiver Jack Ressler. Especially since Oregon will play an extra game in 2024 due to its trip to Hawaii on Aug. 24, those players lower on the depth chart will see time on the gridiron late in games.

The last slot is tight end — Terrance Ferguson made his case as Oregon’s No. 1 in the position last season with a 396 yard, 5 touchdown year — and the staff have only added more competition to the slot. Oregon picked up three 3-star prospects: Kade Caton, from Texas; Roger Saleapaga, from Utah; and A.J. Pugliano, from Medford, Oregon. In an offense that will look to take advantage of Gabriel’s passing ability, tight end will be the position that can get the Ducks out of tight spots, so keep an eye on these three.

Sweet Secondary

Oregon reinforced its secondary with several pickups, including the No. 1 JUCO cornerback in the nation as 4-star prospect Sione Laulea. Laulea, from the College of San Mateo, chose Oregon over the likes of Penn State, Utah and USC, and enters the program in his junior year. Alongside him is 4-star safety Kingston Lopa — the No. 19 safety in the nation — who initially committed to Arizona, 4-star safety Aaron Flowers out of Texas — where he is the No. 18 ranked player in the state — and Dakoda Fields, California’s No. 8 ranked player and the Class of ‘24’s No. 6 corner, who will likely slot in outside.

The Ducks are sending a single player from their secondary to the draft this year so far: corner Khyree Jackson. They’ve picked up a safety in the portal, too (KansasState’s Kobe Savage). Whether the incoming cast will be able to break into that rotation is yet to be seen, but expect them too to see time in blowouts in preparation for what may come in future years.

Super Special Teams

Perhaps an underrated pickup, Oregon secured one of the nation’s top punters in Tyler Kinsman. He’s on the roster for the Polynesian Bowl and will (for the moment) back up returning junior Ross James. Lanning spoke about him to GoDucks, saying, “[Tyler’s] obviously a talented player, but he came here, and I think coming here and getting to see this place and then coming back again and seeing it again — what sold Oregon was Oregon … When he was around our players, I think that he realized how special this place was.”

Though he’s the No. 8 punter by 247Sports, by many metrics (including Lanning) Kinsman is the top punter in the nation. It’s a position that doesn’t get a ton of love (and will have fans saying, ‘Great! I hope he never has to play!’), but is remarkably vital. “Flipping the field” is the punter’s bread and butter — forcing the other team on the back foot even when their offense is struggling to produce — and it can absolutely keep a team in a game longer than it perhaps should be.

In Lanning’s short time as the head coach of Oregon’s football program, the Ducks have seen success both on and off the field. He’s dominated most opponents as well as the transfer portal and recruiting game. This year’s National Early Signing Day was no different, and the Ducks appear to have a lot of impressive talent on its way to Eugene.