It was clear Dan Lanning had some large shoes to fill when he took over as the 35th head coach in Oregon football history in early December 2021. 

The coach he was replacing – Mario Cristobal – was and is well known for his ability to recruit and bring in the best players. Many Duck fans were skeptical Lanning would be able to have the same success.

But after completing his first season at the helm for the Ducks – and a 10 win season at that – Lanning caught the eyes of the college football world as he and the Oregon football program completed a historic National Signing Day.

“I think everyone sees what we’re building,” Lanning said in his press conference on Dec. 21, 2022. “I think there are some players that want to be a part of something special.”

These players range from across the country, but they all found a new home with Lanning and his football program.

“When you have great players around you, you have an opportunity to be a great team. That’s something I’m really looking forward to with this group,” Lanning said.

And he certainly did. Oregon dominated recruiting across multiple states. In Arizona, the Ducks landed three of the top 10 recruits in the state as ranked by 247sports. A’mauri Washington, Cole Martin and My’Keil Gardner are all migrating from the desert to Eugene in 2023. 

The Ducks’ staff recruited outstandingly well in California. They also added three of the top 10 recruits in the state to Oregon’s 2023 recruit class. 

Jurrion Dickey – a wide receiver and the No. 3 player in California – joined No. 4 Matayo Uiagalelei and No. 9 Daylen Austin in their aspirations to play for the Ducks.

“We feel like we can go anywhere in the nation and attack the best players in the nation and bring them aboard,” Lanning said.

Lanning also had tremendous success in Texas. He recruited a slew of players including Austin Novosad, a quarterback who flipped his initial commitment from Baylor to Oregon.

“There’s no doubt there’s great talent in Texas,” Lanning said. “And as long as there’s great talent in Texas, we’re going to recruit it hard.” 

This, Lanning said, is in large part to new offensive coordinator Will Stein. Stein spent time coaching at the University of Texas, Lake Travis High School and the University of Texas San Antonio before joining the Ducks in early December of 2022. Stein’s Lone Star State ties significantly aided Oregon’s impressive day that saw the Ducks ranked higher than all other Pac-12 teams in recruiting the class of 2023.

But Lanning’s staff didn’t focus solely on the big football states. The No. 1 recruits from Colorado (EDGE Blake Purchase), Hawaii (OL Iapani Laloulu) and Idaho (FLEX Kenyon Sadiq) are all joining the Ducks in 2023. The No. 2 player in Washington (RB Jayden Limar) and Oregon (EDGE Teitum Tuioti) also like what’s brewing with Lanning’s new team.

“These are guys that want to go compete with the best,” Lanning said. “Because they know that it’s going to result in wins.”

A good National Signing Day was crucial for the Ducks after a mass exodus of transfers. Oregon currently has the 10th most transfers out of its program according to On3 with 16 players looking for a new home. 

Highly sought after quarterback Dante Moore also flipped on the Ducks and signed with Pac-12 — for now — rival UCLA. Many thought this would severely hinder Oregon’s ability to have a successful National Signing Day. In fact, it did just the opposite. 

Sports Illustrated ranked the Ducks No. 6 in the nation in its 2022 recruiting class rankings. In 2021, Oregon was at eight. It was unlikely Lanning would be able to keep the current trajectory of Oregon recruiting — instead he surpassed it.

And as for the transfers out? Lanning said there would be turnaround at any program, and that none of the leaving players are freshmen. Lanning credits this to the younger players’ belief in what the Ducks are building.

“All this does is create momentum for us moving forward when [players] realize that you can reach all your goals and aspirations right here,” Lanning said.

Oregon has also brought in six transfers with an average On3 rating of 90. Duck Football truly looks to be on the rise, which is impressive considering the team is already coming off back-to-back 10 win seasons.

“The landscape of college football continues to change,” Lanning said. “And I think the teams that do the best job adapting are the teams that are going to be successful. We have a staff that’s elite that’s done a great job.”

The Ducks certainly seem to be adapting well, and Lanning looks like he’s found the key to recruitment in just his second season.