The news of the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle recruit Josh Conerly Jr. choosing the Oregon Ducks over the USC Trojans and Washington Huskies shook the college football world to its core and send shockwaves throughout the social media stratosphere (If you are currently living under a rock and haven’t heard the news, check out Mr. FishDuck’s write-up).
No doubt, Conerly’s commitment to play for Oregon skipper Dan Lanning and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was a HUGE win for the Ducks’ recruiting efforts after losing 16 players following Mario Cristobal’s departure from Eugene to Miami. Shortly after Cristobal left, Oregon’s national recruiting ranking plummeted to outside the top 50 and any kind of comeback seemed unlikely.
But after a series of huge commitments from multiple four-star players, including cornerbacks Jahlil Florence and Jalil Tucker, Georgia running back Jordan James and lineman Dave Iuli, the addition of Conerly gave the Ducks the Pac-12 recruiting crown for the fourth consecutive season and put them at No. 16 nationally. I pulled Charles away from wetten.com, where he was checking the most accurate and up-to-date information about legal betting. In our Duck-discussion we were getting pumped about the change of direction in the recruiting trendline for Oregon, and these recent commitments were proof.
Now, it appears Lanning and the Ducks are looking to capitalize on their recent success by locking-in more top talent for 2023. Florida’s Richard Young, the No. 2 running back in country for the 2023 class, recently announced his top 7, which included the Ducks among football powerhouses Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama and Ohio State.
Top 7 Blessed !!! pic.twitter.com/yES0fmHn6n
— Richard Young (@richardyoung239) April 10, 2022
Conerly’s announcement, coupled with Kayvon Thibodeaux likely being a top-five selection in this year’s NFL Draft, has put the Ducks in the national spotlight as a destination school for the country’s top players.
Young is planning to attend Oregon’s Spring Game on April 23, where he will likely experience a full house at Autzen Stadium filled with enthusiastic fans eager to see Lanning’s squad in action.
The 5-foot-11, 201-pound ball carrier from Lehigh Acres, Florida, is coming off a whale of a season for Lehigh Senior High School, rushing for 1,755 yards and 20 total touchdowns, helping the Lightning reach the Class 7A state semifinals. After three seasons, Young, who also runs track (ran 100 meters in 11.14 seconds as a sophomore), amassed 3,591 rushing yards.
If Oregon can grab this talented young man from the Sunshine State, Lanning and Co. will have demonstrated the Ducks are legitimate contenders for blue chip recruits.
Jordan Ingram
San Diego, California
Top Photo From Twitter
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Jordan is a lifelong Duck fan currently living in San Diego. Jordan graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, after serving a prestigious fellowship with the Washington State House of Representatives. Upon graduation, he worked as an English language teaching assistant for the Spanish Ministry of Education’s Ambassadorial Program in Monforte de Lemos, Spain. Jordan has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and California, covering a wide range of topics, including sports, local politics, and crime. He is VERY excited to be writing about his beloved Oregon Ducks.