Lanning Eyes CFP Reform, Recruiting Zooms Up to No. 3

As the Oregon Ducks prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, the program is making headlines across multiple sports with new player additions, coaching hires, and calls for reform at the national level. Our own Mr. FishDuck took a break from his betting analysis study at NCAAF Odds, and NCAAF Latest News to marvel at all the positive updates surrounding Our Beloved Ducks.

In football, head coach Dan Lanning used Big Ten Media Days to share his desire for significant changes to the College Football Playoff structure. Citing a sluggish post-bye performance in last season’s heartbreaking 41-21 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Lanning advocated for a playoff schedule that mirrors the NFL, eliminating long breaks between games. The CFP has since adopted a new seeding policy that removes automatic byes for conference champions, opting instead for the four highest-ranked teams overall.

Lanning also weighed in on a growing national controversy around transfer portal tampering. Following Wisconsin’s lawsuit against Miami for allegedly tampering with former Badger Xavier Lucas, Lanning called for stronger, non-legal consequences to preserve integrity across college football rosters.

On the personnel front, the Ducks welcomed several key additions. Former Boise State punter James Ferguson-Reynolds joined the team after a standout 2023 season, giving Oregon another veteran option alongside Ross James. The special teams upgrade follows a spring game that exposed inconsistency in the punting unit.

Oregon also bolstered its secondary by landing Northwestern transfer Theran Johnson. A second-team All-Big Ten cornerback, Johnson recorded 53 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions last season and is expected to compete for a starting role.

Kenyon Sadiq will be a major force in the 2025 Oregon Offense. (Photo by Eric Becker)

At tight end, junior Kenyon Sadiq is poised for a breakout year. After backing up Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert in 2024, Sadiq has emerged as a top target for likely new starting quarterback Dante Moore. Sadiq spent the offseason reshaping his body, improving speed and strength, and is expected to take on a leadership role with a young receiving corps, especially with top wideout Evan Stewart sidelined due to a knee injury.

If named the starter, Moore, a former five-star recruit who transferred from UCLA, will enter the season as Oregon’s first homegrown starter at quarterback in the Lanning era. While the Ducks lost several key contributors from last year’s 12-1 squad, the team has restocked with transfers such as offensive lineman Isaiah World and safety Dillon Thieneman.

Oregon avoids both Ohio State and Michigan on this year’s schedule, increasing the likelihood of another Big Ten title run.

Recruiting continues to trend upward, with 2027 four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman committing to Oregon recently. The Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) product, ranked No. 49 nationally by Rivals, chose the Ducks over offers from Ohio State, LSU and Oklahoma. He is the second member of Oregon’s 2027 class and the first wide receiver pledge under position coach Ross Douglas.

The biggest recruiting news recently came with the verbal commitment of Anthony “Tank” Jones, the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Alabama, and considered one of the elite ‘Edge’ pass-rushing prospects in the nation. Adding to Oregon future defense is the addition of Davon Benjamin, who is ranked as one of the best safeties in the nation. He too, chose the Ducks over the usual programs considered elite at this time.

The custom Oregon jersey for the newest Duck commit Davon Benjamin pic.twitter.com/lHMaEZv3kz

— Max Torres (@mtorressports) August 3, 2025

Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Texas were prominent in the chase to secure both recruits, but Oregon prevailed in the end. The result is the Ducks’ recruiting ranking jumping to No. 3 in the nation with the Rivals/On3 rankings, and is quite a move considering some setbacks that occured in recent months. The average ranking per recruit for Oregon is No. 1 in the nation, at 92.65, thus showing superb quality beyond sheer numbers, as other schools like to claim.

Between the portal and high school recruits–the Lanning staff is excelling.

Off the gridiron, Oregon Baseball made a high-profile staff addition with the hiring of Matt Florer as pitching coach. Florer arrives from the University of San Diego, where he helped lead the Toreros to back-to-back West Coast Conference titles and mentored more than two dozen future MLB players. Known for blending biomechanics, analytics, and recruiting expertise, Florer is expected to elevate Oregon’s pitching development as the program looks to remain competitive in the Big 10 and beyond.

As the Ducks shift into the fall, both the football and baseball programs appear retooled and focused on contending at the national level, driven by a combination of new talent, off-field leadership and evolving expectations.

Jordan Ingram

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.