Oregon’s recruiting operation has clearly entered the big-spender tier, and the numbers around the Ducks’ 2027 class help explain why.
According to anonymous general managers speaking to On3, the price tag for elite high school talent has climbed fast in the NIL era. One SEC general manager put it bluntly: “It feels like $350,000 was the starting price for a low four-star this year,” said an SEC general manager.
“We’ve reached the period where everyone has an agent. There are no layups anymore in high school recruiting.
Nothing is even reasonably priced.”
Those same general managers named Oregon, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Miami, and Notre Dame as some of the biggest spenders in the sport. That lines up with Rivals’ most updated 2027 recruiting class rankings, which feature Texas A&M at No.
1, Notre Dame at No. 2, Miami at No.
3, Oregon at No. 4, and Oklahoma at No. 5.
The Ducks’ class is already loaded. Oregon sits at No. 4 nationally with 23 commitments, and 15 of those pledges are rated either four or five stars. The two newest additions are four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr. and four-star cornerback Hayden Stepp.
Given the reported baseline for lower four-stars, and the fact that Walden and Stepp are both described as being on the higher end of the four-star scale, it’s easy to see how the Ducks could have spent around $1 million combined on those two alone.
That kind of investment fits the program Oregon has become under Dan Lanning. The Ducks are still chasing their first national championship, and they’ve kept knocking on the door in each of his first four seasons in Eugene.
In 2022, Oregon finished 9-3. A year later, the Ducks went 11-1 in the regular season and were right on the edge of the College Football Playoff before falling to the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship Game. A win would have nearly locked up a place in the four-team field.
Then came 2024, when Oregon rolled through a 12-0 regular season and followed it with a Big Ten championship. The run ended in the Rose Bowl with a loss to Ohio State. In 2025, the Ducks returned to the playoff after another 11-1 regular season, but their semifinal run ended against the Indiana Hoosiers.
So the question now is whether 2026 finally brings a breakthrough. On the recruiting front, Oregon is doing everything like a team that expects to stay in the hunt. The Ducks open the season on Sept. 5 against Boise State.
In Other News...
Charles Jagusah Just Gave Notre Dame A Massive Reason For Hope
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For Notre Dame, the encouraging part is not just that Jagusah has made progress, but that the updates around him have shifted from uncertainty to real hope. He was already viewed as an important piece up front after stepping into major roles in the postseason, and his absence has left a real hole in the future of the line. Even with his return still tied to a patient recovery, the fact that he is trending back toward full health gives the Irish a much-needed lift heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger question is whether that respect translates once the games begin, especially with so many key pieces still carrying different kinds of uncertainty into the fall. CJ Carrs first year as a starter was efficient enough to fuel the buzz, and players like Anthonie Knapp, Adon Shuler, Drayk Bowen and Boubacar Traore all give the Irish a proven base, but the range of preseason honors only sharpens the focus on the health and availability of the group behind them. Notre Dame has the accolades in hand now, and the more important part is making sure the roster is whole when it matters. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has Too Many Difference Makers Getting Ignored Right Now
There is a case to be made that Notre Dames most important 2026 pieces are also some of its least discussed, starting up front where Lambert and Anthonie Knapp have already given the Irish a sturdy foundation. Lambert started all 12 games last season and allowed only one sack, while Knapp is shifting from left tackle to left guard after piling up 27 career starts, the kind of move that can make an already dependable line even harder to deal with.
The same pattern shows up on defense, where Boubacar Traore is poised to anchor the edge and Drayk Bowen continues to flash as a player worth far more attention than he is getting. Add in the receiver room and the picture gets even deeper, with Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter arriving from Ohio State as additions that could matter quickly if Notre Dame keeps sorting out the pecking order. For a program trying to stay in the national title mix, the strange part is not that these players exist, but that so many of them are still waiting for the wider spotlight. [Read more 🡒]