Oregon’s recruiting pitch has a clear pattern, and Dan Lanning’s staff just put it on display again.
This time, the target was 2028 four-star running back Jayshawn Mitchell, who shared a compilation on his Instagram story of birthday messages from the Ducks. Oregon has leaned on video greetings as part of its relationship-building approach, and Mitchell’s post offered another look at how the staff works prospects over time.
Mitchell is a big-name priority. Rivals lists him as the No. 1 running back in the class and has him ranked No. 40 nationally, the highest overall ranking he has on any recruiting site.
The consensus four-star plays for William J. Brennan in San Antonio, Texas, and 247Sports says he rushed 31 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns as a junior in 2025.
He also made noise as a receiver, finishing with 26 catches for 474 yards and eight touchdowns.
The birthday messages weren’t just coming from the background, either. Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples were both part of the group reaching out.
Samples, one of the Ducks’ key recruiters in this chase, also said Mitchell is set to visit Eugene for Oregon’s matchup with Michigan at Autzen Stadium. 247Sports adds that he is expected in Columbus on Nov. 7, when Oregon faces Ohio State.
For now, the Rivals Prediction Machine sees Oklahoma as the runaway leader for Mitchell. Oregon does not appear among the RPM picks. Even so, the Ducks’ combination of game-day visits and personal messages suggests they may be working more quietly than the prediction numbers indicate.
Oregon has done this before. In the 2026 cycle, five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho also posted birthday messages from the staff on social media.
Lanning spoke about that kind of communication during his Early Signing Day press conference last December.
"It's something I've probably done for a little while. I don't love that every secret gets out,” Lanning said.
“But we build relationships, and not everybody always picks up the phone. Not everybody answers a text.
But a lot of times when a video gets sent, it gets seen.”
“There's a lot of different ways you can communicate with guys and players,” he added. “We do everything we can to make sure when they wake up in the morning, they see a message from us and when they go to bed at night, they see that. Communication is a big key to that."
The method paid off with Iheanacho, who landed with the Ducks and is already competing for snaps along the offensive line as a true freshman.
Lanning is still looking for his first commitment in the 2028 class, and Oregon has had success with Texas running backs in recent years. That group includes current freshman Tradarian Ball from Texarkana and 2027 commit CaDarius McMiller from Tyler.
There may also be room coming in the future. Oregon’s leading 2026 backs, Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison, would be seniors in 2028, though they could choose to enter the 2028 NFL Draft. If that happens, it could open the door for a freshman like Mitchell to make an immediate push in the Ducks’ backfield.
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