Oregon’s quarterback pipeline is starting to matter on the recruiting trail, and class of 2028 quarterback Kaden Craft has noticed.
Craft, a 6-4, 210-pound passer from Mooresville, North Carolina, is already drawing attention as a four-star recruit and the No. 8 quarterback in the 2028 class per 247Sports Composite. In a recent conversation with Steve Wiltfong of Rivals, he named six schools that have stood out early: Oregon, Tennessee, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Michigan.
What has Oregon in the mix is pretty clear. Craft pointed directly to the Ducks’ track record of getting quarterbacks to the next level.
“Oregon has shown to put quarterbacks in the league every year,” Craft said. “Their quarterback development is top in the country. I still need to visit and get up to a game, but I’m excited just from talking with the coaches and how they think of me.”
That reputation is backed up by what Dan Lanning’s program has done at the position. Every starting quarterback under Lanning at Oregon has gone on to be selected in the NFL Draft. Bo Nix started for the Ducks in 2022 and 2023 before going to the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he has been Denver’s starter from the jump.
After Nix, Dillon Gabriel took over in Eugene and then heard his name called in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Gabriel is now competing for the starting job.
Oregon looked like it might keep that run going with Dante Moore, who was trending toward being the next Duck quarterback taken early in the NFL Draft in 2026. Instead, Moore chose to return to Oregon for another season even though he was projected as a first-round pick.
That kind of résumé makes the Ducks an easy sell for quarterbacks who want a clear path to the league.
Craft has his own production to lean on, too. As a sophomore at Lake Norman High School in 2025, he threw for 1,739 yards with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions, while also adding 387 rushing yards and 13 scores on the ground.
For now, Oregon is still waiting for its first commitment in the 2028 class. The Ducks have been rolling elsewhere, though.
Their 2027 class sits at No. 3 nationally per Rivals with 24 commitments, including 16 players rated as four- or five-stars. No other Big Ten team has a higher-ranked 2027 class.
If Oregon finishes with the third-ranked class in the country, it would mark four straight years landing a top-four recruiting haul, going back to 2024.
Craft would also have a notable quarterback to compete with if he eventually landed in Eugene. Oregon’s lone quarterback commit in the 2027 class is Will Mencl, a 6-3, 205-pound five-star who is ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2027 class by Rivals.
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Oregons 2027 recruiting class already has plenty of star power, and the Ducks are still working at a pace that suggests the group could keep growing soon. As of mid-July, they have 24 verbal commits, highlighted by recent additions Xavier Sabb, Hayden Stepp and Tae Walden Jr., giving Dan Lannings staff another early showcase of how aggressively it is building for the future.
The next move may not be far off, either, with four-star linebacker Feister sitting in the strongest position to become the next name in the class. Oregon remains in the mix for several other prospects as well, including defensive tackle Parks and running back Williams-Callis, while some targets have already shut things down elsewhere despite the Ducks continued interest. For a class that is already deep and still taking shape, the more interesting question may be how much more room Oregon wants to make. [Read more 🡒]
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Oregons quarterback board for the 2028 class is already taking shape, and Josiah Boyd has emerged as one of the names worth watching. The four-star passer has drawn attention from a national group of powers, but the Ducks have stayed active in his recruitment and have built real momentum by getting him to Eugene multiple times.
The competition is not letting up, though, with Ohio State and several other major programs still in the mix alongside USC, Arizona State, Alabama and Kentucky. Oregon has done enough to keep itself squarely in the conversation, and the relationship it has built with Boyd and the staff will matter as this chase develops over the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons New Football Complex Already Feels Like A Recruiting Statement
Oregons next big football project is already shaping up to be more than just another building on campus. The Ducks are constructing a massive new indoor practice facility that will sit near the heart of the athletic footprint, with the kind of scale and visibility that makes a statement before a recruit ever steps inside. The plan also includes moving outdoor practice fields, reworking nearby roads and improving community facilities, all part of a privately funded effort that underscores how much support is behind the program.
For Dan Lanning, the appeal is as practical as it is symbolic. The new complex is designed to put classrooms, training spaces and football operations in closer reach of one another, a setup that should make daily life easier for players and coaches alike while also easing pressure on existing facilities. Completion is still a ways off, but even now the project already feels like the sort of infrastructure move that can shape how Oregon sells itself on the trail. [Read more 🡒]