Oregon’s 2027 recruiting class just forced ESPN to take a harder look at the national race.
After another July pickup, the Ducks moved up to No. 4 in ESPN’s updated class rankings, climbing two spots and passing Oklahoma and Ohio State. Texas A&M still sits at No. 1, but Oregon’s rise puts Dan Lanning’s program in a striking spot: the top-ranked class in the Big Ten.
That jump carries extra weight because Ohio State has long been one of the conference’s recruiting benchmarks. Oregon now sits ahead of the Buckeyes in ESPN’s rankings, and the Ducks are also No. 1 in the Big Ten in the updated ESPN release. The national picture lines up with other services as well, with Oregon listed at No. 3 by 247Sports and Rivals/On3 and also ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten by those outlets.
The latest boost came from five-star wide receiver Xavier Sabb, who chose Oregon over LSU, Tennessee and UCLA. ESPN also highlighted cornerback Hayden Stepp as one of Oregon’s top prospects on defense, and he’s a five-star recruit in ESPN’s view.
Sabb’s decision stood out for more than just the recruiting battle. He has two brothers on the Alabama roster, but he said Oregon won out because of fit, relationships and the chance to chase a title.
"I feel like that was the best fit for me and my family. Also, I feel like that's the best chance I can get to win a national championship," Sabb said on the Rivals YouTube channel.
"It's a really great relationship (with Lanning). I had a relationship with him for super long, since freshman year.
Great guy. Always kept in touch.
Always great energy when we spoke."
Rivals lists Sabb as the nation’s No. 32 overall prospect, the No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 2 player from New Jersey.
Stepp committed to Oregon on July 1, picking the Ducks over California and Alabama. The Bishop Gorman High School product from Las Vegas is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 61 player in the country and the No. 1 recruit in Nevada. He also won "The Opening Finals" at Nike headquarters in Beaverton as part of Team West and made the All-Tournament Team.
When he announced his commitment on the Rivals YouTube Channel, Stepp described the kind of player Oregon is getting.
"Just somebody who’s ready to work. I’m always going to compete; I’m just excited to be there, just put my best foot forward, and just be excited to work and just get the opportunity to play and just make plays for the Oregon family," said Stepp when his committed on the Rivals YouTube Channel.
Oregon now has 24 commits in its 2027 class, coming from 17 different states. That national spread is part of the story here: the Ducks are reaching far beyond the West Coast, and the class keeps growing around the country.
ESPN’s top 10 for 2027 now reads: Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Miami, Auburn and Michigan.
None of this matters on paper until December, when Sabb, Stepp and the rest of Oregon’s commits can officially sign. But the broader message is already clear: the Ducks aren’t just climbing. They’re holding their place near the top.
In Other News...
Dante Moore Got Pulled Into Oregons EA Sports Launch Day Mess
EA Sports College Football 2027 arrived on July 9 with plenty of buzz around Oregon, where quarterback Dante Moore is among the thousands of real athletes included in the game. The launch also immediately sparked the sort of online chatter that tends to follow a big sports release, especially when player likenesses start getting compared with their real-world counterparts and some models, including several Ducks, begin making the rounds for all the wrong reasons.
Moore also got dragged into the noise by a parody post that falsely claimed he was pulling out of the game over microtransactions, a rumor that spread fast enough to need correcting. It was a strange bit of launch-day confusion for a player whose name carries extra weight in the game, and it came as fans were already venting about the new currency system and the price of getting into the latest edition. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Wont Love How Oregons Receiver Haul Is Being Framed
Ross Douglas has put together a receiver haul that is already drawing national attention, and not just inside Eugene. Oregons 2027 class features five-star wideouts Xavier Sabb and Dakota Guerrant, plus four-star athlete Tae Walden Jr., giving the Ducks a group that can be framed alongside the best in the country. Rivals has even placed Oregons overall class No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 3 nationally, which is the kind of backdrop that makes every comparison feel a little sharper.
The part Cal fans probably wont love is how that receiver group is being stacked up against programs like Cal, Florida and Texas A&M while Oregons own depth in the room is still easy to overlook. One recent framing left out Walden Jr. entirely even though he is committed to the Ducks and brings the kind of flexibility that can change how the class is viewed. For Oregon, it is another reminder that the recruiting picture is getting bigger by the week, and the receiver conversation may not be done yet. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Is Suddenly Closing In On Oregon History
Dan Lannings rise in Eugene has been steady enough that it is starting to look historic, and the preseason buzz around him reflects that. The Oregon coach landed on the watch list for the 2026 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award, a nod that goes beyond wins and losses and weighs the broader standard of scholarship, leadership and integrity that comes with it.
The timing only adds to the intrigue because Oregon enters the season with real momentum and real expectations, from Dante Moore and starting center Iapani Laloulu back in the fold to an entire defensive line returning. Add in the transfer additions and a top-five recruiting class, and Lanning has the kind of roster that can keep pushing his program forward while the schedule still leaves room for statement tests that could shape how his season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]