The Oregon Ducks brought in another heavyweight recruiting class, but that early buzz didn’t translate into preseason recognition for any of their freshmen.
Oregon’s 2026 group has been ranked as high as No. 2 by 247Sports and No. 5 by On3/Rivals, so the expectation was that at least a few of those first-year players would show up on a freshman watch list before the season. Instead, On3’s Preseason True Freshman All-American team, released Aug. 25, left the Ducks off entirely.
The list carried a strong Big Ten flavor, with nine incoming freshmen making the cut. Michigan running back Savion Hiter and Ohio State wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. were named on offense, while Maryland edge rusher Zion Elee represented the conference on defense. Oregon, though, didn’t place a single freshman on the team.
That means no spot for edge rusher Anthony Jones Jr., no nod for safety Jett Washington, and no inclusion for wide receiver Jalen Lott, despite all three drawing attention in Eugene. Washington has been flashing in practice with the kind of leaping ability and ball skills that make interceptions look easy, but that wasn’t enough to get him on the list.
Lott, the 247Sports composite five-star receiver, has generated the loudest buzz of the bunch in fall camp and is expected to work into a deep receiver rotation. Even so, he was left out.
It’s not as if Oregon hasn’t seen a freshman break through before. Cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. made this same list a year ago and backed it up by living up to the billing. Now the Ducks will try to get another first-year player to force his way into that kind of conversation.
The best bets to change the picture are pretty clear.
Lott has kept turning heads with his speed and work habits inside Autzen Stadium, but he’s entering a crowded receiver room that includes Evan Stewart back from a season-ending injury and Dakorien Moore returning after a standout freshman year. Still, the expectation is that Lott will get touches, and possibly a healthy number of them.
Washington faces a similar path. Oregon’s safety group is deep, but the 6-5 Las Vegas product gives Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton a unique piece to deploy. He can play deep on long-yardage snaps and even situations where a Hail Mary is in play, while also stepping up near the line to help against the run.
Then there’s Davon Benjamin, the four-star defensive back from Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village. Lanning praised his versatility on Aug. 12, and that versatility could push him into the STAR role, the spot reserved for Oregon’s most adaptable defender. If Benjamin has the kind of freshman year that gets noticed, he could put himself into the All-Freshman mix too.
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