When Dan Lanning arrived in Eugene after Mario Cristobal left for Miami, Oregon stepped into a new era with a first-time head coach and a college football landscape that was changing fast. Lanning has more than met the moment. He’s become one of the sport’s top coaches, and with Oregon’s NIL backing behind him, the Ducks have turned recruiting into a weekly flex.
That’s the backdrop for the biggest “what ifs” of Lanning’s tenure. Oregon has landed top-five classes year after year and usually wins the battles it chooses to fight. But a handful of near-misses and twists have left behind some real alternate timelines.
Dallas Wilson is one of the strangest cases. Oregon actually got him to sign his Letter of Intent, but the full reason he ended up leaving still hasn’t been fully explained.
Wilson has pointed to his grandmother’s health and said he and the Ducks were “not seeing eye to eye”, and he ultimately landed at Florida. When he’s been healthy, he’s looked like a superstar wide receiver, which is exactly why Oregon may look back on that one with regret if he puts together a full season.
Peyton Bowen was another painful miss, and this one came down to paperwork. In Lanning’s first full recruiting cycle, Oregon had a major win lined up when the 5-star safety flipped from Notre Dame on National Signing Day.
But Bowen didn’t correctly submit his Letter of Intent, and Oklahoma stepped in to land him instead. Oregon didn’t just lose an elite defensive back; it also missed out on what would have been the program’s best class at that point.
Bowen’s brother Eli Bowen is now a star DB at Oklahoma too, which only adds another layer to the miss. Bowen later said, “I should be (at Oregon) right now” if not for the paperwork snafu.
The biggest swing of all may be Dante Moore. Oregon had him in the 2023 class before he flipped away, and Kenny Dillingham’s departure for Arizona State helped UCLA make its move.
Moore, the nation’s third-ranked player, went home to the Bruins and started sooner than he probably should have. That experience pushed him toward the idea that he needed to step back, develop, and reset - and that brought him back to the school he once left behind.
His Oregon story still isn’t finished, and heading into his final season of eligibility, he could still lead the Ducks to a National Championship and win the Heisman Trophy, which would make him the most accomplished player in school history.
There are still plenty of “what if” branches hanging off that decision. What if Moore stayed committed and never left?
Would he have bolted later if the playing time wasn’t there? Would he be the same player without the early growing pains at UCLA?
And was sitting behind Dillon Gabriel the best possible path for him to learn what it takes to succeed at the college level?
Tetairoa McMillan is another name Oregon had to watch walk away. After Cristobal’s exit, the Ducks were trying to hold together a class in flux, and McMillan was one of the recruits with a choice to make.
He flipped to Arizona instead of waiting for the later signing date. Oregon could have used a receiver like that, especially in 2024 when the Ducks didn’t have enough firepower to get past Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
Kelvin Banks rounds out the list. Two days before Lanning was hired, Banks reopened his recruitment after Cristobal left for Miami, and Oregon never got the chance to finish the job before Texas pulled him in. Banks became an All-American and a first-round pick, and it’s hard not to wonder what he would have looked like lined up next to Josh Conerly on Oregon’s offensive line.
In Other News...
Dan Lanning Just Got Pushed Back In A Massive 5-Star Battle
Oregons 2027 recruiting class still has plenty of star power, but the Ducks are starting to feel the pressure in one of the cycles biggest battles. As of July 12, they already have two five-star commitments in wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets, and theyve continued to add four-star talent while keeping their board busy with top targets across the country.
The tougher news is at wide receiver and defensive back Honor Faalave-Johnson, where Oregon appears to be losing ground as Texas has emerged as the main threat in the race. The Ducks are still involved with linebacker Brayton Feister and defensive tackle Brayden Parks, but the path there is not equally clear, which is why this stretch of the summer matters so much for Dan Lannings staff as it tries to keep momentum from slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Former Louisville QB Tyler Shough Just Had A Full Circle Moment
A familiar face turned up at Oregons indoor practice facility this week, with Tyler Shough back on campus taking reps and making throws in a place that helped launch his college career. The New Orleans Saints quarterback has already packed a lot into his football journey, moving from Oregon to Texas Tech and then Louisville before hearing his name called in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
For Ducks fans, the sight carried a little extra weight because Shough once signed with Oregon in the 2018 recruiting class and still has a connection to the program. His path has included injuries, a reset at Texas Tech and a resurgence at Louisville, and now he is back in the NFL after a rookie season that included nine starts and a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Got An Early Recruiting Signal At A Crucial Position
Oregons 2028 recruiting board got an early boost this week when four-star EDGE George Parkinson IV trimmed his list to six schools, and the Ducks were right in the middle of it. The Pennsylvania standout, ranked No. 89 nationally and No. 15 at his position, also included Tennessee, LSU, Penn State, Ohio State and Texas A&M, giving Oregon a seat at the table for one of the more important defensive targets in the class.
The timing matters because the Ducks are already looking ahead at a future need off the edge. Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei are expected to be gone after 2026, and there could be more turnover through the portal before then, so landing a player like Parkinson IV would help stabilize a spot that figures to matter even more down the road. He has not set a commitment date yet, which leaves Oregon with time to keep pressing in a race that should stretch deeper into the cycle. [Read more 🡒]