McLaughlin: Jared Curtis picks Georgia over Oregon–What Now?
By SPENCER McLAUGHLIN
Contributor, 750 The Game
The Ducks have pulled in consecutive top 5 high school recruiting classes for the first time ever. Dan Lanning is going into year 4 and has reset the expectations in Eugene for Oregon fans when it comes to getting elite high school prospects. That’s part of why it came as a disappointment to many when 5-star QB Jared Curtis chose Dan Lanning’s former boss, Kirby Smart, to play for the Bulldogs instead of the Ducks.
Oregon Baseball/Softball are both ranked inside the Top 10 nationally, by the way. Okay okay back to football!
Oregon’s recruiting efforts in the 2026 cycle got off to a good start, as one might expect. In the last month, it’s been a downward trajectory. There is still plenty of time, but missing out on Curtis after seeing 5-star OT Kodi Greene flip to rival Washington is not what Duck fans enjoy seeing this time of year.
Curtis reminds me of Josh Allen or Justin Herbert. He doesn’t play against much elite competition at his school, but a guy with his physical traits is always going to be highly coveted. The Ducks had been after him for a while, and we’ve known for months it would come down to Dan Lanning and his former mentor. This was not just a chance to land a generational talent who could be a great college QB one day. This was an opportunity for Oregon to capture serious momentum in their 2026 recruiting class at a time where it’s been going in the wrong direction.
Back to the drawing board on that front.
I certainly feel less discouraged by the news for Oregon after having seen their QBs shine in the Spring Game on April 26th. Does Oregon need to find a QB this cycle? Yes, I believe so. However, there’s a world where a 2026 QBs timeline wouldn’t work out perfectly given the depth in that room.
I don’t know who’s going to start for the Ducks in 2026, my guess would be Dante Moore. If I am correct, I seriously doubt that BOTH Austin Novosad and Luke Moga are on the roster next season. One of them? Certainly. Both of them? I’m not holding my breath, nor would I blame one for jumping ship. Despite how it feels sometimes, eligibility is not unlimited for college athletes.
Akili Smith Jr.’s importance potentially just leapt forward, pending what happens next. He’s a true freshman who showed serious promise in his first game-like setting in an Oregon uniform, but is not likely to be ready to start until 2026 at the earliest–with 2027 the more likely option given the likelihood that Moga or Novosad should be ready if Dante Moore is done with college by then.
Oregon received a crystal ball to get another 5-star QB in Ryder Lyons, who USC has been going after heavily. He’s really a 2027 recruit, as he will reportedly take a 1-year LDS Mission after graduating in Spring of 2026.
There’s a lot of unknown about Oregon’s QB room in the long run, but what we do know should put Duck fans at ease. There’s plenty of talent, different styles of players, and nobody is going to be forced into action before he’s ready to do so.
Oregon needs to pick up its recruiting momentum for the 2026 class, currently trailing Washington in the team composite rankings. That will never sit well with Oregon fans if it were to hold up.
I have a sneaky suspicion Dan Lanning won’t let Oregon stay quiet for long.
Spencer McLaughlin is an Oregon Ducks football contributor to 750 The Game. He also hosts the “Locked On Oregon Ducks” and “Locked On College Football” podcasts and has work featured throughout the season here.