Why Four-Star Tight End Vander Ploog Flipped to Oregon Ducks from Washington Huskies

The Oregon Ducks have added tight end Vander Ploog to their 2025 recruiting class. The Ducks flipped the four-star prospect from the Washington Huskies.

Oregon Ducks Flip Washington Commit, Tight End Vander Ploog / @vploog on Instagram

The Oregon Ducks added another high-profile, class of 2025 recruit with the flip of tight end Vander Ploog from Washington to Oregon. Ploog had been committed to the Huskies since June.

Vander Ploog Flips Commitment from Washington to Oregon

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning yells on the sideline as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vander Ploog is a 6-6, 223-pound tight end out of Fullerton, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit and the 12th best tight end in the class of 2025 per 247Sports. 

Back in June of 2024, Ploog announced he would be committing to the Washington Huskies. Fast forward to November, and Ploog is an Oregon Duck. The tight end recruit spoke to On3's Chad Simmons about why he decided to commit to Oregon. 

“The staff is a huge reason. The connection they have with each other and the players was a big part of my decision,” Ploog said to Simmons. “The offense that they run is tight end heavy and I can see myself playing in it too.”

Additionally, the fact that Oregon is considered “Nike University” played a part as well. Washington is an Adidas School.

“They are a Nike school, I grew up wearing strictly Nike so this seems to be a fit,” Ploog continued.

Terrance Ferguson models Oregon Ducks Football uniforms for Maryland game 2024. Credit: @goducks on "X" / Credit: @goducks on "X" (formerly Twitter).

Ploog gave credit to coach Dan Lanning and the state of the program.

“Coach Dan Lanning is incredibly smart, and the way that he is running the program is something unmatched,” Ploog said to Simmons.

Ploog also noted that the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium on a game day is second to none. He was in attendance for Oregons’ win over Illinois in late October.

“The atmosphere is crazy,” Ploog told Simmons. “After the Ohio State game, the expectations were really high, and even for Illinois, they packed the house.”

What the Ducks Are Getting in Vander Ploog

National recruiting analyst Greg Biggins of 247Sports described Ploog as having raw talent with a lot of upside. 

“Only played football for two years but shows natural talent. Still raw in some areas and needs to add upper body mass and strength to help become more physical in the run game but has the frame to do so,” Biggins said.

If Ploog wants to become a bigger contributor to this Ducks offense next season, he will have to improve in run blocking. He has the pass-catching abilities already. Not only is landing Ploog huge, but it also comes at the expense of Oregons’ biggest rival, Washington.

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