Ohio State's Ryan Day Compliments Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Recruiting Strategy

The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will face off in the College Football Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl with National Championship hopes on the line. Lanning and Day are familiar with each other on the field and also on the recruiting trail as both programs battle for the top high school talent in the country.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during a Rose Bowl press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will face off in the College Football Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl with National Championship hopes on the line.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke with the media ahead of the highly-anticipated rematch. The Ducks got the best of the Buckeyes in a 32-31 victory on Oct. 12 in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are eager to become the first team to beat Ohio State twice in a season since1894, while the Buckeyes desire to avenge the loss to their new Big Ten conference foe.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning speaks during a Rose Bowl press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We are thrilled to be here today," Lanning said. "I know our players have enjoyed every bit of the experience. We're grateful for the Rose Bowl and the experience they've provided for our team... Growing up as a kid, you remember getting to be part of games like this. This is one we're really thrilled to compete in. Obviously Ohio State's a great team. This will be a fun challenge for our guys."

Lanning and Day are familiar with each other on the field and also on the recruiting trail as both programs battle for the top high school talent in the country. Oregon has the No. 5 recruiting class and Ohio State has the No. 4 recruiting class for 2025. Day was quick to compliment Lanning's prowess on the recruiting trail.

"I think, first off, Dan does a great job in terms of recruiting," Day said. "He recruits very talented young men with a lot of high character. They're very well coached and they play very, very hard. And you can see that when you put the film on, because when you watch people and you see different programs, at the end of the day you've still got to watch the film and see how guys are playing. In all three phases they're well prepared and they play really hard."

Lanning responded.

"Recruiting is something you've got to do every single day," Lanning said. "I think both of our programs do that at a high level. You can see that with Coach Day and the people they bring into their program... More than that, when you turn on the film, you try to find weaknesses in an opponent. It's really hard to find weaknesses at Ohio State in all three phases."

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Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during a Rose Bowl press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks and Lanning have found a lot of success recruiting in the state of California. Oregon's 2025 class has five enrollees from the state of California, including four-star linebacker Nasir Wyatt, four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr., four-star EDGE Matthew Johnson, four-star tight end Vander Ploog and four-star running back Jordon Davison

"For us, we challenge ourselves to make sure we can sign the best across the nation, but certainly California is a hotbed for us in recruiting," Lanning said. "It's a place we want to make sure we have a stand. And we want to go get the best of the best."

"So, getting to play in premier games like the Rose Bowl, I think that's what kids on the West Coast dream of," Lanning continued. "And being here and having that opportunity is certainly something that's going to help us in recruiting."

Kickoff between Oregon and Ohio State is on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.

With a victory, Oregon would advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals in Arlington, Texas, to play the winner of Arizona State vs. the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium, the home of theDallas Cowboys.

A win would also undoubtedly pay dividends on the recruiting trail too.

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