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Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning Visits Texas A&M 4-Star Commit: Noah Mikhail Flip?

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is actively working to improve his programs's 2025 recruiting class with a focus on flipping commitments from other schools. His latest target is Texas A&M four-star commit Noah Mikhail.

Olivia Cleary

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes notes during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes notes during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
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EUGENE- Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning hit the road this week to visit some of the nation's best football prospects. Lanning has been working to flip multiple highly touted athletes' commitments to Oregon, and his latest target is Texas A&M 4-star commit Noah Mikhail. 

On Friday, the Bonita Bearcats high school football team posted a photo of Lanning with Oregon linebacker coach Brian Michalowski. Both were in California Friday night to watch Bonita take on Kaiser High School. 

Mikhail is a senior this year at Bonita High School and has been San Gabriel Valley's top prospect since his freshman season. He is rated the nation's No. 83 overall prospect and No. 10 linebacker in the class of 2025. 

The 6-foot-3, 227-pound linebacker committed to the Aggies over the Ducks back in June. Mikhail's commitment was a three-man race. He had a top three of Oregon, USC, and Texas A&M. 

"It's been a blessing this whole process," Mikhail told 247 Sports after announcing his commitment. "Opportunity, development, and fit were all big things for me. Looking at that and breaking it all down were big decisions for me." 

Despite Mikhail's commitment to Texas A&M, the Ducks are not backing down, as Lanning and Michalowski traveled to Bonita to show Mikhail he is still a huge priority. 

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning locker room speech
Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning locker room speech /

Mikhail is a three-year starter at Bonita High School and entered his senior season as one of the top two-way players in the state of California. Last season, Mikhail totaled 166 tackles and two interceptions, while adding 818 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns as a running back/wide receiver last fall. 

We've been watching Mikhail since he was just a freshman and he has continued to develop and get better on both sides of the ball. He's a two-way player who has put up numbers offensively at running back and receiver, but linebacker will be his meal ticket at the next level and beyond. Long, rangy, and tough, he flies to the football. Physical player who can really close and is one of the bigger hitters in the region. A sideline-to-sideline type of linebacker who probably projects best as an inside guy at the college level, but shows the versatility to play outside, cover, and even rush off the edge. Highly intelligent player who's a natural leader and someone who looks like a future captain wherever he ends up. Possesses the talent to play for any P4 program in the country and likely owns an NFL ceiling.

- 247 Sports

Mikhail is not the only athlete the Ducks are working to flip. Oregon has also been working to flip class of 2025 offensive lineman Douglas Utu from Tennessee. On Friday, Sept. 20, On3's Chad Simmons logged a prediction pick for Oregon to flip the lineman's commitment. 

On Thursday, Lanning was seen by Jack Gillespie visiting the hometown of 2025 four-star edge rusher Hayden Lowe, who is currently committed to USC. 

Lanning and his staff are also looking to flip 2025 tight end Andre Olesh from Michigan. The Michigan commit has scheduled a visit to Oregon for its highly anticipated matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 12th. 

Oregon's class is ranked No. 13 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten Conference by the 247Sports Composite. However, Oregon's class is ranked No.1 in terms of "rating per commit," meaning there's plenty of room to improve. A commitment from any of these highly touted prospects would be a huge victory for the Ducks as they look to establish themselves further as the nation's most dominant recruiting powerhouse. 

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Olivia Cleary
OLIVIA CLEARY

Olivia Cleary, commonly known as Liv, is a fourth-year student at the University of Oregon. While pursuing a degree in journalism, Olivia has submersed herself in the world of Oregon athletics. Olivia is an intern within the athletic department. This role has provided her with a unique perspective as she has created relationships with staff, administrators, and student-athletes. Olivia is eager to share her insights and analysis on the Ducks and the broader world of college sports.

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