Oregon Ducks Incoming 2024 Class Stacked With Talent As Ducks Prep For Big Ten

The Oregon Ducks' 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 3 nationally amongst other College Football Playoff contenders. Which players have a chance to impact Oregon coach Dan Lanning's team right away?

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Ducks’ fall camp Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Oregon Ducks did a fantastic job scouring the country on the recruiting front to compile elite talent in the 2024 class.

Oregon's incoming class ranks nationally right at No. 3, on On3. Georgia is at No.1, Alabama at No. 2, Ohio State at No. 4 and Miami at No. 5. In the Big Ten recruiting rankings, The Ducks are right at the top at No. 1. Behind them? Coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes.

The Ducks have a total of 27 commits coming in, one of which is a five-star - wide receiver Gatlin Bair from Burley, Idaho. His NIL value is right at around $282K.

"Explosive multi-sport star with three-phase playmaking experience who projects as a dynamic receiver. Lean, athletic build with an enormous catch radius given 6-1+ height and elite length (34-inch arm)... Shows impressive ball-tracking ability and adjustment acumen with mid-air body control and spatial awareness. Creative run-after-catch athlete who can stack cuts across the field or spin off tacklers."

- Gabe Brooks of 247Sports on Gatlin Bair

In the 2024 class, 18 of the recruits are four-stars and eight are three-stars. One of those key four star recruits to watch out for has to Elijah Rushing. The EDGE out of Tucson, Arizona committed to Oregon back in October of 2023 after de-committing from Arizona. He played 13 games as a senior and put together a memorable season of 55 tackles, 17.5 tackles for losses and a high school career-high 13.5 sacks. Not to mention two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. It was hard to find a better, stronger incoming pass rusher in college football than Rushing (hence the name).

The main reason this recruiting class is ranked so high has to do with the haul of transfers coming in. Oregon's top transfers are: quarterback Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma ($1.2 million NIL value), wide receiver Evan Stewart from Texas A&M ($1.3 million NIL value), defensive end Jabbar Muhammad from Washington ($486K NIL value).

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks to pass during the Ducks’ fall camp Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

One incoming transfer that doesn't seem to be talked about enough is cornerback Sione Laulea. The transfer from College of San Mateo is the consensus No. 2 junior college transfer nationally. A fun fact about Laulea is that he attended my alma mater in San Mateo, Junipero Serra High School. With an Oregon secondary filled to the brim with talent, he doesn't seem to be getting as much love as he should be.

Oregon defensive back Sione Laulea runs during practice with the Oregon Ducks Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I think any time in recruiting, it is, it's about relationships, and it's about time, time invested, right?" Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after Tuesday's practice. "And certainly, when you start getting some guys from certain areas that have connections with each other, a lot of those guys want to be able to play together and see what you're building. So, if we can continue to do a good job of adding those ones together, whether it's identification, whether it's the relationship, whether it's getting on campus, campus, like, all those things add up and equate to wins and recruiting.”  

Not many programs in the country can say they put together a recruiting class filled with players as skillful than Oregon did. From all aspects with the combination of recruits straight out of high school as well as studs out of the transfer portal (both D1 and junior college).

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