Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks New Coach Ross Douglas To Land No. 1 Michigan Recruit CJ Sadler?

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning recently hired Ross Douglas away from the Syracuse Orange as the Ducks' newest wide receivers coach. Douglas reportedly has a strong recruiting relationship with the No. 1 recruiting prospect in Michigan, CJ Sadler. Sadler is a top-100 player, four-star wide receiver in the class of 2026.

Charlie Viehl

Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center.
Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Oregon Ducks' newest member of the coaching staff, wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, is already making an impact on the recruiting trail.

According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, Douglas has a relationship with wide receiver recruit CJ Sadler, and the No. 1 prospect from the state of Michigan has planned a visit to Oregon on April 5. Sadler is a consensus four-star recruit, and he is the top prospect from Michigan, according to 247Sports' and On3's respective rankings.

The Michigan Wolverines are currently trending to land the in-state recruit according to On3, although Sadler has multiple official visits planned. The four-star receiver from Cass Technical in Detroit told Wiltfong that he plans on visiting Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, Colorado, Auburn, and potentially more.

Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game
Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Will Sadler be the first commit that Douglas will bring to Oregon? The Ducks do not have a commitment from a wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Douglas will also look to continue the Ducks' pursuit of flipping Ohio State Buckeyes commit Chris Henry Jr.

When CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported the hire, he called Ross Douglas a rising star in the industry. Before spending one season as the wide receivers coach for the Syracuse Orange, Douglas spent three seasons with the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick. In his final season with New England, Douglas had worked his way up to the wide receivers coach position.

Before Oregon coach Dan Lanning hired him, Douglas helped lead Syracuse's offense to become the No. 1 passing unit in the country under quarterback Kyle McCord. The Orange averaged 370 passing yards per game, the most in the country.

MORE: Oregon Ducks Football Facility Multi-Million Dollar Expansion Under Construction

MORE: 3 Things to Know About Oregon Ducks Wide Receivers Coach Ross Douglas

MORE: New Orleans Saints' Juwan Johnson To Sign With Denver Broncos, Sean Payton Reunion?

Earlier in the offseason, the Ducks lost wide receivers coach Junior Adams to the Dallas Cowboys. The move from Adams came after the Cowboys unsuccessfully tried to hire away Oregon running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples.

With Samples and Douglas on staff, the Ducks are not expected to see much of a drop off in recruiting after losing Adams to the NFL. Douglas has already scheduled a visit with Sadler, perhaps proving how strong the connection might be between the four-star recruit and Oregon's newest assistant.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Still, Sadler is a coveted recruit by many schools, and the USC Trojans are recruiting the elite wide reciever in addition to Michigan, Ohio State, and others. In January, he visited USC and coach Lincoln Riley on a big recruiting weekend for the Trojans, and he spoke about the trip with Wiltfong afterwards.

“Overall USC is a great spot. Alex Graham a former Cass Tech guy he just enrolled in December. That’s my guy. He was telling me a lot of things about USC. I can see myself going there but it’s a process," Sadler said to On3.

Sadler is expected to be in Eugene, Oregon, in April, but it does appear as though a commitment is happening soon. When the time comes, will the Ducks be able to pull Sadler out of Michigan?

Published |Modified
Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is a 23-year old Boston College graduate and is an Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans beat reporter for On SI. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

Home/Football