Oregon Football Assistants Rank Among Best Recruiters in Big Ten, Country

The Oregon Ducks' success on the recruiting trail continues with a recent jump into the top five recruiting classes in the country. Individually, four Oregon coaches are now ranked as some of the best recruiters in the Big Ten Conference. Additionally, with the decision by Dakorien Moore to commit to Oregon, the rankings just keep getting better.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning leads practice with the Oregon Ducks Saturday, April 6, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Oregon football boasts some of the best recruiters in the nation.

The hard work on the recruiting trail by coach Dan Lanning and his assistant coaches is now paying dividends and in a big way. Coming into July, the Ducks were ranked outside the top 25 nationally for the class of 2025. However, a high-profile recruiting weekend resulted in five commitments and a No. 5 ranking, per On3. Then, as icing on the cake, Dakorien Moore, a five-star athlete, the nations No. 3 player, the No. 1 wide receiver, and the No. 1 player in the state of Texas picked the Ducks in somewhat of a surprising move.

Not only did Oregon’s ranking numbers jump, four assistants also climbed up the Big Ten Conference’s recruiter leaderboard based on the earlier commits. Now with Moore on board you can expect the rankings continue to rise.

Oregon wide receivers coach Junior Adams and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi are among the 10 top-ranked recruiters in the Big Ten Conference ranked fourth and sixth, respectively. Newly hired running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples is 11th and defensive backs coach Chris Hampton makes the biggest jump, from unranked to No. 14.

Adams gets credit for securing commitments from four-star wideouts Dallas Wilson, Isaiah Mozee, and Cooper Perry. In addition to his ranking within the Big Ten, Adams is now No. 12 nationally.

Oct 8, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receivers coach Junior Adams against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Lupoi was the primary recruiter for four-star linebacker Nasir Wyatt and edge rusher, Matthew Johnson, also four stars. Lupoi also took the lead in recruiting three-star defensive lineman, Josiah Sharma, one of the five who recently committed to the Ducks. As a result of the Sharma signing, Lupoi moved to No. 6 on the Big Ten leaderboard and to 22nd nationally.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, talks to defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi during practice with the Oregon Ducks Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Samples was hired by Lanning in April to replace Carlos Locklyn (moved to Ohio State as their running back coach) and he wasted no time in making his mark on the recruiting trail. Samples was responsible for landing four-star running back Dierre Hill and assisted in landing another four-star athlete, Cooper Perry, a wide receiver. Samples was also responsible for the recent signing of four-star running back Jordon Davison, which moved him to the 11th spot in the Big Ten.

Arizona State Sun Devils WR coach/passing game coordinator Ra'Shaad Samples instructs his players during spring football practice at the Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on March 16, 2023. Ncaa Football Asu Spring Football Practice / Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY

Hampton was responsible for two of the five recent additions to Oregon’s 2025 commits. He landed four-star cornerbacks Dorian Brew and Brandon Finney. With these additions, Hampton has vaulted to 14th in the Big Ten rankings after having been unranked.

New co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton, right, joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football as they prepare for the 2023 season. Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06 / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA

While the individual rankings are impressive, the Big Ten more than holds its own on the national stage with eight out of the top 25 recruiters. Larry Johnson, assistant head coach at Ohio State, and Tim Walton, secondary coach for the Buckeyes, are No. 1 and 2, respectively, on the national scene. Terry Smith, associate head coach from Penn State is 10th. Lou Esposito, defensive line coach at Michigan is 13th. A.J. Blazek, Wisconsin’s offensive line coach, is 23rd with Ohio State’s wide receiver coach, Brian Hartline, at 24th.

This recent surge in Oregon’s success on the recruiting trail has not gone unnoticed. In fact, there are some who believe the Ducks can not only be in the top five but have a chance at the overall No. 1 ranking when all is said and done. To that point, the Ducks are moving toward that ranking by landing the program's highest rated recruit in Moore. This is a testament to Lanning and his coach’s work ethic and refusal to give up on a prospect, regardless of what may seem impossible.

Ducks’ fans must be thrilled with this off-season activity and anxious to see the end results on the field this fall and in falls for years to come.

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