Akili Smith Jr., 2025 QB and Duck Legacy, Commits to Oregon Ducks

Will Stein is off to a strong start in the 2025 cycle after landing the Southern California passer.

The Ducks are picking up some important recruiting momentum with fall camp right around the corner.

2025 San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr. has committed to Oregon. He announced his decision on social media Monday morning following a trip to Eugene for the Ducks' annual Saturday Night Live camp.

Smith chose the Ducks from a growing offer sheet of 15 schools that includes the likes of Florida, Miami and Michigan. Prior to choosing Oregon Smith told Ducks Digest that he was working from a top three of Oregon, Michigan and Florida. 

As a sophomore in 2022, Smith threw for 2,432 yards and 29 touchdowns against 4 interceptions, completing 211 of 314 passes (67.2%) for Vista Murrieta High School before transferring to defending Division 1AA state champion Lincoln.

Smith Jr. is an Oregon legacy whose father Akili Smith Sr. played for the Ducks from 1997 to 1998. Smith was named Pac-10 offensive player of the year in 1998 when he led the conference in total passing yards and all of college football in yards per attempt. 

The younger Smith, Akili 'KJ' Smith Jr., is listed at a towering 6'5" and weighs 205 pounds. He's rated a four-star (0.9627) recruit on the 247Sports Composite. The same system ranks him the No. 84 player nationally, the No. 6 quarterback and the No. 10 player in California. 

He's the fourth overall verbal commitment for Dan Lanning in the 2025 class and comes just a few days after the Ducks flipped Pflugerville (Tex.) Weiss wide receiver Adrian Wilson away from the in-state TCU Horned Frogs. 

Wilson is one of two pass catchers in the fold for Oregon, as they also hold a commitment from Tampa (Fla.) Bay Tech wide receiver Dallas Wilson, a 6-foot-3, playmaker who's also viewed as a top-100 talent according to the 247Sports Composite. 

Rounding out the early four-man class for Oregon is Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie interior offensive lineman Chavez 'Sandman' Thompson. 

The Ducks' 2025 class is ranked No. 3 nationally early on in the cycle behind Alabama and Georgia. 

Oregon fans should also keep a close eye on 2025 recruits like running back Jordon Davison (CA), wide receiver Dakorien Moore (TX) and offensive tackle Logan Powell (AZ). 

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