Ducks Digest

Oregon Assembling one of Nation's Top Transfer Portal Hauls

Dan Lanning and the Ducks aren't rebuilding, they're reloading.

Max Torres

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Oregon's 2023 season came to an end in Arizona on New Year's day when the Ducks beat the Liberty Flames 45-6 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. But Dan Lanning and the rest of his coaching staff had already gotten to work on retooling the roster for 2024.

After signing the best high school recruiting class in program history, Oregon continues to attract star talent in the transfer portal. The Ducks added Houston defensive lineman Ja'Maree Caldwell on Friday, and now have the No. 5 class in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

With the departure of Heisman trophy finalist Bo Nix at quarterback, Lanning knew he had to find another gifted arm to lead Will Stein's offense. So he got things rolling in the portal by landing a commitment from Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, one of the most proven passers available.

But things would get even better at quarterback for the Ducks, as they were also able to land former Oregon commit and five-star recruit Dante Moore from UCLA. The expectation is that Moore will redshirt and learn behind Gabriel in 2024 and be poised to compete for the starting job in 2025, giving the quarterback room both depth and stability for the coming years.

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel reacts after scoring a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel celebrates a touchdown against West Virgina :: © SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
UCLA Bruins quarterback Dante Moore throws a pass in warmups before facing the Oregon State Beavers.
UCLA Bruins quarterback Dante Moore throws a pass in warmups before facing the Oregon State Beavers / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Locklyn lost do-it-all star running back Bucky Irving to the NFL Draft, so he went and added Northwest Missouri State back Jay Harris, a Division II All-American. Harris projects to feature alongside Noah Whittington and Jordan James in what should be one of the most dangerous backfields in all of college football.

As for wide receiver, the Ducks didn't have a glaring need despite losing record-setting playmaker Troy Franklin, but Junior Adams added former Texas A&M standout Evan Stewart, who was the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the portal. He's one of the biggest names in a room that will also feature 1,000-yard receiver Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr. and former five-star recruit Jurrion Dickey.

Rounding out the offensive haul (so far) is Indiana offensive lineman Matthew Bedford. He was one of the most experienced and proven options available and was previously committed to transfer to Colorado. Now he'll likely slide in at right guard to replace long-time starter Steven Jones.

Hopping over to defense, the Ducks have started to address two of their biggest needs along the interior of the defensive line and in the secondary. 

Up front they added Houston defensive lineman Ja'Maree Caldwell, a 6-foot-1, 325-pound All-Big-12 selection that logged 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023. He'll help lessen the blow of losing Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers and Popo Aumavae.

Kansas State safety Kobe Savage celebrates a big play against Texas Tech,
Kansas State safety Kobe Savage celebrates a big play against Texas Tech, / © Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
UTSA cornerback Kameryn Alexander on his visit to Oregon.
UTSA cornerback Kameryn Alexander on his visit to Oregon :: Kam Alexander/Oregon Athletics

Moving into the secondary, Chris Hampton brought in Kansas State standout Kobe Savage at safety to add valuable coverage skills and another hard hitter to follow in the footsteps of Evan Williams. Demetrice Martin added USTA transfer Kameryn Alexander to his cornerback room, which gives Oregon a lockdown defender with plenty of speed to spare.

Rounding out the haul of nine total commitments is Atticus Sappington, a transfer kicker from Oregon State that's coming off a consistent and accurate 2023 season. He projects to be heavily in the mix to replace long-time starter Camden Lewis, who broke the program's scoring record, but had a turbulent final season in Eugene.

The Ducks' nine commitments have an average 247Sports transfer portal rating of 90.33, which is the highest of any team ranked inside the top-20 of the 247Sports transfer portal rankings. 

Oregon may not be finished adding talent, as they're heavily involved with Washington transfer Jabbar Muhammad, an All-Pac-12 cornerback in 2023.

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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