CLASS IMPACT: Akili Smith Jr. Commits to Oregon

The Ducks got a talented quarterback in the fold early.

Oregon is surging in the 2025 recruiting ranks after landing a commitment from San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr. on Monday. 

He chose the Ducks over competing offers from the likes of Florida and Michigan and helps Oregon check an important box early in the cycle.

We're breaking this commitment down from every angle.

Recruiting Impact

For starters, Oregon gets a commitment at the most important position very early in the 2025 cycle. Smith will become the face of Oregon's class and he's complemented nicely by two elite wide receivers and a strong offensive lineman in Sandman Thompson. 

Having a high-end quarterback committed will help the Ducks recruit other offensive positions and they've already hosted some elite 2025 recruits throughout the spring and summer. 

Smith was a guy Will Stein honed in on early with an offer back in  and that looks to have paid off. Speaking of Stein, he's now landed four quarterbacks (Novosad, Van Buren, Moga) before even coaching at a game at Oregon after joining the staff from UTSA. He's quickly become one of Dan Lanning's most valuable recruiting assets on the coaching staff.

Evaluation

Smith Jr. has the ideal frame for your prototypical quarterback at 6'5"/6'6", 205 pounds. That said, you'd definitely like to see him add some more weight to his frame and he has plenty of time to do that in the two years before he arrives in Eugene. 

As a player, he's one of the most promising quarterbacks in the country, as he competed in the Under Armour Future 50 event this spring--an event that featured elite recruits in the 2025 class.

Turning on the tape he stands tall in the pocket and isn't afraid to take a hit. He has a quick release and puts the ball where it needs to be more often than not. Smith is a good decision maker, as evidenced by his low turnover rate during his sophomore season. 

He has a good deep ball and great mobility for someone his size, routinely extending plays and sidestepping defenders to stay upright, all while keeping his eyes downfield. The newest Duck has a quick release and doesn't hang on to the ball longer than he needs to. 

One thing that impresses me most is his ability to throw on the run. This is a component of his game that comes with obvious risk, but I only expect his feel for the game to improve. You'd ideally like the ball to come off his hand with more zip, but he's got time to add velocity and develop physically. What's important now is that the mental part of the game is clearly there. 

His sophomore tape does showcase a lot of pretty open throws, which makes it hard to evaluate his ability to throw with anticipation and thread the ball into tight windows. Another positive for Smith is that his new school Lincoln has some of the best coaches in the state of California including offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Jason Carter.

If there's a staff that's going to help him grow and get the most out of his game, it's at Lincoln, I've seen it firsthand. 

Roster Outlook at Oregon

The quarterback room is always interesting to evaluate at Oregon, especially when you look at the position without Bo Nix, who enters his final college season with the Ducks in 2023. 

Ty Thompson has the best path to succeed Nix, but I'm not ready to deem him the man until we see it on the field. He will have been at Oregon for three seasons by the time 2024 comes around, so I need to see a leap from him this year if he's going to be given the reigns to the offense.

Aside from Thompson, Oregon already has commitments from two quarterbacks in 2024 in Luke Moga and Michael Van Buren. They both have a lot of potential, but most would agree that Van Buren is the more polished quarterback right now. 

Even with three talented scholarship quarterbacks projected to be on the roster in 2024, I fully expect the Ducks to weigh their options in the transfer portal following this season. Smith has a lot of strengths to his game and some promising potential, but if you asked me right now I would say that I don't expect him to start off the bat.

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Akili Smith Jr. breaks down Oregon commitment

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