Oregon just put FIVE 5-stars in their 2026 class and everybody wants to pretend that isn't a direct shot across our bow. Their bagmen are working overtime and Dan Lanning is selling that Nike money hard. Meanwhile we are sitting here in the dead period watching our 2027 recruiting rankings slip while the Ducks are locking down elite talent left and right. Lincoln Riley better be on the phone with every 2027 blue-chipper in California right now because if we let Oregon come into our backyard and flip our croots like they did last year we are going to have a serious problem.
The ESPN 2027 class rankings just dropped and I looked at it twice. We are hanging around the top 15 which is fine for now but Oregon is already sniffnig the top 5 with their 2027 haul. That is unacceptable when we are in the same conference now. We cannot let this become the new normal where the Ducks just out-recruit us every single year. Their 2026 class is absolutely loaded with five-stars at every position group and if they pull another top 5 class in 2027 while we are scraping for 4-stars we are going to get left behind in the Big Ten arms race.
I have sources telling me we are hosting some serious 2027 talent for summer OVs but the crystal balls are all over the place. We need to lock down our own backyard before Oregon comes in with the NIL briefcase and flips everybody. Lincoln Riley said it is time for a CFP run but that starts with winning the recruiting battles against our new conference rivals. Oregon is not going to slow down and neither should we.