Remember when Dan Lanning was hired as the next head coach at Oregon after Mario Cristobal left and there were doubts about whether he would be able to recruit players at a high level like his predecessor?
These questions have been answered quickly and clearly over the past two years.
Not only has Lanning proven he can recruit at a high level, but he could be a top-three recruiter at the college level. With Nick Saban gone, he could be in the top three with the likes of Ryan Day and Kirby Smart and you probably won't hear much opposition.
The Ducks head coach has been on a roll lately, with a top-10 class for 2023, a top-five group for 2024 and the No. 9 class in the country to start 2025. And already looking ahead to the 2026 cycle, Oregon has a No. 6 group with three commits: Tradarien Ball (No. 47 in the country), Jonas Williams (No. 133 in the country) and Tony Cumberland (No. 135 in the country).
The Ducks are keen to acquire top-40 offensive tackle Cody Greene and may be on the verge of landing the best recruit in the 2026 class.
In fact, Oregon received a crystal ball from 247Sports experts Brandon Huffman and Greg Biggins on Thursday to land Green, and it feels like that's what's happening. The Ducks look like a strong contender to land the four-star, top-40 prospect from Santa Ana, California.
Not only is Green ranked No. 39 overall in the 2026 class, but 247Sports has him ranked even higher, No. 28 overall and No. 4 among offensive tackles.
In addition to the Ducks, Green also holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and Washington, which would mark another big recruiting win for Lanning and company.
But should we really be surprised?
