Football: After big recruiting weekend, how stacked could Ducks be for 2023?

With new Oregon Football head coach Dan Lanning being a mastermind of defense, was it any surprise that half the players visiting for a star-studded recruiting weekend to finish off June were along the defensive line?

Among them was 5-star blue-chipper Matayo Uiagalelei, another in a long line of Polynesian athletes that UO has looked to draw in with their small-town vibe and family atmosphere.

Uiagalelei is a terrific prospect to help shore up the defensive line, and with his size and speed could easily be as disruptive of a force as the recently departed Kayvon Thibodeaux was. But first Oregon will have to beat out USC, who at the moment is the predicted frontrunner to land the services of the beastly lineman.

On the offensive side of the ball, Oregon hosted 5-star quarterback Dante Moore from Michigan, the nation’s No.8 overall prospect, and 5-star running back Richard Young from Florida, the nation’s No.2 running back.

The duo could be one of the most impactful signings in Oregon football history could the Ducks pull it off.

While Young did leave Oregon for his last official visit, the general consensus is that he is favoring Alabama.

With Moore, however, the Ducks could potentially be in a lot better shape.

Moore has had only two official visits, to LSU and Oregon, and Eugene was the only place to which he made a return trip. If Oregon were to nab Moore, he would be the highest-rated quarterback signing in program history.

Whether or not the signings happen, the Ducks are drawing attention from areas of the country in which they historically had almost no influence at all. Many of the 5-star recruits hailing from the South and Midwest wouldn’t give a second thought to a little town in the Pacific Northwest, and the fact that Moore and Young decided to come was significant enough.

A recently surfaced video of them on social media dancing away to Oregon’s infamous “Shout” will surely only add fuel to the fire of those hoping to see more 5-star prospects suit up for the green and yellow.