It’s been a good day for Oregon football.
But it’s been an exceptional day for Dan Lanning.
Yes, as a good recruiter you have to have a good sales pitch, but for Lanning it comes easy and Oregon simply sells itself.
You knew it was going to be a good day for Lanning when he received early commitments from edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei and safety Peyton Bowen – both 5-star recruits with massive upsides.
Bowen was certainly a shocker since he had committed to Notre Dame last year.
At his video commitment Wednesday morning ( see below ), Bowen initially selected and put on the Notre Dame cap which brought a huge roar and applause from the audience, but he quickly switched it to the Oregon cap and simply said “Go Ducks”.
Peyton Bowen chooses Oregon.
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) December 21, 2022
The five-star Denton Guyer safety flips from Notre Dame to the Ducks. pic.twitter.com/597uOxGqFn
Shock certainly reverberated through the room and throughout college football.
It was the same for Uiagalelei.
It was thought the Ducks had a chance for the 5-star defensive lineman, however, it was Ohio State and USC who seemed to have the inside track, especially the Buckeyes who received several visits from Uiagalelei over the last year.
“I just had a great comfort level with Oregon,” Uiagalelei said.
“I felt really comfortable with the coaches and a lot of the players on the team and loved my visits every time I was there.
“I took my official visit in the summer and it felt like a big family for me. The coaching staff was great to be around and Oregon just felt like the best all-around fit for me.”
Uiagalelei is a consensus 5-star recruit that fits extremely well at the edge or on the inside.
“In their defense, they run multiple fronts and the outside backers are similar to defensive ends or edge rushers,” said Uiagalelei. “I like the fit a lot and Tosh is a great coach and someone really easy for me to be around.”
He also gave credit to Lanning who he built a solid relationship.
“Coach Lanning is real cool,” he said.
“When he was at Georgia, he was the DC and also worked with the outside backers and he has a great defensive reputation.
“I like that both the DC and the head coach would be personally involved in my development and it’s pretty cool to look at it like that.”
Another huge get for the Ducks, and a surprise was QB Austin Novosad who had previously committed to Baylor but flipped that commitment on Wednesday to sign with Oregon.
Novosad is a consensus 4-star recruit from Dripping Springs, Texas, and stands 6’3 and 185 lbs.
Novosad visited Eugene this past weekend and the visit was considered to have gone extremely well. But, it was still relationships that induced his decision to choose Eugene.
New Oregon OC Will Stein had a previous relationship with Novosad and led the charge to get him in an Oregon uniform.
“With the previous Stein relationship and the offense he runs is great” explained Novodad on Wednesday.
“I think he develops quarterbacks and they have some dudes to throw to.”
Again, Lanning continued to be the glue to bring this group together.
“Also after meeting Coach Lanning, I could tell that I would fit into the culture there,” said Novosad.
More to come. ODFN will have a complete list of all signed recruits and transfers later in the day.
WEDNESDAY MEDIA BRIEFING; DAN LANNING DISCUSSES NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
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