It’s not often USC and Ohio State don’t get what they want. Those two schools have dominated recruiting cycle after recruiting cycle in their storied histories.
But what Dan Lanning was able to pull off was historic as well.
Oregon is slowly turning into Receiver U as the Ducks were able to flip two huge recruits from the Buckeyes and the Trojans.
Both are receivers as Jeremiah McClellan spurned Ohio State and in a more shocking turn of events, Ryan Pullum flipped from USC to Eugene literally at the last minute.
When Pellum signed his Letter of Intent to Oregon, there were audible gasps in the crowd.
“We felt confident that we were willing to be consistent. I remember the day that he committed somewhere else and just be able to talk to him saying, ‘Hey coach, I’d love to keep the communication going,'” Lanning said of McClellan.
“And it never really stopped on our end, all the way into late last night and early this morning. So I always felt like there was an opportunity if he felt like this was a fit that there would be an opportunity for him to be here. And our staff did a phenomenal job of continuing to work all the relationships necessary for him to see the same picture and vision that we saw.”
According to 247sports, McClellan is the No. 72 overall recruit and the No. 16 receiver in the nation.
It’s not often a player turns away from Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, especially a wide receiver. But the 6-foot, 190-pounder from St. Louis did just that.
As for Pellum, perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a shock.
His uncle Don was an assistant coach at Oregon for over two decades under Rich Brooks and Mike Bellotti.
He’s an Oregon legacy.
Ryan Pellum was rated as the No. 32 receiver in the nation on 247sports.com.
According to Dovovan James of USA TODAY’s TrojansWire.com, Oregon flipping USC recruits is becoming a concerning trend for Lincoln Riley.
“This move will create fresh discussion about Oregon’s ability to make successful late-stage runs at USC targets,” James said.
“USC thought it had Josh Conerly sewn up last year, but Oregon swooped in and grabbed him at the last instant. It was similarly the case here, with the difference being that Pellum had previously committed to USC.”
Oregon also signed receiver Dillon Gresham out of San Jacinto, Calif, who rated as a Top 30 receiver in the nation.
Several teams made a run at him late in the game, but Gresham stayed firm with his commitment to the Ducks.
It should be noted, and it was certainly mentioned by Pellum after making his decision, that the strength of Oregon’s quarterback room with Dillion Gabriel and Dante Moore was a significant reason why each made the choice to play for Lanning in Eugene.