College football recruiting thoughts: Oregon’s setbacks, USC’s surge, Washington’s in-state push

One of the biggest names in the 2026 recruiting cycle is off the board after Jared Curtis announced his commitment to Georgia over Oregon on Monday. While the five-star quarterback’s decision certainly warranted all the attention it received — we’ll get into that soon — there are plenty of recruiting storylines popping up as we approach the busy summer months.

What’s next for Oregon?

To contextualize how well it’s gone for Oregon on the recruiting trail over the past few years, consider this: One of the Ducks’ biggest setbacks under Dan Lanning occurred when five-star quarterback Dante Moore flipped to UCLA during the early signing period in December 2022.

That’s the same Moore who left the Bruins after one season and is expected to start for the Ducks this fall.

Oregon took Curtis’ recruitment down to the wire. Curtis, who plays for Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School, is the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 2 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was committed to Georgia for seven months in 2024 before reopening his recruitment, which cleared the path for the Ducks to make a push that ultimately fell short.

Lanning has signed top-10 classes in each of the past three cycles, and his last two classes have finished in the top five. He’s raised the Ducks’ recruiting profile since he took over. (And yes, comments section, we know: NIL, NIL, NIL.)

But we’re not used to seeing Oregon take as many blows on the trail as they have over the past couple of months. The Ducks have been on the wrong end of some high-profile flips to West Coast rivals — five-star offensive lineman Kodi Greene to Washington and a pair of four-star prospects, quarterback Jonas Williams and defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, to USC. They also lost recent battles for four-star defensive lineman Derek Colman-Brusa (Washington) and four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Ohio State). Now, add Curtis to the mix.

When Moore flipped to UCLA in late 2022, Lanning countered with an impressive flurry to close the early signing period, showing the rest of the nation what to expect from him and the Ducks moving forward.

There shouldn’t be a ton of concern about Oregon’s recruiting over the long term. The Ducks’ average player rating for their seven commitments in the 2026 class sits at 92.80 (fourth nationally). It would surprise no one if they ended up with five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. But it’ll be interesting to see how Lanning and his staff respond over the next few months.

USC continues to beef up its class

The Trojans hold the top spot in the national rankings and continued their impressive run by landing several blue-chip commitments last week. The highest-rated player of the group was four-star corner Elbert Hill, an Ohio native who is a top-50 prospect nationally. USC also landed Luc Weaver, a four-star wide receiver from Southern California.

But the most significant pledge might have come from four-star IMG (Fla.) Academy offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe, the younger brother of current USC defensive lineman Kobe Pepe. USC has struggled to attract elite offensive line talent for several years. It’s one of the glaring areas where the program has to improve to contend nationally.

The Trojans have a whopping 27 commitments in their 2026 class, which is 12 more than the next closest programs (Penn State and Syracuse). That’s a big reason why they’re sitting atop the team rankings, but their class also has star power, with eight top-100 prospects. And 15 of the 27 commitments come from the state of California, which will please USC fans after the recent in-state struggles under Lincoln Riley.

Ole Miss makes some noise

From a roster-building standpoint, the Rebels have become known more for their work in the transfer portal than the recruiting trail under Lane Kiffin. But Ole Miss received pledges from two top-150 prospects over the past week.

The Rebels flipped four-star linebacker Izayia Williams of Tavares (Fla.) High, the nation’s No. 51 prospect, from Florida. They also landed a commitment from four-star running back Damarius Yates, a Mississippi native who ranks No. 7 in the state and No. 125 nationally. They instantly became the two highest-rated players in Ole Miss’ class.

Yates is part of a particularly strong recruiting cycle in Mississippi, which is home to 15 blue-chip prospects this year. That’s the most since the 2019 cycle produced 17 blue-chippers. We’ll see if Ole Miss can take advantage.

Washington keeps top talent in state

Washington hired Jedd Fisch on Jan. 14, 2024. That was a less-than-ideal start date for a coach in the 2025 recruiting cycle. But Fisch made it work, and the Huskies finished with a top-25 recruiting class.

The ceiling for Washington’s 2026 class is potentially even higher. Flipping Greene, the No. 22 overall player in the class, from Oregon was a massive triumph.

Fisch built the trenches up well at Arizona, and it’s clear he’s emphasizing that area with the Huskies. In addition to flipping Greene, Washington beat out Oregon and several other brand-name programs for four-star in-state defensive lineman Colman-Brusa.

Fisch is also prioritizing keeping top in-state talent at home. Greene plays for Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., so he’s listed as a California prospect, but he’s a Washington native and his older brother, Kayden, plays safety for the Huskies. Colman-Brusa is the top-rated player in Washington (No. 161 nationally), and his brother, Lowen, signed with Washington as part of the 2025 class.

This is Fisch’s second recruiting cycle with the Huskies, and it’s the second time he’s landed the No. 1 in-state prospect (Zaydrius Rainey-Sale in 2025 was the other).

Washington’s 2026 class currently ranks 18th nationally.

Vanderbilt makes a splash

It’s not too often Vanderbilt is involved with one of the best prospects in the country. Four-star corner Caden Harris, who plays for Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., has proven to be an exception.

Harris, ranked No. 82 nationally, committed to the Commodores in late April over Notre Dame, Georgia and other Power 4 programs. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has not signed a top-150 prospect since he took over as head coach in December 2020.

That’s not a surprise. Vanderbilt is known more for its academics than its recruiting prowess. But Lea is coming off a breakthrough season with quarterback Diego Pavia and the program’s first bowl victory since the 2013 season.

That on-field momentum carried over with Harris’ recruitment. If he remains in the fold, he would be Vanderbilt’s highest-rated signee in modern recruiting history (dating back to 2002).

Around the country

Ohio State: Brian Hartline is keeping the Buckeyes stocked with high-end wide receiver talent. On Sunday, Dixon-Wyatt committed to Ohio State over Oregon and others. Dixon-Wyatt is the No. 107 overall player in the class and is a Mater Dei teammate of fellow Buckeyes receiver commit Chris Henry Jr., a five-star prospect. Ohio State has four blue-chip receivers in its 2026 class.

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish, No. 2 in the team rankings, bolstered their class with two four-star pledges recently — running back Javian Osborne (No. 90 nationally) and linebacker Jakobe Clapper (No. 399). Notre Dame’s class includes 14 commitments and has an average player rating of 92.14, which, if it holds, would be the highest in Marcus Freeman’s time as head coach.

Georgia: A few days before Curtis’ commitment, the Bulldogs landed four-star in-state offensive lineman Graham Houston, who ranked No. 298 nationally. Georgia has eight commitments and ranks No. 17 nationally.

LSU: The Tigers went into Southern California and came away with a commitment from four-star corner and top-100 prospect Havon Finney, who plays for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth. Finney is one of six top-100 prospects in LSU’s class, which ranks No. 6 nationally.

(Photo of Dan Lanning: Soobum Im / Getty Images)