Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks were able to flip former four-star USC commit Dakoda Fields away from Lincoln Riley's Trojans on Monday night.
With Oregon heading to the Big Ten as well, the Ducks' budding rivalry with the USC Trojans is only just getting started.
Oregon and Washington will be joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten in 2024. Although the Ducks don't have the national brand of USC, Oregon recruits about as well as any program outside of the SEC footprint domestically. Clearly, Dan Lanning has picked up where Mario Cristobal left off. All the while, Lincoln Riley could be losing market share out west with Oregon heading to the Big Ten.
If you want proof of that, four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields flipped from USC to Oregon on Monday night. He is a top-100 player in the 2024 recruiting class, having been committed to the Trojans since June. Without question, the Ducks joining what is perceived to be a better league gave Fields all the confidence to switch emerging Big Ten allegiances. USC lost a great recruit…
As long as Lanning stays in Eugene, the Ducks will have a chance at becoming a national championship-contending program after the latest wave of college football realignment.
Oregon gets former USC 4-star Dakoda Fields to flip after Big Ten announcement
With USC being a private institution in the second biggest media market in the country, the Trojans should have many more recruiting advantages over the Ducks. Oregon does have the Nike money, but the state does not have anywhere close to the same amount of homegrown prospects as California does. However, both schools heading to the Big Ten means they must recruit nationally.
This is paramount because with USC and UCLA joining the league, it opens up recruiting territory for the 14 other Big Ten programs. The league will be going to 18 in 2024, meaning programs like USC and UCLA will have to do their best job to date of protecting their own turf. It is why recruitment will be so paramount in the next wave of realignment. Coaching will only go so far…
Riley may be an offensive wunderkind, but Lanning is perhaps the strongest branch to sprout from the young Kirby Smart coaching tree out of Athens. If Smart were to retire prematurely or pursue another venture, one would think Lanning might be the frontrunner to take over for him at UGA. Riley may have his eyes set on an NFL gig, but for now, he must do at USC what he didn't at OU.
Fields flipping to the Ducks only further signifies that USC's recruiting advantage was short-lived.