Oregon Ducks have been hot on the trail of two players that now rank as the top two recruits in the country
Oregon has been linked to two of the best offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class for months, including the No. 1 overall player, Jackson Cantwell. Behind him, Immanuel Iheanacho, who Oregon has been pursuing for months, just got a big time boost in the On3 industry rankings.Iheanacho recently got a bump in his grade, now […]
Oregon has been linked to two of the best offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class for months, including the No. 1 overall player, Jackson Cantwell. Behind him, Immanuel Iheanacho, who Oregon has been pursuing for months, just got a big time boost in the On3 industry rankings.
Iheanacho recently got a bump in his grade, now making him the No. 2 overall player in the country, and the Ducks are one of the favorites to land the 5-star recruit. If Oregon is able to land one of these elite linemen, that would be a great get. If somehow Dan Lanning and the Ducks were able to get both, they'd be on their way to building a dominant front line for the next few years.
“Trying to see how [offensive line] Coach [A'lique] Terry actually coaches,” Iheanacho told On3 regarding what he wants to get out of the trip. “I know Coach Terry has products like Josh Conerly and those guys on there. Also want to see how the players respond to tough coaching and how generally a practice is run.”
The recent development of offensive linemen that have turned into high NFL Draft picks out of Oregon is creating a reputation that the Ducks have a strong program for development. Clearly that matters to Iheanacho
“I love Coach (Dan) Lanning. I love Coach Terry and all those guys on there. They all made me feel welcome. They all made me feel like family when I was down there. But I think, it's such a far travel. I want my parents also to feel like they’re welcome there and that’s somewhere they can possibly see themselves living," Iheanacho continued.
Oregon being up in the pacific northwest has long been an issue with recruiting, especially with Eugene being a two hour drive from the biggest airport in Oregon up in Portland. That distance and the isolation of Eugene is a turn off for some. It creates long travel days when you have to make the drive to get to the airport before flying out. For Iheanacho, whose family is in Maryland, it's quite the trek.
It sounds like his family is going to play a role in his decision, with his parents potentially relocating to wherever he plays. For Ducks fans, they'll be hoping Iheanacho's parents fall in love with Eugene.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
