Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho originally had a commitment date scheduled for Aug. 4, but he moved up his decision and committed to the Oregon Ducks on Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show.
Iheanacho is one of the most sought-after recruits and had been predicted to land with the Oregon Ducks. Before Iheanacho’s commitment, he may have teased his decision during a workout video.
In a video of Iheanacho working out, he can be seen wearing an Oregon Ducks shirt. While it can be argued to not read into anything, the five-star recruit committed to Oregon shortly after the video was posted.
Iheanacho has had interest from several programs, taking an official visit with the Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Auburn Tigers, and the LSU Tigers which are his top four schools. Per the On3, Industry Rankings, Iheanacho is the No. 4 recruit in the nation, the No. 2 offensive tackle, and the No. 2 recruit from Maryland.
Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry has been the top recruiter for Iheanacho. He and Oregon coach Dan Lanning made sure the five-star recruit feels welcomed and understands he is a priority. Iheanacho had an official visit with the Ducks on June 20, his final one ahead of his decision. Lanning, Terry, and the rest of the staff made a big impact on Iheanacho, which helped push the Ducks high on his list.
“I appreciate being around Coach Terry. Coach Lanning met me at the airport. Not a lot of head coaches are that flexible and really show that I’m a priority like that. So I appreciate that,” Iheanacho told On3.
Sports Oregon Spring Practice / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
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“When people think of Coach Lanning, they think, oh why would you go and play for a defensive coach? But the way I kind of think of it is he develops the best defensive players,” Iheanacho continued. “And I want to play against the best players in practice so game day is easy.”
While Lanning is a defensive coach, the team has produced talented offensive linemen. Detroit Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell was a first-round draft pick coming out of Oregon and is now one of the top players in the position in the league. The Ducks develop players well and put them in the best position to make it to the NFL.
Terry has been a big recruiter for the Ducks in the past couple of weeks, helping shift the momentum by gaining two commitments. Four-star offensive line recruit Tommy Tofi flipped his decision from the Cal Bears to Oregon on July 2. Tofi’s commitment came just a couple of days after three-star offensive lineman Koloi Keli also flipped his commitment from Cal to Oregon.
Before Iheanacho’s commitment, the Oregon Ducks’ recruiting class of 2026 was ranked No. 11 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten, per On3. The team has reached 12 commits, with 67 percent being blue-chip prospects. Iheanacho joins safety Jett Washington as the Ducks’ five-star commits.
Lanning and the Ducks have also received a commitment from several talented four-star prospects including tight end Kendre Harrison, running back Tradarian Ball, and defensive lineman Tony Cumberland. Oregon is building an elite team, looking to compete for a National Championship each season.
Will Iheanacho’s commitment push Oregon back into the top-10 of recruiting rankings?
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