The Early Signing Period is less than two months away and the Oregon Ducks are looking to add at least one more running back prospect to their 2026 recruiting c …
The Early Signing Period is less than two months away and the Oregon Ducks are looking to add at least one more running back prospect to their 2026 recruiting class.
With only one running back committed in their 2026 class, the Ducks have zeroed in on adding three-star LaMarcus Bell, who is currently committed to Utah. Bell pledged to the Utes back in June, but has since added a recent offer from Oregon, adding a new wrinkle into his recruitment.
The Ducks have putting on the full court press for Bell since offering him on Oct. 24. Adam Gorney of Rivals reported that a visit to Oregon could be in the works soon for Bell and if it does happen, it could spell trouble for Utah.
“The three-star running back from Lake Oswego, Ore., recently landed an offer from Oregon, though, and it was the dream school growing up. Bell is working on scheduling a visit to Eugene and while Utah has done everything right in his recruitment and he has a very close relationship with position coach Mark Atuaia, it will be tested once the Ducks get him on campus,” Gorney said.
The 2026 cycle marks the fifth recruiting class that Oregon coach Dan Lannning has signed during his tenure. Throughout those cycles, only twice have the Ducks not signed multiple running backs and that was in 2022 and 2024.
In the 2025 recruiting cycle the Ducks signed a pair of four-star running backs in Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. Both players were ranked as top 20 running backs in the cycle according to 247Sports’ rankings.
Oregon signed two running backs in the 2023 recruiting cycle as well. Similar to 2025, the Ducks brought in a pair of highly-regarded four-star recruits in Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar, both of whom ranked inside the 247Sports’ top 20 running backs in the cycle.
Currently, the Ducks’ lone running back commit in the 2026 recruiting cycle is four-star Tradarian Ball. He is one of the best backs in the cycle, checking in as the No. 3 running back and No. 53 player in the country.
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Oregon could ultimately wind up with one of the most underrated running back classes in the 2026 cycle if they do land Ball and Bell. The latter is ranked as the No. 25 running back and No. 2 player in Oregon.
Lanning and the Ducks know what they are doing when it comes to recruiting the running back position, but it is interesting to see them show heavy interest for a recruit that was right in their backyard the whole time.
Source: Utah News