Oregon already holds a top-10 recruiting class for 2024, and the Ducks are wasting no time trying to improve on that ranking for the next group. For the second time in as many days, the Ducks have landed a commitment from a Rivals250 prospect in the 2025 class.
Monday, that honor went to legacy quarterback Akili Smith, Jr. who announced a pledge to his father's alma mater after participating in the Saturday Nigh Live event over the weekend in Eugene.
Smith has made multiple trips to Eugene during his recruitment allowing him to build a strong relationship with the staff setting the stage for his Monday decision.
"It excites me very much, because obviously my dad went there and had a couple good seasons over there," the 6-foot-5 quarterback said. "I like the coaches and everything. I like the quarterbacks coach (Will Stein), he's very cool. I like the program, I like the campus. Everything is nice."
Smith, who is returning to San Diego to play at his dad's alma mater, Lincoln High School, after playing last season at Vista Murrieta in California's Inland Empire, is coming off a strong sophomore campaign leading to several offers from around the country.
The new Oregon commit has been able to build a strong bond with Stein since the new Ducks offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach joined the staff in the winter. Dan Lanning and Demetrice Martin also played an integral role in bringing the recruitment together in favor of the program.
All those pieces played a role in Smith feeling comfortable enough to follow in his father's footsteps to Eugene.
"I love coach Stein, he's pretty cool," Smith said. "Coach Dan Lanning, he's pretty cool. He's a people's guy, so he likes to talk to a lot of people. He has a lot of connections, so it's pretty good."
Akili Smith, Sr. threw for over 5,100 yards passing with 45 touchdowns during his time with the Ducks in 1997 and 1998 en route to becoming the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
The four-star prospect, who currently is rated No. 172 overall in the Rivals rankings, says he has aspirations of playing in the NFL and finding the right program and coaching staff to get him to the next level has been key throughout the process.
The addition of Smith also gives Stein another feather in his cap after previously landing four-star quarterbacks Austin Novosad, Luke Moga and Michael Van Buren upon arriving in Eugene from UTSA in December.
He also played a role in recruiting Pflugerville (Texas) Weiss receiver Adrian Wilson, who flipped his commitment from TCU to Oregon on Saturday after a visit with the Ducks. Wilson (No. 50) is currently the highest-rated prospect in Oregon's 2025 class that now ranks third nationally, according to Rivals.
The Ducks have four commitments overall in the 2025 class already including four-star receiver Dallas Wilson and high three-star offensive lineman Chavez "Sandman" Thompson.
Oregon's newest commit threw for 2,432 yards passing and 29 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions as a sophomore in 2022. Florida, Michigan, Miami, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Cal are all programs that have been in pursuit of Smith early in his recruitment ahead of his decision Monday.
