The Oregon Ducks have been the best team in all of college football this season. Led by third-year head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks (13-0) won the Big Ten Championship and are the No. 1 seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoffs. As they prepare to face the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes, whom they beat 32-31 in their previous matchup this season, the focus has shifted as to how the Ducks have become a perennial contender in the NIL era.
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Led by its most famous alumnus in Nike founder Phil Knight, the Ducks have the resources to compete with any program as pertains to adding top-tier talent. In many ways the program has an open checkbook, in large part to its Division Street NIL collective, which has contributed greatly to the recruiting success under Lanning. In fact it’s a pretty straightforward answer as to how the Ducks do business in this highly competitive NIL era.
Phil Knight Has The Bag To Drive Oregon Ducks NIL Machine
During a recent interview with CBS Sports, a NIL agent who wished to remain unnamed said, “Phil Knight is bankrolling that whole thing and wants to see them win a national title. They are really, really aggressive with money.”
Knight, who’s worth $34.8 billion, will do whatever it takes to help bring his alma mater that elusive national championship. His deep pockets are a huge reason the Ducks have the No. 4 ranked class in the 2025 recruiting cycle, despite having just 19 recruits. They landed four five-star recruits on par with the likes of traditional recruiting powers Alabama and Georgia, who are arguably the two most successful programs in the country since Kirby Smart took over his alma mater in Athens in 2016.
Ducks Land Two Recruits In Top 12
Landing the fourth-ranked class and four five-star recruits is no easy feat. In that group the Ducks landed two of the nation’s top 12 players in wide receiver Dakorien Moore (No. 8), who starred at Texas and national power Duncanville. The other is elite cornerback Na’eem Offord (No. 12), who somehow got out of Birmingham, Alabama, and was originally committed to Ohio State.
Offord surprisingly flipped his commitment from the Buckeyes, who are arguably the Ducks’ toughest competition in the new Big Ten to Oregon just hours into the early signing period on Dec. 4. Offord was the highest-ranking prospect in the Buckeyes class, according to ESPN, but the magic and deep pockets of Knight helped flip his commitment to Eugene.
Following his flip, Offord told reporters this about Knight’s influence on his decision:
“He played a big role, like a huge, big role. He’s actually waiting on me to get up there, he’s got a lot of stuff planned for me. He’s gonna help me make my shoe.”
In this pay-for-play era having someone like Phil Knight and the Nike brand behind you is a huge advantage. That in itself will keep the Ducks in title contention for years to come, with the belief that they’re going to break through and win a couple.
Heading into the New Year’s Day matchup with Ohio State, many believe if the Ducks can get by the Buckeyes, the Nike Team could soon be hoisting that elusive national championship trophy, and Knight is a huge reason why.
