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Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks fall short with the elite recruit they fought hard for but lose to SEC program in the end

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated May 5, 2025 8:06 PM ET

This week was always going to be a big one for the Oregon Ducks, one way or another. With No. 1 quarterback Jared Curtis set to make his decision, the Ducks were about to find out whether they’d be landing an elite quarterback prospect.

Curtis decommitted from Georgia back in October of last year. Since then, he’s been heavily recruited by nearly every major program in the country but eventually narrowed his list down to Oregon and Georgia.

Oregon recruited Curtis as hard as possible, but Georgia has once again landed the No. 1 quarterback in the class.

2026 No. 1 QB Jared Curtis Chooses Georgia Bulldogs Over Oregon Ducks

BREAKING: Five-Star QB Jared Curtis has Committed to Georgia, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’4 220 QB from Nashville, TN chose the Bulldogs over Oregon

He’s ranked as the No. 1 QB in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

“Go Dawgs! Let’s roll.”https://t.co/HsulXigmGC pic.twitter.com/hCPq0riBG1
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 5, 2025

Curtis has re-committed to the Bulldogs, and the 6-foot-3 quarterback is now set to play under Kirby Smart for the next three or four seasons. The Tennessee native is ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

This is another tough recruiting loss for the Ducks, who recently missed out on four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a new commit to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Landing both Dixon-Wyatt and Curtis would have been a major momentum boost for Oregon’s 2026 recruiting class.

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for the Ducks, who will continue pursuing five-star QB Ryder Lyons in hopes of securing a top-tier talent. Unfortunately, Lanning and his staff miss out on the No. 1 quarterback in the class. Offensive coordinator Will Stein was the primary recruiter of Curtis for the Ducks.

Oregon remains with seven commitments in the class of 2026 and have the No. 20 ranked class, per 247 Sports.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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