Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks Lose 5-Star to Texas A&M Aggies

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 3:26 PM ET

One of the top-ranked players in the 2026 class came off of the recruiting board on Thursday afternoon, and his announcement left Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies celebrating, while Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks headed back to the drawing board.

5-star cornerback Brandon Arrington, the No. 10 player and No. 1-ranked athlete in the class, officially announced his commitment to the Aggies, joining their already top-five ranked class.

With the addition of Arrington, Texas A&M jumped up to No. 2 in the 247Sports national recruiting rankings, sitting only behind the USC Trojans while moving in front of the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This is a tough loss for Lanning and the Ducks, who have been recruiting Arrington, a California-native, hard over the last couple of years. Ultimately, though, there are reports that the NIL package that Texas A&M was able to put together for Arrington was bigger than Oregon was comfortable offering for a talented but raw player.

On top of that, the path to playing time in College Station is more open than it is in Eugene in the secondary. Last season, the Ducks brought in a haul at the cornerback spot, with 5-star Na'eem Offord, 5-star Brandon Finney, and 4-star Dorian Brew signing with Oregon, plus the addition of 5-star safety Trey McNutt as well.

The Ducks are still in on several other high-profile defensive back recruits, including 5-star safety Jett Washington, and 4-star cornerback Davon Benjamin, both of whom are expected to announce their commitments in the near future.

At the moment, Oregon desperately needs these pickups, with the No. 37 ranked class in the 2026 cycle.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: