New Oregon Ducks Receivers Coach Ross Douglas Securing Elite Recruits Already

Douglas helped lead the Syracuse Orange to a top passing offense in 2024, taking on the same role. Before that, he coached the New England Patriots’ wide receivers for three years and had stints with Richmond and Rutgers.

On Thursday, Douglas helped the Ducks land 2027 five-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman. Bowman chose Oregon over the Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers. The receiver is currently ranked the No. 10 player at his position and No. 51 players nationally by On3.

In an interview with Rivals’ Chad Simmons, Bowman talked about the bonds he formed with the Ducks’ coaching staff, specifically Douglas.

“Oregon showed me around and made me feel comfortable and at home. ... It was great being out there and building connections,” Bowman told Simmons. “I had a great time with coach Douglas. We spent a lot of time together and I liked being around him and the staff. I will be back for a game.”

In addition to Bowman, Oregon secured commitments from the No. 57 overall recruit on the 2026 class, Jalen Lott, and the No. 104 recruit in the 2026 class, Messiah Hampton.

The program’s previous wide receiver coach, Junior Adams, coached future pros such as Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan throughout his career. With the Ducks, he directed top talents in Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson, who both went on to be NFL Draft picks. Losing Adams to the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason was a tough loss.

But Oregon found what so far seems to be a good fit in Douglas. Not only has he hit the ground running when it comes to recruits, but Douglas seems to have impressed the staff and players during offseason practices.

“The energy that he brings on the field, I think he's looking to coach every single moment. He had obviously some great references with his time with Coach (Bill) Belichick and some of the other coaches that he's been around. His experience on both the offense and defensive side of the ball, the amount of work and time that he's putting in to get ahead of the curve … He's done a great job of coming and attacking it and building relationships with those guys.”Lanning

The Ducks have hauled in a top group of wide receiver recruits in the past four years since Lanning took the head coaching position. While Lott and Hampton will make up the first batch of commits that Douglas played a role in bringing to Eugene, he’ll coach five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, who Adams got a commitment from.

Douglas will take part in his first official game as part of Lanning’s staff when Oregon kicks off the 2025 season at Autzen Stadium against Montana State on Aug. 30.