Oregon Ducks’ National Recruiting Poised to Disrupt Big Ten Power Order

Big Ten Schools Miles for Commits

1. Maryland, 170.3 miles
2. Iowa, 275.7 miles
3. Penn State, 291.8 miles
4. Indiana, 342.7 miles
5. Rutgers, 366.4 miles
6. Purdue, 402.5 miles
7. Northwestern, 459.4 miles
8. Illinois, 486.5 miles
9. Wisconsin, 658.6
10. Michigan State, 699.1 miles
11. USC, 758.8 miles
12. Ohio State, 773.8 miles
13. Nebraska, 801.9 miles
14. Washington, 820.3 miles
15. Michigan, 895.4 miles
16. Minnesota, 970.2 miles
17. UCLA, 1217.1 miles
18. Oregon, 1523.6 miles

Who is Traveling the Farthest?

When it comes to which Oregon commits boast the biggest commutes, it all comes down to some of the Ducks' top gets in the class of 2026. We collected the top five longest commutes for Oregon's 2026 athlete gets from Google Maps to shed some light on the subject.

Oregon's Farthest Class of 2026 Commits

1. Xavier Lherisse, Safety, Melbourne, Florida, 3,128.2 miles
2. Kendre Harrison, Athlete, Reidsville, North Carolina, 2,820.9 miles
3. Immanuel Iheanacho, Offensive Line, Rockville, Maryland, 2,804.9 miles
4. Messiah Hampton, Wide Receiver, Rochester, New York, 2,728 miles
5. Koloi Keli, Offensive Line, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2,529.5 miles

Addressing the Distance

One of the biggest factors surrounding Oregon's recruitment is the Ducks' location on the West Coast, which is typically a farther hike for recruits based in the South and the East Coast, likely adding to the distance disparity between Oregon and other Big Ten schools.

When ESPN's Pat McAfee interviewed Lanning in Eugene, Oregon before the then No. 2 nationally ranked Ducks took on No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen, McAfee highlighted the 10 hour flight he took to Eugene and asked Lanning about whether the distance was a selling point for Oregon or not.

"I think its a great thing," Lanning said to McAfee. "I think its as big as you make it. And for us its the enjoyment of getting to spend time connecting with each other and will certainly make some travel trips but we'll enjoy that no doubt about it."

"You can go on a fifteen minute walk, even less, and you're right by a river. You're an hour from the coast, an hour from the mountains. This place is one of the most unique places in the world to see true beauty," Lanning added.

As Lanning and the Ducks push for another top-five recruiting class in 2026, the future certainly seems bright at Oregon.