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Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Tease Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning With Mark Bowman Commitment Video

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI | By Ally Osborne | Last updated May 30, 2025 5:25 PM ET

The recruiting trail has been hot lately for the USC Trojans ans a recent commitment to the USC has prompted the program to tease the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning.

On Friday, the Trojans secured the commitment from class of 2026 five-star tight end Mark Bowman. Bowman is the No. 1 tight end and the No. 3 athlete in his home state of California according to 247 Sports. Bowman was also a target of the Ducks, with the Mater Dei High School senior unofficially visiting the Ducks in October of 2024 and with a penciled in official visit on June 20th.

With such an impactful addition to USC coach Lincoln Riley's roster, the Trojans decided to poke some fun at Lanning, referencing a recruitment victory that turned into a faux pas.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a video posted to USC's official "X" (formerly Twitter) account, a clip of USC alumnus Will Ferrell as his news anchor character Ron Burgundy from "Anchorman" calls for people to pay attention, as he then exclaims "cannonball" and jumps into a pool during a pool party.

The video is branded with a "live" "SC TV" bug in the top left corner, "breaking news" in the bottom right corner, and a graphic along the bottom of the video reads "the place to be." At the end of the clip from "Anchorman," the peace sign emoji is shown (a motif of the current USC squad) along with the phrase "we got him" as the Trojans' marching band plays on.

Why is this a shot at Lanning? Well, earlier this spring, the Ducks' coach filmed a video with class of 2026 five-star edge Richard Wesley celebrating his commitment to Oregon. In the video, Lanning removes his shirt and cannonballs into a pool with Wesley.

Last week, Wesley de-committed from the Ducks to continue to pursue other programs, leading to the prior commitment video going viral online, and Oregon's competitors and critics making pool-related jokes.

✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️ pic.twitter.com/naiKnE4wZm
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) May 30, 2025

Oregon and USC have been ribbing each other back and forth since offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon and defensive lineman Bear Alexander both transferred from the Trojans to join the Ducks.

Furthermore, USC is dominating class of 2026 recruiting efforts, sitting at No. 1 on 247 Sports' recruiting tracker with one five-star commit, 16 four-stars, and ten three-stars. USC currently sits at a 290.01 recruit rating, which is nearly 40 points more than the next closest school on the ranking, Notre Dame (253.02). Oregon (149.57) currently sits at No. 27 on this ranking, with one five-star, four four-stars, and two three-stars.

Am I the only one thinking it’s a shot at the ducks head coach? Lol
— Grant_Cali (@th3closer) May 30, 2025

Also, Oregon finally faces the Trojans for the first time since each of the teams' assimilation to the Big Ten Conference this upcoming season. On November 22nd, the Trojans travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Maybe a cannonball or mini pool could be involved.

Knowing that Lanning has used teases like these in the past as fuel for pre-game speeches (look no further than his viral speech about Colorado, "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins.") it will be interesting to see if Ron Burgundy himself becomes a character in a Ducks' locker room monologue.