Why Oregon's bet against a rising two-sport QB prospect puts Dan Lanning's under more pressure as Ducks offense evolves

Ponatoski was unique because he was viewed as a baseball-first recruit for most programs. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a two-sport prospect who is so good at baseball that he's a legit MLB option. He required programs to give him a spot on both the football and baseball teams, and not every program was willing to do that.

The Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year posted crazy numbers in 2024, reaching 4,000 passing yards and 56 scores with only three interceptions. Rated as the 257th overall player and 17th-best quarterback, most think he'd be even higher rated if his future was solely in football. He was unanimously praised as one of the best quarterbacks at the Elite 11 event earlier this summer.

Beaver, meanwhile, is the 32nd-ranked quarterback and only 535th-ranked overall prospect. As you can imagine, it's strange to see Oregon all but punt at the position and hope they can win over a transfer from the portal next offseason.

Lanning has done incredibly well as a recruiter throughout his tenure as a whole, and his development of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel was notable. He'll have a strong pitch and NIL offer to anyone in the portal, but the emergence of new threats is coming in waves.

Oregon's bold bet on itself may work out, but it's a big one that they won't be stuck with a struggling Dante Moore and no real immediate upgrade available next offseason.

Here's what scouts from On3 had to say about Ponatoski at the Elite 11 event earlier this week, rating him as the most accurate passer.

Matt Ponatoski consistently threw catchable balls over the week at the Elite 11 Finals. We thought he was clearly the most accurate over the first two days. Ponatoski was a standout on Day 1, serving up well-placed, timely passes at a high rate. He carried that over into the pro day workout, where he earned the day’s highest score from the Elite 11 staff. The dual-sport star showed sound mechanics and the ability to locate his passes with ease. His showing is made even more impressive by the fact that he spends much of his off-season on baseball rather than quarterback training.