The Oregon Ducks have landed star recruits over the years, but there's a case to be made that four-star athlete Jalen Lott from Frisco, Texas is one of the top "athlete" recruits of the Dan Lanning era in Eugene.
Lott committed to the Ducks on Tuesday over Texas, LSU and USC.
The recruiting win over Texas was a notable one, though. The fact that Lanning was able to sway him away from the Longhorns and playing college football in-state is huge win for Oregon. It's also worth noting that Lott is a Texas legacy player. His father, James Lott, played defensive back for the Longhorns and also ran track. His mom was a women's basketball player at Texas from 1989-92.
By all accounts, he should be a Longhorn. Instead, he'll be flying with the Ducks.
There's also the rankings to consider. 247Sports has Lott as the No. 5 overall athlete in the 2026 class and the No. 49 recruit overall.
He could play either side of the ball at the college level and he's also a track star. As a junior, he notched 85 receptions for 1,111 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing 18 times for 106 yards and four touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown pass.
Oregon likes Lott as a wideout, but he can do a whole lot on the football field.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 ATH Jalen Lott has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 8, 2025
The 6’0 170 ATH from Frisco, TX chose the Ducks over Texas, LSU, & USC
“Time to create my own legacy, sco ducks!”https://t.co/sG22HUw5bj pic.twitter.com/OzI3hQbey7
Lott has earned his status as an elite athlete.
In fact, Erik Skopil of 247Sports did the math and figured out that Lott is ranked as the seventh-best wide receiver to commit to Oregon in the online recruiting era, while he's the fourth-best athlete to ever commit to Oregon.
That's a big deal, because the Ducks have brought in plenty of great players over the years.
He's a big-time commitment for Oregon, and the fact that he's not a Longhorn makes that commitment even more impressive for the Ducks.
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