Sometimes, as a college football coach, you will do anything you can to land a recruit, especially a 5-star who is among the best in the nation at his position. This is something that Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning knows well at this point.
So when said recruit asks you to be part of his announcement video, and take your shirt off and jump into a pool with him to unveil his decision, it’s pretty hard to say no.
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That’s what Lanning did with 5-star EDGE Richard Wesley on Saturday. Wesley was in Eugene for a visit over the weekend, and he decided that it was a good time to shut things down and make a splash in the recruiting world with his announcement.
Mission accomplished.
The addition of Wesley is huge for Oregon, as he is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 20 player in the 2026 class, and No. 3 EDGE in the nation.
While the commitment was big for the Ducks, Lanning’s involvement in the video — which some people have called “cringe-worthy” on social media — has sparked quite the reaction online.
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“This is corny but it’s why players fw him,” one fan admitted.
“You can’t be a 40 year old man taking your shirt off to jump in a pool with a teenager man,” another added.
“This might be worse than BK grinding on recruits,” one fan said, referencing Brian Kelly’s viral recruiting video from several years ago.
“Nah this is embarrassing lol,” another fan chimed in.
While fans may not be a fan of the video, it’s not hard to tell that Lanning and his staff don’t care. What matters in the end is that they got an elite player to commit to Oregon, and choose to be developed by the Ducks.
If that’s the result of jumping in a pool and being a part of corny videos, then Lanning will undoubtedly sign up for that again.
Related: Oregon Ducks Get Major Recruiting News From 5-Star OT Immanuel Iheanacho
