Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted April 10, 2022 By John Canzano Oregon's Biggest Win of Dan Lanning Era Sparks Collective Cheer Dan Lanning has enjoyed some nice off-field victories since he was hired by the Oregon Ducks. But getting a commitment from Josh Conerly Jr. is easily Lanning’s biggest win yet. The five-star offensive tackle picked Oregon on Friday. In doing so, Conerly Jr. spurned USC and hometown Washington and skipped out on Michigan, Oklahoma and Miami, too. Hurricanes’ coach Mario Cristobal won’t be happy about any of this. The Ducks are thrilled. Conerly is 6-foot-5 and 283 pounds and attends Seattle’s Rainier Beach High. He ranks as the best high school player in the state and is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation. Lanning already had a commitment from the state of Washington’s No. 2 high school lineman (Puyallup High School four-star recruit Dave Iuli) but getting Conerly is a next-level win for the Ducks. One that I’m certain doesn’t happen without an assist from the Division Street collective. The entity was founded last year to assist Oregon student athletes in monetizing their name/image/likeness (NIL). A group of UO super boosters provided the seed money and business connections. The group includes Nike co-founder Phil Knight, insurance-czar Pat Kilkenny, beverage-king Ed Maletis, lumber-lord Jim Morse and the Papé Family. What did it cost to land Conerly? That’s the question being asked across the Pac-12 footprint today. One insider told me that Conerly Jr. was influenced by the six-figure deals that Kayvon Thibodeaux enjoyed during his college tour in Eugene. Another conference source wondered if the hulking lineman might be the Pac-12’s first seven-figure endorser. I left a message with Division Street, Inc. The collective is run by Rosemary St. Clair, former VP and GM of Nike Women. Ex-Nike VP of Sports Marketing, Rudy Chapa, is the Chairman of the Board. The UO boosters involved will tell you that they have no oversight and prefer it that way. Speaking of — isn't the murky, unregulated feeling of the NIL world exactly what fuels everyone’s discomfort? Athletic directors across the country are lamenting how woeful and inadequate the NCAA looks in this new world. The governing body of college athletics has asked some questions about policies and procedures at a few universities (including Oregon) but isn’t at all positioned to regulate the landscape. What we have in that void is a free-for-all dominated by those who have the means and motivation. Said one prominent Pac-12 booster: “The NCAA had a chance to get ahead of the oncoming mess. No leadership.” Greg Biggins is the national recruiting analyst for 247Sports. He’s been tuned into the recruiting world for years and is one of the best around. On Saturday, as everyone absorbed Oregon’s big win, I asked Biggins how collectives such as Division Street, Inc. have changed what top recruits value. “It used to be relationship with staff, early playing time and depth chart, winning program, culture, stability of staff,” Biggins said. “Those still matter but NIL is now right near top.” Biggins told me NIL is now a top-three item on the menu for elite athletes, “and one of the first things brought up on a visit.” The money is out there. It’s a free market. I don’t blame Conerly Jr. one bit if that was a major factor. He’s welcome to participate and profit. I also don’t blame Division Street, Inc. The collective is simply doing what it was designed to do. But I wonder where this leaves major college athletics. Ducks’ assistant Adrian Klemm was the point person on Conerly Jr.’s recruitment. Beating Lincoln Riley for a high-value offensive line recruiting target can’t be overstated. These are the kinds of nice offseason wins that turn into even bigger regular-season wins. The University Washington, meanwhile, did all it could to keep Conerly Jr. in Seattle. The Huskies fell all over themselves recruiting him and even hired Courtney Morgan from Michigan. Morgan was the director of player personnel in Ann Arbor who recruited the five-star lineman on the Wolverines’ behalf. UW also had the “Montlake Futures” collective working in the same space as Division Street, Inc. USC was busy pursuing Conerly Jr., too, and appeared by all accounts to have the inside edge. What ensued was a recruiting tug-of-war and Oregon’s third-party NIL arm apparently had enough muscle to win it. How important is that in college football? “Huge,” said one recruiting-world insider. “Word was (Conerly Jr.) was going to whoever was giving him the best NIL deal.” Endorsement opportunities are part of the calculus now, like it or not. By picking Oregon Conerly Jr. chose a Nike-influenced football program that has recent success and an energetic coaching staff. It’s a manageable trip to Eugene for his family and friends to come see him play. Playing time, check. Coaching relationships, check. Winning football culture, check. Where Oregon really stands out, though, is with Knight and friends backing the collective and pushing the endorsement and marketing envelope. He and the others involved all built empires in their respective industries. They know how to win and have deep connections. Few universities will be able to match that. “It was tough deciding between Eugene and LA,” Conerly Jr. said minutes after announcing his college decision. “… it’s the best thing that is closest to me and my family and I’m going to be able to thrive there.” USC can’t happy about this. Michigan must be ticked. Washington has to be wondering what more it could have done. I’m happy for the kid and his family. It sounds like he made a good choice. I remain uneasy, however, with the lack of NCAA oversight these days. We’re knee-deep in an era of full-blown, unrestricted free agency in college athletics. Getting a commitment from Josh Conerly Jr. goes down as the biggest win of Dan Lanning’s young head coaching career. Huge victory for the Ducks. Game ball to Division Street, Inc. 2 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 2 Share Posted April 10, 2022 So, the last two biggest wins for the Ducks have been beating the Buckeyes at the 'Shoe and getting Conerly. Before each of those happened, NO Ducks fan thought Oregon had a chance. But the Ducks did beat the Buck-eyes, and Connerly picked the Ducks. Can somebody figure out how to tack Conerly's announcement to the end of "The Pick" video when the Dogs are in Autzen this season? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 3 Share Posted April 10, 2022 Lets just hope that he turns out to be as good as advertised. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Moderator No. 4 Share Posted April 10, 2022 I remember Charles you mentioning about Oregon using NIL the right way and for the long term, along with this new coaching staff which I feel has the IT factor that will bring Oregon into the next level in football. GO DUCKS!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontrollonshobbas No. 5 Share Posted April 10, 2022 If I were a smart financial/actuarial type, I would figure out how to bundle future Duck football revenues into NIL deals with an annuity device that provides a basic income for the athlete for their lifetime and scaled earnings based on a combined scorecard of personal, unit and team goals while in the Duck uniform. These incentives would encourage commitment to the team while playing, as well as, a commitment to the "progrum" after their career to insure that future team revenues are as high as possible to maintain the expanded NIL payouts. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 6 Share Posted April 10, 2022 If he doesnt earn his NIL hope he is sent back to the Fuskies. He is way off weight to be a productive lineman in even the PAC. If he was 325 maybe I would be a bit more on board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Axel No. 7 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/10/2022 at 9:48 AM, Charles Fischer said: Where Oregon really stands out, though, is with Knight and friends backing the collective and pushing the endorsement and marketing envelope. He and the others involved all built empires in their respective industries. They know how to win and have deep connections. Few universities will be able to match that. From Conerly's comments, it's apparent that USC was a close second, but it seems like the sad-sack Huskies weren't even in the mix. Indeed, few universities will be able to match Oregon's marketing and packaging brainpower. It takes more than money to make a deal. How a deal is put together and presented can make all the difference. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 8 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/10/2022 at 2:03 PM, 1Ducker1 said: If he doesnt earn his NIL hope he is sent back to the Fuskies. He is way off weight to be a productive lineman in even the PAC. If he was 325 maybe I would be a bit more on board. He can easily add good weight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 9 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/10/2022 at 2:34 PM, Axel said: Indeed, few universities will be able to match Oregon's marketing and packaging brainpower Absolutely right. Any school can have new uniforms for every game, Oregon made it "Must See". Oregon is a Brand; USC is a Brand. UW is? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 10 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/10/2022 at 2:57 PM, McDuck said: He can easily add good weight. Hes a kid apparently earning a bunch of $$$, Im going to wait and see how things go. I wasnt very impressed by KT-when it was all said and done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
