Oregon enjoyed an incredible opening day to the Early Signing Period.

In the span of 10 minutes, the Ducks scored two 5-star commitments. They flipped several 4-star studs. They scored a massive transfer portal pickup. And when the day closed out, Oregon was sitting with the best class in the Pac-12.

In his first year at Oregon, Dan Lanning led a 9-3 team that had a shot late to make the Pac-12 Championship Game and was in the conversation for the College Football Playoff for weeks. The Ducks ultimately faltered in the closing weeks, but Lanning is getting started in Eugene, not peaking.

And days like Wednesday will go a long way toward setting the ceiling for the program going forward. If Lanning can stack classes like this, the Ducks can do big things. He told reporters on Wednesday championships are won on the trail.

Since the Pac-12 last made the College Football Playoff (2016), TCU and Cincinnati are the only teams to make the CFP and not produce a top-10 signing class.

Perennial contenders for the national championship are also perennial contenders for the top spot in the recruiting class rankings at the end of each cycle — Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, etc.

Oregon’s coaching staff was built with that in mind. Lanning assembled a staff of some of the top recruiters in the country. After several in-game blunders cost Oregon in games against Washington and Oregon State, this staff is still working to prove itself in-game, but the lifeblood of a program will always be recruiting.

And Lanning sees a bunch of wins there.

“The No. 1 one [descriptor] I would use is winners. We got a bunch of winners in this group,” Lanning said Wednesday when asked about the haul. “Guys that are state champions, guys that have been captains for their team, guys that achieve really at a high level in the classroom.

“They love competition. They’re not afraid to be a part of a great class. Some guys are concerned about who else is going to be in the class with them and who they’re gonna have to compete against. These are guys that want to go play with the best because they know that’s going to result in wins. When you have great players around you, you have an opportunity to be a great team. That’s something I’m really excited about with this group.”

The Ducks are preparing for the Holiday Bowl against North Carolina. Then attention will shift to bigger and better things in 2023.

“I think everyone sees what we’re building,” Lanning said. “I think there are some players that want to be a part of something special and all this does is create momentum for us moving forward, and they realize that you can reach all of your goals and aspirations right here.”