Akili Smith Jr. named nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, '100 percent locked in' with Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks have a history of producing elite college football quarterbacks.
And it doesn't look like the streak is going to end anytime soon.
After helping develop Bo Nix into a potential NFL first-round draft pick, Dan Lanning and his coaching staff secured Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel and UCLA's Dante Moore via the transfer portal.
But Oregon is also willing to add talent via more traditional means.
In the class of 2025, the Ducks have already secured a commitment from Lincoln (California) four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound signal-caller, and son of legendary former Oregon star Akili Smith, is building a stellar reputation in his own right.
In ESPN's latest rankings, Smith is rated the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback (No. 84 overall prospect).
It's an honor that encourages the Lincoln star to work even harder.
"It feels great and is a blessing," Smith said. "But I still have a lot more work to be done."
With his heightened status as the nation's best dual-threat quarterback some Oregon fans may worry about the legacy star looking at other options.
He said that won't be a problem.
In fact, he has just one school on the visit itinerary.
"I’m just going to be visiting Oregon this summer," Smith said. "I’m 100 percent locked in."
His stances holds firm even with the recent additions of Moore and Gabriel, the latter of which is expected to graduate before Smith steps on campus.
"I feel great about it," he said. "It’s always good having good competition and it brings the best out of all the quarterbacks that are competing."
Oregon signed its best class in program history during the 2024 recruiting class - No. 3 nationally - and is looking to build on that momentum with back-to-back top-five classes.
Clearly, Smith will be among the headliners of the group.
