Where does Akili Smith Jr. rank among highest-rated QB recruits in UO history?
The outlandish success stemming from the Oregon Ducks Saturday Night Live camp over the weekend continues to come to the forefront, and Dan Lanning and his staff landed a massive commitment on Monday to show for it.
4-star 2025 quarterback Akili Smith Jr. announced his commitment to Oregon, following in the footsteps of his father, Akili Smith, who won the Pac-12 Player of the Year for the Ducks in 1998 and went on to become the No. 3 overall selection in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Smith is the fourth member of Oregon’s 2024 class, which is now one of the best in the nation.
The Ducks have had great success recruiting the QB position over the past decade, so we wanted to look at where Smith ranks among the top-rated passers to come to Oregon in school history.
Here is where the Oregon legacy player stands:
Braxton Burmeister (2017)
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.8941)
National Rank: No. 305 // No. 10 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 11
Transferred to Virginia Tech, Transferred to San Diego State
Career Stats: 275-for-499, 3,283 yards, 20 TD, 14 INT
Darron Thomas (2008)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.8958)
National Rank: No. 280 // No. 5 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 31
Career Stats: 449-for-733, 5,910 yards, 66 TD, 17 INT
Bryan Bennett (2010)
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.8968)
National Rank: No. 297 // No. 12 QB)
Games Played at Oregon: 18
Transferred to South Eastern Louisiana
Career Stats: 45-for-83, 580 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT
Robby Ashford (2020)
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9006)
National Rank: No. 290 // No. 12 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Transferred to Auburn
Career Stats: 123-for-250, 1,613 yards, 7 TD, 7 INT
Morgan Mahalak (2014)
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9081)
National Rank: No. 239 // No. 5 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Transferred to Towson
Career Stats: 82-for-156, 931 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT
Jake Rodrigues (2012)
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9188)
National Rank: No. 229 // No. 7 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 2
Transferred to San Diego State
Career Stats: 3-for-6, 67 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jay Butterfield (2020)
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9352)
National Rank: No. 147 // No. 5 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 2
Transferred to San Jose State
Career Stats: 3-for-4, 23 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Michael Van Buren (2024)
Photo Courtesy of Michael Van Buren
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9412)
National Rank: No. 129 // No. 11 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Career Stats: N/A
Tyler Shough (2018)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9422)
National Rank: No. 140 // No. 7 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 11
Transferred to Texas Tech
Career Stats: 288-for-451, 3,885 yards, 29 TD, 13 INT
Austin Novosad (2023)
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9435)
National Rank: No. 131 // No. 10 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Career Stats: N/A
Travis Jonsen (2015)
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9529)
National Rank: No. 102 // No. 4 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Transferred to Montana State, Moved to WR
Career Stats: 11-for-13, 107 yards, 2 TD // 83 catches, 899 yards, 2 TD // 118 rushes, 725 yards, 13 TD
Akili Smith Jr. (2025)
Photo Courtesy of Akili Smith Jr.
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9627)
National Rank: No. 62 // No. 5 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 0
Career Stats: N/A
Dennis Dixon (2003)
(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9757)
National Rank: No. 53 // No. 2 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 40
Career Stats: 444-for-695, 5,129 yards, 38 TD, 21 INT
Kellen Clemens (2001)
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9769)
National Rank: No. 65 // No. 5 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 37
Career Stats: 613-for-1,005, 7,555 yards, 61 TD, 24 INT
Ty Thompson (2021)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (0.9809)
National Rank: No. 40 // No. 7 QB
Games Played at Oregon: 10
Career Stats: 18-for-35, 159 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
