Oregon lands son of ex-Ducks QB great A. Smith

Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterJul 31, 2023, 03:59 PM ET
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- ESPN staff writer
- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Graduated from Central Michigan

Oregon got a commitment from 2025 quarterback Akili Smith Jr. on Monday, the No. 82 prospect overall in his class.

That name should sound familiar to Ducks fans, as his father, Akili Smith, played quarterback for Oregon in the late 1990s and threw for 3,763 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1998. Smith was taken third in the 1999 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and is now seeing his son follow in his footsteps.

Smith Jr. is a 6-foot-6, 210-pound quarterback from Lincoln High School in San Diego and is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 cycle.

Despite being a rising junior, Smith Jr. had already received offers from Oregon, Michigan, Florida, Washington, Colorado and a handful of other schools. This past season Smith Jr. threw for 2,432 yards, 29 touchdowns and four interceptions as a sophomore.

His commitment gives the Ducks four total commitments in the 2025 cycle, three of which are ranked in the ESPN Junior 300. Receiver Dallas Wilson is ranked No. 33 overall and Adrian Wilson is the No. 182 prospect in the class.

Coach Dan Lanning and his staff are on a good stretch of quarterback recruiting, landing ESPN 300 quarterback Austin Novosad in the 2023 class, ESPN 300 signal-caller Michael Van Buren and four-star Luke Moga in 2024, and now Smith in the 2025 class.