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

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:…

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