The Oregon Ducks are emerging as the frontrunner to land five-star quarterback Will Mencl. According to Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Ducks have a 98.9% chance to earn his commitment. Despite being near the finish line, Coach Dan Lanning might be in for a major upset. According to On3’s Steve Wiltfong, the QB is giving some serious thought to an SEC program.

“I have Auburn in the two-hole right now,” Wiltfong said on March 17. “Him getting back to campus on March 24th is a big visit, particularly for his mother… He is having regular Zoom meetings with this Auburn coaching staff, from Coach [Alex] Golesh to Coach [Joel] Gordon, Coach Kingston, Coach Tim Green. He is talking a lot of football, loves their history and background of developing the quarterback position, prolific offenses.

“Thinks he could be the best version of himself playing for Auburn, and thinks this is a program that’s about to erupt. While my prediction is on Oregon, Auburn is giving him a lot to think about.”

Golesh has a lot to prove on the recruiting front in his first year as Auburn’s head coach, is going full steam ahead for Mencl. Auburn will not back down from the fight, because Mencl is the No. 1 QB of the 2027 cycle. Moreover, Golesh has been pursuing him from his USF days. They have a good relationship going on, which he also got to build on in a recent visit.

“It was a family feel,” Mencl told Rivals of the experience. “I enjoyed my time there. I was in a meeting with the OC Joel Gordon for an hour, and then we went to lunch and came back for another two hours, and it felt like only 15 minutes had passed. He’s someone that is super easy to learn from. Coach Golesh is a great person. Had really good conversations with him.”

Mencl will face competition at Auburn as a freshman. After Byrum Brown leaves, Mencl will have to battle Tristan Ti’a, Locklan Hewitt, and Rhys Brush. However, there is always a chance of losing talents to the portal. Having Mencl on the roster would provide stability to the Tigers for the 2027 season and would be a massive win for Golesh.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback from Chandler High, Arizona, is ranked the No. 4 player in the nation for 2027. Last fall, he recorded 3,815 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and a completion rate of 70.37%. The sky would be the limit if Mencl picked Auburn.

For a prospect as talented as him, the Ducks and the Tigers are not his only suitors. Four top contenders emerged after his long list was trimmed down. The list features two teams from the Big Ten, and a team each from the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Will Mencl’s visiting schedule for his top four programs

Mencl’s final year at Chandler High School begins in a few months, and he is keen on settling his future before then. As a result, he has scheduled visits to each of his top four programs in the coming weeks.

The Auburn Tigers will be his first hosts, as he plans to pay them a visit in the last week of March (March 24th). He will then follow that up with two visits in the first week of April to the Penn State Nittany Lions (April 2nd) and the Miami Hurricanes (April 4th). Mencl will surprisingly be visiting Oregon at the end, on April 16th. But he plans to make a keen decision soon after.

“I kind of want to be committed after coming out of these visits,” he said, via Rivals. “I’d say, like, mid to late April, but obviously if it doesn’t feel right, I don’t want to turn off anyone.”

The timing of his visit to Oregon could induce a recency bias in the Ducks’ favor. However, the Auburn Tigers have a chance too, being his first hosts. Coupled with the relationship built from their several virtual meetings, there is the possibility that he will make up his mind while still being scheduled to visit the other three.