Syracuse is adding a slew of recruits to their 2026 class. Currently, at No. 35 in rankings, they are yet to pick up a major blue-chip talent from the pool. Fran Brown is all set to enliven Syracuse football during his time as HC and is making calculated strides in recruiting. But a major prospect is keeping the front office on its toes. Now, a major Big 10 rival has sneakily entered the scene, and they are absolute dominators of the 2026 class. They have a slew of blue-chip names, and particularly a bolstered WR room, which could swing this talent over from Fran Brown.

The prospect in question is Messiah Hampton, the No. 14 WR in the class, according to On3. The major players in his recruiting include Syracuse. Until now, it was looking like Brown was well in place to land Hampton. With a total of 1,366 yards, 21 TDs, and 68 total tackles (plays both sides of the ball), he could’ve made a fantastic addition to the Orange’s WR room. But it may not be so, because a program with a colossal NIL valuation is now a top favorite for Hampton. The odds are no longer in Brown’s favor, revealed an insider. This Big 10 juggernaut is none other than Oregon.

Insider Mike McAllister said in a June 6 episode of Locked On Syracuse, “He’s going to visit Syracuse this coming weekend. And the original plan was that was going to be his final visit. He was going to go into decision-making mode and sort of take the week to make a decision. That was good news for Syracuse fans because that meant that he was not taking an official to Oregon.”

“When he set the commitment date, he said, ‘Miami and Syracuse, that’s it,’” McAllister said further. But Oregon, the relentless recruiter that it has become, did not let up. “According to our profile page in 247Sports, he is scheduled to visit Oregon starting on June 9th.” Hampton is scheduled to announce his commitment on June 13.

That gives just a 4-day window for the WR to decide. And Oregon, now that it gets to make the last impression on Hampton, will go big on him. They did manage to squeeze into his visit calendar, which clearly indicates that Dan Lanning is not out of the picture yet.

And with a WR room that boasts names like Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore, Fran Brown has to seriously roll up his sleeves in keeping the Ducks away from Hampton. So it’s not just one NIL-heavy program that the HC had to ward off, i.e., Miami. With Oregon and Nike’s unlimited threshold factor, the odds are slim for Fran Brown. For Lanning, however, the recruiting roll is getting more positive news.

Dan Lanning expected to land more 5-star prospects

The Oregon HC might’ve missed out on Jared Curtis and Jackson Cantwell. But they are high up on the favorites list for No. 1 linebacker Tyler Atkinson. He took an official visit to Clemson and has no other visits scheduled yet. Steve Wiltfong revealed in a June 5 episode of On3 Recruits, “The Ducks are in the thick of it to sign the Loganville Grayson five-star. He loves Dan Lanning. Lanning’s been recruiting him since he was in the eighth grade. Loves the caliber of football that Oregon’s playing. The opportunities on and off the field are exciting for any coveted recruit.”

Lanning is also expected to shake up recruiting by winning back the commitment of Richard Wesley. He decommitted from the program just weeks after his very flashy announcement. The HC is rooting on his established relationship with the 5-star EDGE. Wiltfong said, “I still think they’re the program to beat. This will be his sixth time on campus. Sees an opportunity to be an instant impact player after Matayo Uiagalelei moves on following the season. The defense is a scheme that he loves. The relationship with guys like Tosh Lupoi is exciting…but him and his family, they want to go out and see what else is out there.” 

With a recruiting giant like Oregon in play, Fran Brown does not have a lot in his arsenal to give them a tough fight. Will Lanning be able to swoop Hampton away from Syracuse and add him to their ranked class?