Oregon Football Recruiting: Akili Smith Jr., Dakorien Moore, Tradarian Ball Ball Out

Checking with Oregon recruits as their prep seasons get underway, there's a lot be encouraged about. In games this weekend Akili Smith Jr., Dakorien Moore, Tradarian Ball and Rocco Graziani all had standout performances in big matchups.

KJ Smith, as he is called by friends and family, led a 42-14 win, Lincoln over California prep powerhouse Long Beach Poly.

Every time I see Smith Jr. in action he reminds me not of his father (who certainly has had a big hand in his development) but of former Duck great Dennis Dixon. He has the same fluid, deceptive long stride as a runner and a whip-like throwing motion. He's a leader who elevates his team, tremendously athletic.

It helps too that Smith Jr. is a 3.8 student. Will Stein or whoever follows him as Oregon OC (Stein's clearly destined for a head coaching job after what he's done with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and the Duck offense) demands a guy who can think the game and keep his team in good matchups, make adjustments on the fly. That requires intelligence. Smith is poised and heady as a quarterback, a good sign in a young player. He excels at creating and extending plays when flushed out of the pocket.

Duck fans shouldn't be bothered by the dip he suffered in ratings over the summer, dropping by 60 spots or so in the Composite. The camp/clinic/Elite 11/combine circuit tends to elevate a certain type of quarterback, a homecoming king alpha type who looks the part running around cones and blocking dummies in shorts. Look at the film instead: Smith is a baller, a competitor who wins games and puts up numbers. That's the quarterback I want to sign, and you should too. I've heard also that with all the throwing over the summer he had a bit of a sore shoulder. He's clearly fine now, and playing like a future college starter:

Tradarian Ball, the 2026 running back the Ducks picked up from Texarkana, Texas (LaMichael James' hometown) had three touchdowns last night in a 52-35 win.

Dakorien Moore is as electric a high school player as the Ducks have ever recruited, the highest-rated receiver in program history. He's as elusive as DAT and as fast as Tez, with the route-running skills of Evan Stewart. That might sound like hyperbole, but watch some of the highlights and just try to find a way to disagree:

Moore's highlight film is a whole 'nother level of dynamism. At Duncanville, he plays in the top echelon of prep football, a Texas 6A powerhouse that's won three recent state titles and takes on national competition in out of conference play.

It's always a good sign when a kicker is an athlete; it gives him an added edge in handling the pressure, and it's a bonus should the team ever need a trick play in a big game. Here, 2025 Oregon commit Rocco Graziani hauls in a touchdown pass for Sheldon High School: