Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is having a pretty good weekend.

Shortly after landing a commitment from 4-star 2026 quarterback Jonas Williams, Oregon flipped its focus back to the 2025 class and swiped a game-wrecking defensive back right out from under Ohio State.

Trey McNutt, a 5-star safety from Cleveland (Ohio) Shaker Heights and the son of a former Ohio State defensive back, has committed to Oregon. He announced his verbal pledge to Dan Lanning and the Ducks during a commitment ceremony at his school that was streamed live on Instagram. Ohio State, Texas A&M, USC, and Florida were his other finalists.

“Oregon’s different man, Coach Lanning’s different, and the energy there is different,” McNutt said, rocking a chain with the Oregon Duck logo on it. “They’re going for a natty and that’s what I want.”

McNutt is the top-ranked safety in the 2025 class, per the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s the second-ranked recruit from the state of Ohio and sits at No. 19 overall in the national player rankings.

He took official visits to USC, Florida, A&M, and Oregon (in that order) throughout May and June. Initially, the plan was to announce a commitment in mid-July, but McNutt delayed that announcement and made a return trip to College Station.

Should Oregon reach the finish line and sign McNutt, he’ll go in the books as the highest-ranked defensive back to sign with the program in the internet recruiting era.

As a junior last fall, the 6-foot, 180-pounder played at both safety and wide receiver for Shaker Heights. He finished the year with 61 tackles, 12 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 611 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. He’s also a track athlete, with multiple sub-11-second 100-meter times as a sophomore and a wide-legal 21.77-second 200-meter time.

His commitment pushes the Ducks up to No. 6 in the national team rankings for 2025. On the heels of consecutive top-10 classes, Lanning might be cooking up his best yet. The Ducks now hold pledges from 3 5-star recruits and 15 prospects in total.

You can see McNutt’s highlight tape below, via Hudl: