The Oregon Ducks continue to scour the nation for their next dynamic quarterback. While the Ducks secured a verbal commitment from quarterback Will Mencl in the class 2027, a five-star recruit per Rivals, Oregon is proactive with chasing after a 2028 talent. Unfortunately the Ducks swung and missed out on landing five-star Christopher Vargas, who committed to Big Ten rival Ohio State in making his pledge to the Buckeyes. But Oregon is "garnering traction" for a brand-new fast riser behind center out of the Lone State State. Who Oregon is Going After on the Recruiting Trail dylan raiola oregon ducks football evan stewart nebraska cornhuskers dan lanning autzen stadium dante moore transfer portal | oregon ducks on si Will SeibertWaller High of Texas four-star quarterback Tristin Gaines revealed to Sam Spiegelman of Rivals on Aug. 13 that Oregon is "garnering traction" for his recruitment. "Oregon is a standout for sure,” Gaines told Rivals. “Coach (Dan) Lanning, Coach Koa (Ka’ai), Coach (Michael) Johnson, and Coach (Drew) Mehringer have all been reaching out almost every day.”Out of all of his offers, Gaines adds that "Oregon is the team recruiting me hardest." That means the Ducks are standing out among this deep pool of other opportunities that Gaines has at his disposal: Michigan, Florida and Texas Tech, all three doing its part in winning over the 6-1, 185-pound dual threat. How Tristin Gaines Stands Out as a Potential Oregon Quarterback Oregon Ducks dante moore dan lanning eugene nfl draft big ten college football playoff evan stewart dylan raiola practice nil | oregon ducks on si will seibertFor starters, Oregon has thrived with Texas talent annually. But Gaines already presents the look and feel for a future Ducks quarterback even before he plays his junior season. Gaines stands comfortably in the pocket and fires off a strong arc with his deep throws. He's not one to underthrow his targets. He's deadly on rollouts too before launching the ball deep. But Gaines creates in chaos too, which can mirror past Duck greats including 2026 Heisman Trophy hopeful Dante Moore. Gaines shows strong balance on his scrambles plus awareness of the down markers and knows when to escape from duress. Gaines took the Bulldogs to a 7-4 mark and playoff appearance while playing in Texas 6A Region II District 16 competition. Now the Ducks likely expect him to take a big leap as Gaines officially becomes an upperclassman this fall. Tristin Gaines not the Only Quarterback Recruit on Oregon's Radar Oregon ducks Akili Smith Jr. dante moore dylan raiola transfer dan lanning koa ka'ai brock thomas big ten recruiting | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesOregon is showing to keep its options open for the 2028 quarterback race, which presents itself as a loaded group of signal callers. And not just limited to the top prospect among the QB room Vargas or even a fast-riser like Gaines. The Ducks currently are awaiting what decision five-star passer from Detroit Donald Tabron II makes. The 6-4 Tabron will shut his recruitment down on Aug. 15 and Oregon is a contender. However, the Ducks also must fend off Texas A&M and LSU if they manage to land the state of Michigan star. Tabron isn't the only high-profile quarterback linked to Oregon, though. Four-star dual-threat passer from Moreno Valley, California Josiah Boyd is one more Ducks recruiting target. And Oregon is trending upward for Boyd as of Aug. 11. He's a taller prospect compared to Gaines too at 6-4 with his own set of powerful arm and explosive mobility. But now it appears Oregon has an ace in the hole in the form of Gaines in the event Tabron and Boyd choose elsewehere. It's just a matter of Oregon's coaching staff keeping in tabs with Gaines and continuing to add layers to their relationship throughout the recruiting process. Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow