Dan Lanning and Co. are reaching new heights in recruiting. The HC’s 2025 and 2026 classes are already among the top 5 in the nation. Blue chips keep coming to the program, which boasts some of the best facilities and other attractive aspects as well. And there’s Oregon football too, which is seeing a new era under Lanning. But their recruiting wins came to an abrupt stop after they lost a key player to Florida. This guy was a 5-star recruit and top-rated prospect overall in the 2025 class. It’s not every day that you see players decommit from a program like Oregon. But for this star recruit, the reason for his departure is an extremely emotional one.
Former 5-star WR Dallas Wilson was looking good to be in Oregon. He committed way back in 2023 and enrolled in December 2024. “My whole life I was like, if I ever get an offer from Oregon, I’ll commit,” Wilson told Sports Illustrated after he signed with the program. Wilson was coming with a total of 130 receptions for 2,424 yards and 30 TDs produced in his high school career. He was all praise about Dan Lanning as well. “I think he’s one of the best head coaches in the nation, if not the best,” he told Sports Illustrated. Two weeks later, he bid the Ducks goodbye to join the Gators.
However, he moved to Florida purely because of urgent family reasons. The Gators’ social media team shared a video on X, where Wilson explained the reason for the flip. “[My] mom already had passed, so I was living with my grandma. And then her health condition, it had just dropped tremendously,” Dallas Wilson revealed. “She was in the hospital and out of the hospital, and, like, her health was bad. They said she was going to have to be on life support, everything,” he added. His grandma wasn’t the only problem Dallas Wilson faced. “[My] sisters and brothers were going through a state where they were almost homeless,” he added further.
Dallas Wilson was interviewed on why he flipped from Oregon to Florida
What a story pic.twitter.com/UFAdh74LMS
— Florida Gators (@gatorsszn) May 17, 2025
“[That’s] when me and Oregon had fell into a [disagreement], almost. Like, we weren’t seeing eye to eye. So, I had to look for another home in Florida, which was already my second home,” the WR said. Dallas Wilson ultimately asked for a release from his financial aid agreement, which the Ducks allowed.
Florida is just two hours away from Tampa. Eugene, on the other hand, is on the other side of the country altogether. His family needed him the most at this time, and he made the most practical decision, of moving out to Florida.
“Billy [Gonzales] brought me in. Coach Napier brought me in. And the whole, literally, the whole coaching staff, from the strength and conditioning coach to the nutritionist, just brought me in greatly,” Dallas Wilson said about his onboarding at Florida. “How they just treated me as a family before they even knew who I was—it was just great,” he added further. At Florida, he is poised to be a serious weapon for DJ Lagway to use. ESPN’s Billy Tucker wrote that among other options like Vernell Brown III and J. Michael Sturdivant, “Wilson has a chance to emerge as the biggest hit of them all.”
In Florida’s spring game, he did just that, cementing his worth in the program.
Dallas Wilson is flying high in Florida
Back in April, Dallas Wilson looked every bit of the 5-star recruit he was fresh out of high school. In the spring game, Wilson produced 10 catches for 195 yards and also scored 2 TDs along the way. Those receptions are also a spring game record in program history. “I’ve been impressed with his football intelligence, how he’s been able to retain information,” HC Billy Napier said about the WR. “Obviously, you don’t produce like that today unless you’ve been really working hard,” he added.
Dallas Wilson is part of a deep receiving room this season and is a favorite to win one of the starting spots. If not, Napier can also think of using the WR as a key backup option, because Dallas Wilson will deliver. He looks in great form and position to be Florida’s next big star, aside from DJ Lagway. Tucker also wrote, “He’s a matchup nightmare with his size and speed combination and he’s ahead of the curve in regard to the understanding of route concepts.” That showed in his spring game heroics. And there’s good reason to believe he’ll be on an upward curve in the season as well.
“It was a long journey, but it was definitely worth it,” Disappointed Oregon fans rained down hate on the WR when he announced his decommitment. The Athletic did reveal that he was leaving to be closer to a “sick family member,” but that was all that was made public. But now we know that it was quite a difficult time for the young WR. He was at a crossroads: pursuing a college career he’d dreamed of or giving it all up for his family. Dallas Wilson made a no-brainer decision. Now in Florida, he’s still standing strong after battling that tough time and has a shot at making 2025 his breakout season.
The post Months After Leaving Dan Lanning’s Oregon, 5-Star Decommit Admits Gut-Wrenching Truth Behind Tough Career Decision appeared first on EssentiallySports.