Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have made a habit of adding some of the best transfer portal players in the nation to their roster each offseason, whether it be QB Bo Nix, CB Christian Gonzalez, or DL Derrick Harmon.
In the 2025 offseason, they might have landed the biggest fish yet. Literally.
Former Nevada Wolfpack offensive tackle Isaiah World committed to the Ducks ahead of the spring season, ranking as the No. 1 overall player in the portal. Not only is he highly-touted, but he is one of the bigger players to put on an Oregon uniform in quite some time. Listed at 6-foot-8, 310 pounds, World was brought in to anchor the left side in the wake of Josh Conerly Jr.’s departure to the NFL.
World has been in town for a handful of months and eight spring practices, but that’s enough time to set expectations.
“God doesn’t make very many people like that,” Lanning said earlier this spring. “And he’s got a great spirit every single day, you know? He has the right mindset and the right attitude, this guy that played basketball in high school, and then kind of, he’s grown into a football player. And with that size and strength, it’s something that we really want to take advantage of.”
World excels in pass blocking thanks to his long arms and elite reach on the blindside. Pro Football Focus graded World as an 81.8 in pass pro, and on 458 pass snaps, he allowed zero sacks and just 13 total pressures. He ranks in the top 25 among offensive tackles nationally in both pass block grade and pass block efficiency.
With Cornerly expected to be a Day 1 or Day 2 pick in the draft later this month, having the ability to replace him with World, who could easily hear his name called just as early in the 2026 NFL Draft, is certainly a blessing for A’lique Terry and the Ducks.
“I’m glad he’s a Duck,” Terry said on Saturday. “I’m just gonna be completely honest with you, he’s one of those game changers for real.”
A game-changer is exactly what Oregon needs on the offensive line this year after losing four of their five starters from the 2024 unit that finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best OL in the nation. The Ducks brought in three transfers who are projected to start — World, USC transfer Emmanuel Pregnon, and Texas State transfer Alex Harkey — but still have a relatively young room with a lot of new faces who they need to step up.
For Terry, having a guy like Word who is dedicated to his craft offers a good guidepost for the rest of the unit.
“He loves the game,” Terry said. “I think it’s gonna be a really good benefit for all our young guys to see somebody who really loves the game. He’s a junkie for football.”
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