Viral 6-foot-7, 340-pound OT says 鈥極regon is new No. 1鈥�
EUGENE, Ore. (BVM) 鈥� At just 16 years old, Immanuel Iheanacho has been going viral as a 6-foot-7, 340-pound offensive tackle in the Class of 2026.聽
Iheanacho is already able to His size and power have earned him the in the Class of 2026, according to 247 Sports Composite. He鈥檚 also ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle behind the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Jackson Cantwell.聽
4猸愶笍 DE Jake Kreul (6-3, 230 pounds) vs. 5猸愶笍 OT Immanuel Iheanacho (6-7, 345 pounds) 馃嵖馃憖馃敟
— Rivals (@Rivals)
Now, Iheanacho is drawing attention after stating that the Oregon Ducks are the top contender in his recruitment:聽
鈥淏efore I visited Oregon, Georgia was my No. 1 by far鈥� but Georgia is right there at No. 2,鈥� Iheanacho told On3 while speaking to reporters for the Under Armour All-American Bowl.聽
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— Immanuel Iheanacho 鉁� (@immanueli24)
Despite his focus on Oregon, Iheanacho still has a long way to go in finalizing his decision. He recently narrowed his options to a , which includes programs like Georgia, Penn State, Alabama, Ohio State, Miami and Tennessee. He plans to trim his list to about 10 schools in February and make his final commitment in August (just before his senior year begins).聽聽
, so it鈥檚 kind of contrasting there,鈥� Iheanacho continued. 鈥淚 like Coach [A鈥檒ique] Terry. Coach [Dan] Lanning, really young coach. They鈥檙e winning games and they have products (in the NFL). Penei Sewell 鈥� and they got some other guys coming up in this draft. Like I said, they鈥檙e across the country, so for my family, it鈥檇 be a little tough for them to come watch me. Obviously, you have the TV.鈥�
But location aside, Iheanacho says the overall atmosphere and infrastructure at Oregon stand out to him.
鈥淚 just love the whole dynamic, the whole campus of Oregon, everything, like how the practice field to the weight room is set up,鈥� Iheanacho continued. 鈥淚 love the strength and conditioning coach. It was straight love when I got down there. And the gear is amazing. That鈥檚 not the most important part, but gear to me is amazing.鈥澛�
Looking ahead, Iheanacho is focused on his senior season, which will mark only his third year playing football.聽聽
,鈥澛� Iheanacho told Rivals. 鈥淏efore that, I wasn鈥檛 really proactive about anything. My older siblings didn鈥檛 want me to get into health problems. So I signed up. And then people (were saying) 鈥榊ou play football?鈥� and I always told them 鈥楴o.鈥� I just play basketball because my parents didn鈥檛 want me to get injured playing football. Eventually my old high school coach persuaded my parents to let me play football my ninth-grade year.鈥�
Iheanacho transferred to Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland for his sophomore season 鈥� and that鈥檚 when his prep career started to take off. Despite being new to the sport, his natural talent and rapid development have propelled him into the national spotlight. Here is what 247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish had to say about Iheanacho.
鈥淎 supremely powerful offensive lineman. . . . Owns some of the longest arms in the 2026 cycle and has better than expected lower body explosiveness at his size,鈥� Standish said. 鈥淧resents an incredibly difficult problem for opposing front seven defenders to solve thanks to his massive reach and top-tier power in the hands that can flatten well put together defensive lineman.鈥澛�
Iheanacho will likely take another visit to Oregon in the coming months as he continues to narrow down his recruitment. He would be an incredible addition for the Ducks, who already have the in the 247 rankings for 2026 鈥� highlighted by , the No. 4 defensive lineman in the nation.聽
Iheanacho told Rivals.聽
