In a normal year, college football’s early signing period would be met with a heightened level of anticipation, as programs and fans of programs across the country buckle in and attempt to white-knuckle their way through the day, living and dying on the decisions made by hundreds of elite 18-year-old athletes.
For better or worse, the recruiting cycle is as much a part of the fabric of college football as the fight songs, game day traditions, and rivalries, and signing day is the culmination of all the hope and promise that gets built up over the course of a calendar year.
This year, however, has been different.
Anyone who has been conscious over the last nine months or so doesn’t need a reminder of how screwball 2020 has been. The start of the early signing period is just one example of that, as this year, signing day has been muted and nearly feels like an afterthought, particularly considering that the majority of Power Five programs are still in the process of finishing out their seasons.
Still, the show must go on, though it will be interesting to see how we look back and assess what happened during the 2021 recruiting cycle. After all, coaches have never had less of an opportunity to evaluate recruits, while recruits, due to the elimination of campus visits this year, have little more to go on than the remote relationships they’ve built with coaches and other players in their recruiting class before arriving at a decision.
As we press forward, WFOD offers up its biggest takeaways from a historic, yet somewhat anticlimatic, signing day for Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal and the Ducks.
1. Ducks sign highest-rated recruiting class in program history
Though it’s currently a class without a single five-star recruit according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, the depth of talent in Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class has them primed to ink their most highly-rated recruiting class in program history. Currently ranked sixth in the country per the Composite, the Ducks reside a little less than two points behind Clemson in order to crack the top five.
Previously, Oregon’s 2019 recruiting class was the standard-bearer, as Cristobal and his staff wound up signing the nation’s 7th-ranked recruiting class, which was headlined by the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Ducks in Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Of the 21 prospects that committed to Oregon on Wednesday, 16 are four-star recruits, which is more than any other program in the country. Of course, some of those programs signed multiple five-star recruits instead, though it nonetheless speaks to the awe-inspiring strength of this recruiting class. Furthermore, per 247Sports, four of the top 25 recruits in program history come from this historic 2021 recruiting haul for Oregon, as Kingsley Suamataia (T-13), Troy Franklin (15), Ty Thompson (16), and Dont’e Thornton (22) headline the group. In fact, Suamataia and Thompson are the highest-rated players at both offensive tackle and quarterback, respectively, to ever sign with the Ducks.
2. Cristobal, staff placed a heavy emphasis on offense during the 2021 recruiting cycle
As mentioned, Suamataia, Franklin, Thompson, and Thornton serve as the marquee names in this class for the Ducks, though they more pointedly typify the work that Cristobal and his staff put in addressing the offensive side of the ball this cycle. In the previous two recruiting classes, Oregon placed an emphasis on bolstering the defensive side of the ball, as players such as Kayvon Thibodeaux, Mykael Wright, Noah Sewell, and Justin Flowe served as the backbone for what the 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes were attempting to accomplish. This year, Oregon’s collection of talent on offense is among the best of any recruiting class in the country this cycle.
Supporting stars such as Suamataia, Franklin, Thompson, and Thornton, is a group of similarly skilled four-star talents. At running back, Seven McGee brings multi-purpose skills on offense that have drawn comparison to former Duck super recruit De’Anthony Thomas. The longest standing commitment to Oregon’s 2021 class, McGee’s high school career has kept him off the radar to a degree, as transfers between high schools in California and New York (plus the pandemic) have impacted his eligibility and ability to demonstrate his talents on the field.
He is joined by a group of pass catchers in Isaiah Brevard, Terrance Ferguson, and Moliki Matavao who would likely be considered three of the best players in a given recruiting class for the Ducks roughly a decade ago. They are accompanied by three more four-star recruits in the trenches in Bram Walden, Jonah Miller, and Jackson Light, who alongside Suamataia, give Oregon one of the strongest offensive line units in the 2021 class.
3. Oregon lands the no. 1 rated player from six different states
If the superlatives in the previous two sections weren’t enough, there’s more. Not only did the Ducks sign their best recruiting class in program history this cycle, they did so on the backs of some of the top overall recruits from multiple states. In total, Oregon signed the no. 1 rated prospect from six different states, with Suamataia (Utah), Thompson (Arizona), Matavao (Nevada), McGee (New York), Ferguson (Colorado), and Keith Brown (Oregon) serving as the representatives. For comparison, the Ducks have never had more than three in any one recruiting class.
And in case anyone was wondering, the Ducks signed three players in this class who were ranked no. 2 in their respective states (Walden – Arizona, Franklin – California, Thornton – Maryland) and two who were ranked no. 3 (Light – Utah, Brevard – Mississippi).
4. No signing day surprises
For as spectacular as Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class is, the start of the early signing period on Wednesday was rather quiet for Duck fans, as there were no surprises or highly anticipated signing day announcements to speak of. Most years, seemingly, the Oregon faithful is sitting at the edge of their seat and monitoring Twitter like a hawk for any shred of intel that might indicate where a coveted recruit is headed. There was none of that this year, which in some ways made for a satisfyingly boring Signing Day for fans who were seeking a dramaless end to the 2021 recruiting cycle.
5. Opportunity to crack the top five with a few more additions
The bulk of the heavy lifting is done for Oregon as it relates to their 2021 recruiting class, though there’s still a chance that Mario Cristobal and the Ducks could crack the top five of the national recruiting rankings with a strong finish in February and beyond.
The biggest fish remaining for Oregon is unquestionably Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic five-star defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau. Ranked as the top overall prospect in the state of Washington, the no. 2 strongside defensive end in the country, and the no. 3 overall prospect nationally, Tuimoloau is expected to take his time arriving at a decision that could come during the traditional signing period in February, though it’s entirely possible that a decision will linger into the spring. What is known is Tuimoloau’s top five heading into that final decision. On Wednesday, Tuimoloau released a final group that included Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Washington. The Crimson Tide and Buckeyes are believed to be the frontrunner at this point for Tuimoloau, but Oregon’s proximity from home and Tuimoloau’s relationship with both Cristobal and Ducks defensive line coach Joe Salave’a shouldn’t be overlooked as Tuimoloau closes in on a decision.
Other names to keep close tabs on include four-star cornerback Ceyair Wright, four-star running back Byron Cardwell, and three-star JUCO offensive lineman Jordan Moko.
Top Photo: Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite QB Ty Thompson (247Sports)