Assessing Oregon’s place in Kayvon Thibodeaux’s Top 5

Recruiting / Saturday, June 30th, 2018

The Ducks have been spinning recruiting gold in 2019, building what is on pace to be the best recruiting class in school history by a wide margin.

With 14 prospects known to have given the Oregon coaching staff a verbal commitment, the Ducks currently have the nation’s 4th-ranked recruiting class per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings, and are well within striking distance of Alabama, who currently holds the nation’s No. 1 ranking.

A player that could perhaps go a long way towards closing, if not eclipsing, that gap is Thousand Oaks (Calif.) Oaks Christian five-star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux – currently ranked as the top high school prospect in the country by 247Sports Composite.

On Saturday, Thibodeaux released a video announcing his top five schools; a list that includes Oregon, Florida State, Florida, USC, and mighty Alabama.

Currently in Frisco, Texas getting set to compete against the nation’s top high school talent at The Opening, Thibodeaux will have his chance to solidify his place as the country’s No. 1 player. Meanwhile, the jockeying for his services officially reaches a new plane of intensity between the final five named.

Below we make an early armchair assessment of each finalists’ place within Thibodeaux’s top five:

Florida:

Of the schools in Thibodeaux’s top five, the Gators feel like the program with the longest odds to land the nation’s top player. Thibodeaux has visited Gainesville and sees Florida as a team on the rise under first-year head coach Dan Mullen, but the Gators have struggled to garner the same kind of recruiting momentum as other schools in Thibodeaux’s top five. According to 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings, the Gators have the 35th-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2019, which ranks them 10th in the SEC as of the publish date of this article. While Mullen and his staff aren’t necessarily known as dynamic recruiters, even the most optimistic Florida fans would have to admit that residing 10th in the SEC’s recruiting rankings is unexpected. Expect Mullen’s class to improve over the coming months, but don’t expect Thibodeaux to be a part of it.

USC:

Perhaps the most peculiar development in Thibodeaux’s recruitment is the apparent lack of communication between Thibodeaux and the school many pegged as the early favorite, USC. Shortly after announcing his top five, 247Sports’ Greg Biggins published an article with quotes from Thibodeaux discussing the lack of dialogue from those inside the Trojans’ camp.

“That’s my hometown school so I had to include them,” said Thibodeaux. “They really haven’t been recruiting me that hard but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure if they think I’m set on leaving home or what but I haven’t heard a lot from them in the last few months … Like I said, it’s home for me and hopefully we can build that relationship through the course of the year.”

Thibodeaux went on to say that despite the limited communication, USC’s location is “big for me,” citing the allure of Los Angeles and the school’s law program as two driving forces behind his interest in the Trojans. The depth chart should also be somewhat of a plus, as USC currently has only one verbal commitment from a defensive end prospect after signing none during the 2018 recruiting cycle. On one hand, Thibodeaux’s inclusion of the Trojans despite the lack of chatter shows that he has real interest in the program and is open to being pursued. On the other, it may also mean that the USC coaching staff is in more of a hole with far more ground to make up on the competition if they hope to land the local product.

Florida State:

If Thibodeaux’s tweets from mid-April during his unofficial visit to Tallahassee mean anything, the Seminoles may have the inside track on landing a commitment from the five-star talent.

It’s clear that former Oregon head coach turned current Florida State headman Willie Taggart has succeeded in showing Thibodeaux love and making him feel like a vital part of the program’s future. With that, it should be expected that Taggart and his staff will continue doing everything in their power to keep the ‘Noles top of mind for Thibodeaux moving forward. It also doesn’t hurt that Florida State has experience as recently as last recruiting cycle in reaching into Southern California and landing top talent, as evidenced by Jaiden Woodbey’s commitment to the Seminoles this past December. However, per his interview with Biggins, Thibodeaux mentions location as a factor in his recruitment, which could become accentuated as the recruiting cycle winds down. Additionally, the Seminoles have been extremely active in addressing their needs along the defensive line, inking six defensive lineman last year to go along with the five d-linemen already verbally committed to Florida State in the 2019 class.

Alabama:

No school in Thibodeaux’s top five has a better track record developing future pros than Nick Saban and Alabama. Though the Crimson Tide weren’t originally thought to be a great fit for Thibodeaux, he has unofficially visited Tuscaloosa twice (with his last visit coming on June 22) and it appears the Tide have thrust themselves into the conversation after selling him on the potential for early playing time, as well as the well worn path from ‘Bama to the NFL. Like Florida State, distance could wind up being a factor for Alabama when decision time comes for Thibodeaux, but it would be unwise to underestimate Saban and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi’s ability to reach into California and ultimately sign the nation’s No. 1 recruit.

Oregon:

In a lot of ways, the Ducks may offer the most attractive overall package for Thibodeaux. Not only did Thibodeaux give his unofficial visit to Eugene in April high marks, but he also recognizes the success Mario Cristobal and his staff have had in piecing together what is currently one of the top recruiting classes in the entire country. Eugene’s relative close proximity to Los Angeles also provides Thibodeaux with the best of both worlds, as he can remain a short flight from home while still striking out on his own and experiencing something different as he enters college. The opportunity to make an early impact is also very high at Oregon, as the Ducks signed only two defensive ends in 2018 and currently have none committed to the program for 2019. The key for Oregon in their pursuit of Thibodeaux will be how they perform on the field under Cristobal. If the Ducks enjoy a bounce back season that features a couple high profile wins, they may just find themselves in the driver’s seat for Thibodeaux’s signature on signing day.

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