Even after signing a massive class of offensive linemen – both in physical size and quantity – in the 2018 recruiting class, there has been no hesitation on the part of Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal in piecing together a second consecutive class that contains impressive offensive line talent. This was proved Saturday night, as Cristobal and the Ducks received perhaps their biggest verbal commitment of the 2019 cycle in Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne four-star Jonah Tauanu’u.

SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!
FOREVER COMMITTED‼️‼️
🦆🦆💛💚
(Please No hate) pic.twitter.com/GVFukZJ6HF

— Jonah Tauanu’u (@jztauanuu) August 12, 2018

With 20 offers to his name, Tauanu’u chose Oregon over strong overtures from Oklahoma, Florida, and USC, who finished as the finalists for the nation’s 11th-ranked offensive tackle. It’s also worth noting that Tauanu’u is the fourth player from Narbonne High School to commit to Oregon in the past year, following in the footsteps of 2018 recruit JJ Tucker, fellow 2019 commit Mykael Wright, and 2021 pledge Seven McGee.

With the commitment of Tauanu’u, the Ducks now have a total of 20 verbal commitments for their 2019 recruiting class, which currently ranks 4th nationally per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings, trailing SEC powers Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M. Tauanu’u is also the third offensive lineman to commit to the Ducks during the 2019 cycle, joining four-star Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and three-star Joey Capra.

Below we take a closer look at Tauanu’u’s game, examining his weaknesses and strengths, as well as projecting how he may make an impact for the Ducks when he ultimately arrives on campus.

Notable weaknesses:

• Needs to improve fundamentals: Tauanu’u is a player who is only beginning to scratch the surface of his outstanding ability. With that, he still has room for improvement when it comes to technique and overall fundamentals. Because he’s so physically dominant, he can get by with raw strength in rag-dolling the high school competition he faces. That won’t come as easy once he reaches college.
• Needs to continue re-shaping his body: At 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds, Taunau’u has a body type which will allow him to compete for playing time immediately once he arrives on campus. However, he’ll need to make stride towards eliminating some of the bad weight he possesses, which shouldn’t be too difficult provided he commits himself to a college-level weight and nutrition program.

Notable strengths:

• Very athletic for his size: Tauanu’u is a terrific athlete who uses his impressive quickness to neutralize defenders. He’s a prototypical left tackle who is light on his feet, allowing him to excel both as a blindside protector and as a lead blocker. Changes direction very well, allowing him to target and re-target defenders with ease and at multiple levels of a defense.
• Extremely powerful at the point of attack: Once Tauanu’u get his hands on a defender, particularly when he’s moving downhill, he usually makes them look silly. He’s very dominant at the point of attack and ruthlessly effective at finishing blocks.

Overall outlook:

The film doesn’t lie – Tauanu’u is simply one of the nation’s top offensive tackle prospects. It’s for this reason that he is so coveted by Cristobal, who has not been bashful in stocking the Oregon offensive line with high-level talent. Like Penei Sewell, Tauanu’u will be expected to be a player who pushes for playing time early in his collegiate career. However, given the tremendous depth the Ducks currently have along the offensive line, it’s difficult to chart a clear path to the field for the SoCal product. It’s well within the realm of possibility that Oregon returns redshirt juniors Brady Aiello and Calvin Throckmorton in 2019, along with key reserves such as junior George Moore and a collection of true freshmen headlined by Steven Jones and the aforementioned Sewell. Still, none of that should diminish the importance and the excitement that comes with Tauanu’u’s commitment. He’s a cornerstone type piece that the Ducks will undoubtedly have their hands full in hanging onto, as schools like Oklahoma, and particularly USC, will only be emboldened in their pursuit between now and December when Tauanu’u plans on signing his letter of intent.