With the late cycle drama surrounding the signature of four-star wide receiver Puka Nacua now officially put to bed, the time has come to similarly put a bow on Oregon’s 2019 recruiting class – an epic recruiting haul that saw the Ducks finish in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings for the first time in school history.

In total, the Ducks’ 26-man class, ranked no. 7 nationally per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings, included the program’s first five-star prospect since 2015 and a total of five top 100 prospects, the most since 2011 when Oregon signed four. The recruiting game has indeed changed under Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, as he and his coaching staff now turn their focus to the Class of 2020 and beyond.

Before we do the same, WFOD takes a look back at the 2019 class that was for the Ducks, offering up our final thoughts (and a few superlatives) on the signees on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback

The Signee:

(3*) Cale Millen – 6’4″, 190 lbs. – Snoqualmie (Wash.) Mount Si

The Grade: B

The Takeaway:

In some ways, Millen’s recruitment felt like a relative afterthought, particularly with fans fixated on the presence of Justin Herbert, and the distinct possibility that Eugene could be the final destination for arguably the top overall recruit in the 2020 class in five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Yet, sandwiched between Herbert’s imminent departure and Uiagalelei’s impending decision is Millen – an under-the-radar recruit with celebrated Husky bloodlines who possesses the size, athletic ability, and gaudy high school numbers that could portend future success.

Formerly a verbal commit to Northwestern, Millen also seemingly has what it takes between the ears to flourish early in his collegiate career. The question, however, is where he ultimately fits in within the context of the depth chart. Having enrolled in January, Millen has a head start when it comes to adapting to the physical and mental rigors of the college game, but the quest for extensive early playing time could be an uphill climb. Herbert is entrenched as the starter so long as he’s healthy. Behind him is Tyler Shough, a redshirt freshman with plenty of promise of his own who also found himself in a similar position to Millen when he enrolled early last winter in order to jumpstart his own development. The good news for Millen is, despite Shough appearing in a handful of games last season, both players have attempted the same number of passes in an actual college game – zero. The backup battle between Millen and Shough figures to be one of the most intriguing storylines surrounding the team this offseason.

Running Back

The Signees:

(3*) Jayvaun Wilson – 6’2″, 210 lbs. – Valencia (Calif.)
(4*) Sean Dollars – 5’10”, 185 lbs. – Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

The Grade: B+

The Takeaway:

For the first time in well over a decade, the Oregon running game was a major question entering this past season. Royce Freeman’s graduation at the end of the 2017 season meant the Ducks would be replacing the school’s all-time leading rusher entering 2018. Anticipated starter, Tony Brooks-James, failed to gain traction as Oregon’s lead back and eventually gave way to freshmen CJ Verdell and Travis Dye by the time Pac-12 play began. The two would go on to combine for 1,757 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, laying the foundation for a 2019 season that could very well launch a new era of Pac-12 dominance on the ground for the Ducks.

Two players who hope to figure into those future plans sooner rather than later are Jayvaun Wilson and Sean Dollars. The Ducks dipped into California like they did so often this cycle and plucked two of the top running back prospects in the state in Wilson and Dollars, who offer a thunder (Wilson) and lightning (Dollars) element that has not yet revealed itself on this current roster. The uncertainty lies in the opportunities both players figure to receive next season. As of the publish date of this article, the Ducks have four scholarship running backs on the roster, excluding Wilson and Dollars. This means one of the two will either have to supplant an upperclassman or take advantage of attrition – and even then it might not be enough, as Verdell and Dye appear to have a firm grasp on the lion’s share of the backfield carries. Special teams may be where Wilson and Dollars initially excel in their first years on campus.

Wide Receiver

The Signees:

(3*) JR Waters – 6’3″, 185 lbs. – Oxnard (Calif.)
(4*) Josh Delgado – 5’11”, 181 lbs. – Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
(4*) Lance Wilhoite – 6’3″, 186 lbs. – Nashville (Tenn.) Franklin Road Academy
(4*) Mycah Pittman – 5’11”, 195 lbs. – Calabasas (Calif.)

The Grade: A-

The Takeaway:

No position group on the Oregon roster was more vilified last season than the wide receivers. Yes, the unit boasted perhaps the team’s best player in Dillon Mitchell, but overall, the unit was hugely disappointing, as drops crippled the offense all too often.

Mitchell is gone to the NFL after deciding to forego his senior season in Eugene, and the only returning player of reasonable note next season is Jaylon Redd, who finished second on the team in receptions (38), receiving yards (433), and receiving touchdowns (5) in 2018. With that, no other group of incoming freshmen amongst the Ducks’ 2019 class will bear more of an immediate burden than Waters, Delgado, Wilhoite, and Pittman. Though untested, the good news is that each player has the talent and the chance to contribute immediately next season. Waters and Wilhoite won’t arrive in Eugene ’til the summer, but Pittman and Delgado will join the team for practices the this spring, which could provide an opportunity for one or both players to establish themselves as mainstays within the receiver rotation before the beginning of fall camp. Keep a close eye on Pittman, in particular. The son of former NFL running back Michael Pittman has the pedigree and the polished game to make an instant impact for this beleaguered unit.

Tight End

The Signee:

(4*) Patrick Herbert – 6’5″, 225 lbs. – Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon

The Grade: B+

The Takeaway:

The Ducks have enjoyed an impressive history of producing quality tight ends, and while the group has experienced a slight downturn in recent seasons, there is plenty of experience (see Jacob Breeland and Ryan Bay) and untapped potential (see Cam McCormick and Spencer Webb) on hand for this group to take a notable step forward this upcoming season.

In Herbert, the younger brother of Justin, the Ducks have a homegrown talent who possesses all of the tools to be a future impact player in the Pac-12. Standing 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Patrick Herbert is a bigger and more complete athlete compared to his brother at the same age. Whether it was as a blocker, a receiver, or even as a defensive end, Herbert regularly demonstrated as a high schooler why he was national recruit worthy of the offers he received from name brand programs such as Florida, Penn State, and Nebraska. The logjam ahead of Herbert at tight end could make it difficult for him to earn significant playing time in his first year, but it would be unwise to dismiss him on based on youth and inexperience alone. Lest we forget, his older brother similarly arrived on campus buried on the depth chart only to emerge as the team’s starting quarterback midway through his freshman season.

Offensive Line

The Signees:

(4*) Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu – 6’7″, 345 lbs. – Henderson (Nev.) Liberty via Corsicana (Texas) Navarro College
(4*) Jonah Tauanu’u – 6’6″, 317 lbs. – Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne
(3*) Logan Sagapolu – 6’3″, 340 lbs. – Lehi (Utah) Skyridge

The Grade: A

The Takeaway:

A position that was already an area of tremendous strength for the Ducks got stronger at the conclusion of the 2019 recruiting cycle, as head coach Mario Cristobal made it a point once again to address the offensive trenches by supplying it with massive athletes. Last season, Penei Sewell became the first true freshman since 1997 to start the season opener, serving as the Ducks left tackle for the first half of the year until an ankle injury sidelined him for the final six games of the regular season. He joined an experienced quartet of upperclassmen in Shane Lemieux, Calvin Throckmorton, Jake Hanson, and Brady Aiello to give the Ducks one of the best offensive line units in the conference, though Sewell would prove to be perhaps the most irreplaceable of the bunch, as the Ducks were 6-1 with him in the lineup but only 3-3 with him out of it.

All five of those players return this upcoming season, plus savvy veteran Dallas Warmack and up-and-comer Steven Jones, to once again give Oregon a formidable presence in the trenches. But is it possible for another newcomer to make a Sewell-like impact in 2019? It’s unlikely, though four-star prospects Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Jonah Tauanu’u will no doubt get an opportunity to prove themselves. Ranked as the top JUCO offensive lineman in the country last season, Aumavae-Laulu figures to be a strong contender for playing time at one of the guard positions this season despite the depth and experience at those positions. Tauanu’u won’t arrive in Eugene until the summer, but could very well push for playing time at one of the tackle positions after ranking as the nation’s ninth-best offensive tackle in the 2019 class. Though part of the Ducks’ recruiting class this year, Logan Sagapolu will delay enrollment until 2021 after he completes a two-year LDS mission.

WFOD’s Superlatives for the Class of 2019 (Offense)

Best pro prospect: OL Jonah Tauanu’u
Most likely to make an immediate impact: WR Mycah Pittman
Most intriguing: WR JR Waters
Biggest sleeper: WR Josh Delgado
Most difficult to project: RB Sean Dollars