We’re barely halfway through the month of June and already the Ducks have nearly eclipsed the number of June commitments they received during the 2019 recruiting cycle. That’s saying something, especially when you consider that last June was the busiest month during the recruiting cycle for the Ducks in terms of the six commitments they received.

On Wednesday, Kapolei (Hawaii) defensive end Maceal Afaese increased the Ducks’ number of June commitments to five when he took to Twitter to announce his decision to attend Oregon.

I AM COMMITTED!!! #SCODUCKS🦆🦆🦆 pic.twitter.com/Vz9d0lY23v

— Maceal Afaese ❄️ (@Eleu_sameka) June 19, 2019

Afaese is now the 13th member of Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class and the second straight defensive lineman to commit to the Ducks after Oregon landed a verbal commitment from Indio (Calif.) Shadow Hills three-star prospect Jake Shipley this past Friday. He’s also the second Hawaiian to join this current crop of recruits after Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Francis School three-star offensive lineman Faaope Laloulu started Oregon’s hot streak on June 8.

Rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports (no Composite ranking available for Afaese at this time), Afaese elevates the Ducks’ 2020 class to 11th in the country. Oregon edged out Tennessee, Nebraska, and a handful of other Pac-12 schools to secure Afaese’s services.

Below we take a closer look at Afaese’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:

• Not super twitchy: Compared to future teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux, Afaese isn’t the kind of player who will overwhelm his opponents with flashy pass rushing moves or exceptional speed and quickness. Afaese’s game is more so predicated on power, thus don’t expect him to be a player that leads this team in sacks and tackles for loss.
• Can play with a little too much finesse: This may be somewhat of a harsh evaluation of Afaese’s game considering the lack of available film, but for a 6-foot-5 and 260-pound athlete, there’s a noticeable amount of finesse to his game. As Afaese grows into his frame, it’s something he can eventually grow out of, but we’d like to see him play with more of a mean streak as the maturation process continues.

Notable strengths:

• Big, athletic frame: There’s so much to like about Afaese when you watch him on film. Given his great size and ability to move fluidly, with some seasoning, Afaese could quickly develop into an unenviable matchup for the offensive linemen he looks to line up across from. 
• Has a knack for collapsing the pocket: When he chooses to utilize it, Afaese plays with great strength and power at the point of attack and is adept at collapsing the pocket. His length, in particular, allows him to play with tremendous leverage and is ultra effective at clouding passing lanes and batting down passes at the line of scrimmage.
• Plenty of room for growth: The sky is the limit in terms of projecting where Afaese could be by the time his career at Oregon is over. Considering his frame, Afaese could conceivably star at any one of the positions along the defensive line and be an impact player. This is the type of player whom Ducks defensive line coach Joe Salave’a excels in molding.

Overall outlook:

Though taller and lighter than this current Oregon defensive lineman, Afaese’s skill-set and growth potential closely mirrors that of Austin Faoliu from our perspective. Though neither player was super heavily recruited coming out of high school, both players play with power and are versatile enough to be impact players regardless of where they line up along the defensive front. Afaese’s physical profile probably has him more likely to eventually achieve star-level status compared to Faoliu’s, but nevertheless, both players are cut from similar types of cloth. Unlike Faoliu, however, there’s a decent chance that Afaese will get to take advantage of a redshirt year considering the number of defensive linemen the Ducks figure to have on the roster once the 2020 season kicks off. This could be a best case scenario for the Kapolei product, who will likely require some time to develop before assuming a bigger role within the Oregon defense.