The month of February in the world of college football recruiting is officially not what it used to be.
Gone are the days of coaches and fans sweating out the decisions of 18-year-olds deep into the winter months. That stress and anxiety has been rewound to mid-December, as the early signing period has unequivocally solidified itself as the date on the recruiting calendar.
Quite honestly, if not for the recent hiring of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, it’s entirely possible that the signing day press conference held by Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal would have been relegated to a press release, as only one prospect – four-star defensive lineman Jayson Jones – was signed by Oregon this past Wednesday.
Nevertheless, with the dust all but settled on the 2020 recruiting cycle, Cristobal and the Ducks finish with the no. 1 class in the Pac-12 for a second year in a row, in addition to inking the nation’s 12th-best recruiting class per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings. In all, 22 players will join what is already a deep and talented roster that is fresh off a 12-2 season complete with a Pac-12 Championship, Rose Bowl victory, and a top 5 finish in the national polls.
Before we turn the page to next season and the next recruiting cycle, WFOD offers up our final thoughts (and a few superlatives) on Oregon’s 2020 signees on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Line
The Signees:
(3*) Jake Shipley – 6’5″, 271 lbs. – Indio (Calif.) Shadow Hills
(3*) Maceal Afaese – 6’5″, 257 lbs. – Kapolei (Hawaii)
(3*) Bradyn Swinson – 6’4″, 257 lbs. – Douglasville (Ga.) Chapel Hill
(3*) Jaylen Smith – 6’5″, 266 lbs. – Ahoskie (N.C.) Hertford County
(4*) Jayson Jones – 6’7″, 340 lbs. – Calera (Ala.)
The Grade: B+
The Takeaway:
Early in the 2020 recruiting cycle, it didn’t appear as if the Ducks would replicate the haul they enjoyed during the 2019 recruiting cycle, when Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brandon Dorlus, Kristian Williams, Keyon Ware-Hudson, and Sua’ava Poti comprised an impressive five-man class of defensive linemen. And while the group in 2020 may not be on the same level of the 2019 contingent in terms of star power, it’s clear that Cristobal and his coaching staff have placed an emphasis on keeping not just offensive trenches well stocked, but the defensive trenches, as well.
The biggest name, in terms of star rating, from the 2020 class of incoming defensive linemen is four-star prospect Jayson Jones, who will arrive in Eugene with the distinction of being the largest defensive linemen in the group. At 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, the former Alabama verbal commit appears to be a future challenger at nose tackle once Jordon Scott exhausts his eligibility. He is joined by a quartet of versatile, under-the-radar prospects in Shipley, Afaese, Swinson, and Smith, adding remarkable depth to the promising young foundation that has been established under the direction of defensive line coach Joe Salave’a. Of the five, Shipley and Swinson are already on campus for winter conditioning, which could provide the two with an honest shot at locking up early playing time next season.
Linebacker
The Signees:
(4*) Jaden Navarrette – 6’3″, 223 lbs. – Norco (Calif.)
(3*) Jackson LaDuke – 6’2″, 217 lbs. – Sparks (Nev.) Spanish Springs
(5*) Noah Sewell – 6’2″, 266 lbs. – Orem (Utah)
(5*) Justin Flowe – 6’2″, 226 lbs. – Upland (Calif.)
The Grade: A+
The Takeaway:
Truthfully, with the addition of Sewell and Flowe alone, the Ducks likely would have likely secured an A+ grade in our book. Tack on the addition of Navarette and LaDuke, two terrific West Coast talents in their own right, and you have the ingredients for what may very well be the best linebacker class in the entire country.
With veteran mainstays such as Troy Dye, La’Mar Winston, and Bryson Young now gone to graduation, it’s hard to imagine there being a better group to replace what the Ducks lose. Almost as soon as they step foot on campus, both Sewell and Flowe will be expected to challenge for considerable playing time, if not starting roles, as both have the versatility and spectacular skill-set to make an early imprint on what should be one the of deepest and most talented defensive units in the country. Navarrette and LaDuke may be relegated to biding their time given the immense talent the Ducks possess on the defensive side of the ball, though both players have the physical make-up to carve out limited roles for themselves on defense and/or special teams in year one.
Defensive Back
The Signees:
(4*) Luke Hill – 5’11”, 180 lbs. – Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy
(3*) JJ Greenfield – 5’11”, 177 lbs. – Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne
(3*) Bennett Williams – 6’0″, 200 lbs. – San Mateo (Calif.) College of San Mateo via Illinois via Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis
(5*) Dontae Manning – 6’0″, 185 lbs. – Kansas City (Mo.) Raytown
The Grade: A
The Takeaway:
The difference between Oregon’s incoming class of defensive backs earning an A grade and an A+ grade is minuscule. Though it was a group that experienced its fair share of fluctuation throughout the 2020 cycle given the commitments and de-commitments of talents such as Avantae Williams and Myles Slusher, it’s an incoming class that solidifies the Ducks’ secondary both in the present and the future with caliber of players they’re set to bring in.
The headliner of this group is five-star cornerback Dontae Manning. His commitment to the Ducks back in December was a historic one for the program, as he provided Oregon with its third five-star prospect in this class, a new record when it comes to the number of five-star prospects that have signed with Oregon during a recruiting cycle. Blessed with elite speed and length, look for Manning to push young incumbents such as DJ James and Trikweze Bridges for early playing time on defense, while also potentially factoring into the return game. Hill, a four-star prospect, finds himself in a similar position to Manning in that he’ll need to push past some elder statesmen on the roster in order to secure playing time. However, his presence is more than noteworthy as he finished the cycle ranked as the no. 15-ranked cornerback in the 2020 class. Greenfield and Williams are multi-talented players with the ability to star just about anywhere in the secondary. Of the four incoming defensive backs, Williams may be the one who finds the field first, as he was named an ESPN Freshman All-American at the end of the 2017 season while at Illinois.
WFOD’s Superlatives for the Class of 2020 (Defense)
Best pro prospect: Dontae Manning
Most likely to make an immediate impact: Noah Sewell
Most intriguing: Bennett Williams
Biggest sleeper: Maceal Afaese
Most difficult to project: Jaden Navarrette
Recapping The Class: Final thoughts Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class – Offense
Top Photo: Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos (Idaho Statesman)