Friday is pay day for many people in the work force.

In recent weeks, Friday has had a similar feel for Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal and the Oregon football program, as the Ducks have been richly compensated in the form of scoring major additions to their rapid ascending 2021 recruiting class.

Last Friday, Oregon’s 2021 class landed its signature verbal commitment to date when Troy Franklin, the nation’s second-ranked receiver, made his long anticipated pledge to the Ducks. Two weeks before that, Oregon landed its fourth 2021 verbal commitment from the state of Arizona when three-star edge rusher Brandon Buckner made the call for the Ducks. Three weeks prior to Buckner’s announcement, Oregon received consecutive Friday commitments from four-star offensive lineman Bram Walden (May 8) and three-star edge rusher Terrell Tilmon (May 1).

That exciting trend for Duck fans continued this Friday, as Cristobal and company picked up perhaps their most high-profile commitment in the secondary this cycle with Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star cornerback Jaylin Davies announcing his verbal commitment to Oregon.

COMMITTED- 🦆💚💛 #califlock🦆 pic.twitter.com/YGlpb5YSLt

— Jaylin Davies (@jaylin_davies) June 19, 2020

With his commitment, Davies becomes the 14th member of the Ducks’ 2021 recruiting class, which now ranks sixth nationally per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings. He joins Jadarrius Perkins and Darren Barkins as the third defensive back to commit to Oregon this cycle, while also serving, prospectively, as the seventh Mater Dei alum to make his way to Eugene during Cristobal’s tenure, combining with Sean Dollars, Mase Funa, Andrew Faoliu, Austin Faoliu, Keyon Ware-Hudson, and fellow 2021 verbal commit Kyron Ware-Hudson.

Davies selects Oregon after receiving more than 20 offers from blue-blood programs such as Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Florida State, and USC.

Below we take a closer look at Davies’ 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:

• Lacks physicality: Listed at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, Davies is built similarly to fellow 2021 cornerback commit Darren Barkins in that he has room to grow when it comes to filling out his frame. Unlike Barkins, however, Davies doesn’t quite have the same penchant for physicality. As Davies matures physically, he should only improve in this regard, but it’s not necessarily where he makes his name.
• Lacks explosive speed, athleticism: You don’t need to be the world’s most explosive athlete to excel at corner, but it certainly helps to have those kinds of traits. While he’s definitely no stiff, Davies isn’t the type of athlete that relies on/possesses blistering speed and/or dazzling leaping ability to counter opposing receivers.

Notable strengths:

• Technically sound: Few corners in the 2021 class are as smooth and technical as Davies. His quick feet, terrific short-area burst, and remarkable mirroring skills make him an ideal man-to-man cover corner. This alone should put him in the mix for playing time as a true freshman.
• Instinctual in coverage: In addition to being a well-coached technician, Davies possesses superb coverage instincts. He’s a natural operating on an island, and despite lacking elite athletic traits, he more than makes up for it with confidence and an outstanding feel for playing the position. He’s a player who seldom finds himself lost in coverage.
• Good ball skills: Part of what makes Davies’ such an instinctual corner is his natural ball skills. He’s a pesky player who is adept at tracking the ball while it’s in flight and using his long arms to deny receivers the pass.

Overall outlook:

Considering the Ducks are set to lose both Thomas Graham and Deommodore Lenoir at the end of the 2020 season, Cristobal and first-year cornerbacks coach Rod Chance have wasted no time this cycle addressing their impending needs at corner. With Perkins and Barkins already in the boat, the Ducks bolster the position with one of the best pure cover corners on the West Coast in Jaylin Davies.

In many ways, Davies has a skill set that is reminiscent of Graham’s, insofar as, neither player is particularly blessed with breathtaking speed or off-the-charts athleticism, though both players are naturally gifted in the art of blanketing opposing receivers. Davies’ frame should allow him to eventually round into one of the more complete cornerbacks on the Oregon roster, though don’t necessarily expect him to be handed a starting job right away.

Mykael Wright is a virtual lock to stake his claim to one of the vacated starting roles in 2021, and with highly-touted 2020 signee Dontae Manning and veterans DJ James and Trikweze Bridges in prime contention for the starting job opposite of Wright, Davies will likely need to wait his turn before making a significant impact. That, however, may be the best case scenario for Davies, as a year of maturation could do wonders for a player who has the earmarkings of a future all-conference player at the next level.

Top Photo: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei CB Jaylin Davies (Steve Paynter/MaxPreps)