Fresh off one of the most epic stretches of recruiting success in program history over the past 10 weeks or so, Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal and his Oregon coaching staff deserve to take, at the very least, a momentary breather.
From May 1 to the present day, Cristobal and company have set a remarkable pace in terms of the quality and frequency in which Oregon has landed verbal commitments to its 2021 recruiting class. In that span, Oregon has picked up 12 verbal commitments, eight of which have been four-star rated prospects or higher. This blistering streak has also positioned the Ducks to finish with the top recruiting class in the Pac-12 for the third straight year, while also setting them up for perhaps their best national finish ever, as Oregon currently resides just outside the top five (no. 6 nationally) of 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings at time of publish.
Saturday’s commitment from Clovis (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Keanu Williams is widely expected to end this unprecedented hot streak on the recruiting trail for Oregon, but it’s by no means expected to mark an end to the damage Cristobal and the Ducks look to do between now and the unofficial end of the 2021 recruiting cycle in February.
With a handful of high-value targets still in play for Oregon as a college football-starved nation holds its breath and crosses its fingers for some semblance of a season this fall, WFOD takes a closer look at the top prospects that the Ducks continue to pursue on the offensive side of the ball.
The Commits
(4*) QB Ty Thompson – 6’4″, 215 lbs. – Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite
(4*) RB Seven McGee – 5’8″, 167 lbs. – Rochester (N.Y.) East
(4*) WR Kyron Ware-Hudson – 6’1″, 200 lbs. – Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
(5*) WR Troy Franklin – 6’2″, 170 lbs. – Menlo Park (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton
(4*) WR Isaiah Brevard – 6’4″, 200 lbs. – Southaven (Miss.)
(4*) TE Moliki Matavao – 6’6″, 240 lbs. – Henderson (Nev.) Liberty
(4*) TE Terrance Ferguson – 6’5″, 230 lbs. – Littleton (Colo.) Heritage
(4*) OL Jackson Light – 6’3″, 290 lbs. – Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon
(4*) OL Bram Walden – 6’4″, 270 lbs. – Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro
(4*) OL Jonah Miller – 6’7″, 260 lbs. – Tucson (Ariz.) Sahuaro
Summary: The 10 verbal commitments the Ducks have on the offensive side of the ball represents more than half of the commitments currently pledged to Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class; a strong indicator of where the focus has been for the Ducks’ coaching staff over the first half of the recruiting cycle. It’s also a strong indicator that Mario Cristobal has every intention of stockpiling a collection of talent on the offensive side of the ball that rivals Oregon’s star-studded defense. Headlined by four-star quarterback Ty Thompson, four-star offensive lineman Bram Walden, and five-star wide receiver Troy Franklin, the pillars and foundation of this class are already firmly in place, but the talent of this group could measure up against any offensive recruiting class nationally should they add just a few more top prospects.
The Top Prospects
(4*) WR Dont’e Thornton – 6’5″, 185 lbs. – Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph
If the Ducks have indicated anything during the 2021 recruiting cycle, it’s that they have made acquiring big-bodied pass catchers an absolute priority. With Ware-Hudson, Franklin, Brevard, Ferguson, and Matavao already on board, that group alone is enough to transform the look and feel of a position group that has oddly struggled to land and produce top flight talent through the years. Add in Thornton, the nation’s sixth-best wide receiver and the no. 54 overall prospect in the country, and you start to get a feeling similar to when you’ve hunted too much game whilst playing The Oregon Trail; an embarrassment of riches that inevitably leaves you feeling a bit spoiled. In fact, with a commitment from Thornton, the Ducks would clinch the highest-rated quartet of wide receivers to ever commit to a Pac-10/12 school in the modern recruiting era, edging out USC’s 2006 class which boasted Vidal Hazelton, David Ausberry, Travon Patterson, and Jamere Holland, who ultimately transferred to Oregon.
Of course, Duck fans would no doubt find a way to get over that spoiled feeling should Thornton join the flock. With a top six consisting of Oregon, Arizona State, Florida State, Notre Dame, USC, and Virginia, Thornton isn’t expected to make his final decision until January 9, though the Ducks are roundly believed to be the team to beat for his commitment at this time.
(4*) OL Kingsley Suamataia – 6’5″, 280 lbs. – Orem (Utah)
With junior left tackle Penei Sewell all but guaranteed to be a top five overall draft pick in next year’s NFL draft, the search for his replacement is already well underway. And while there are a handful of promising young candidates already on the Oregon roster, the best man for the job may be the one who has not yet graduated high school. In many respects, Cristobal and the Ducks hope that that qualified candidate is four-star prospect Kingsley Suamataia.
Ranked as the top overall recruit in the state of Utah and the no. 10 offensive tackle in the country per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, you may be hard pressed to find a more ideal replacement for Sewell than Suamataia. Not only does Suamataia share the same kind of lofty recruiting billing that Sewell had coming out of high school in 2018, but Suamataia is also a close friend of the Sewell family, as he was a high school teammate of 2020 Oregon commit Noah Sewell (Penei’s younger brother for the somehow uninitiated) and has spent time in the offseason working out with the Sewell brothers and three-star prospect Jackson Light, who committed to the Ducks last October.
With that, and for quite some time, the stars have seemed be to perfectly aligned for Oregon to receive a commitment from Suamataia. Yet, Suamataia has indicated he would like to take visits this fall in order to make a fully informed decision, leaving the door open for schools like Georgia, who may stand as the biggest non-Oregon threat for Suamataia’s commitment at this time. However, with the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and possibility of official visits being completely abandoned as a result, the battle for Suamataia’s signature may prove moot in favor of the Ducks.
(4*) OL Bryce Foster – 6’5″, 315 lbs. – Katy (Texas) Taylor
Wide receiver has rightfully commanded the overwhelming majority of attention for Duck fans who have closely followed recruiting during the current cycle, but the peerless nature of Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class may ultimately ride on who the Ducks wind up with along the offensive line.
Oregon has already set the table for a fantastic finish in the offensive trenches with Light, Walden, and Miller firmly part of the fold, and with Suamataia appearing to be a near-lock to join them. The cherry on top of this mountainous sundae, however, is the player known as “The Mountain” in four-star recruit Bryce Foster. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, it’s no mystery as to how Foster earned his nickname, especially after watching the nation’s no. 64 overall recruit and fourth-ranked offensive guard put in work on film. A destructive, mauling presence particularly in the run game, Foster would give this group a concentrated dose of physicality and nastiness should he make the decision to head west.
Regional powers such as Oklahoma and Texas A&M are also squarely in contention for Foster, and arguably have a leg up on the hard-charging Ducks thanks to their proximal advantage to the Houston area. In fact, more so than perhaps any other recruit Oregon is pursuing this cycle, the specter of COVID-19 may ultimately foil their opportunity to secure Foster, who is a decorated track and field athlete to boot. However, should Cristobal and Oregon get a chance to host Foster and his family this fall and allow them to see an immaculately renovated Hayward Field, in addition to the Ducks’ practically unparalleled football facilities, it may very well be all Oregon needs to turn the tide in their favor.
Others of note: Milledgeville (Ga.) Georgia Military College RB Tye Edwards, Elk Grove (Calif.) four-star RB/DB Prophet Brown, Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass four-star OL Jager Burton
Top Photo: Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph WR Dont’e Thornton (247Sports)